mondayfriday #63: €21.8m for startup building human-like androids, new rules for intl. talent in DK, 2 x acquisitions.
TGI(M)F. edition 63, week 1. i’m kay, and this is your weekly round-up of curated startup news from the nordics, delivered to your screen for easy reading every sunday 📚
📍 🌴 🌴 holiday alert 🌴 🌴
Over the easter holidays there will be no newsletter on the 2nd april + 9th of April. I’ll be back in biz with bells on: 16th April 💫
📍 do you have questions about sponsorships and/or want to share some exciting news with the community?
Contact me here: kaymichelsen@hotmail.com 💌
🇩🇰 Denmark
SaaS startup, Kontolink, the company automating the book-keeping process, raises €1m in pre-seed funding.
Lun, the climate tech start-up on a mission to ‘decarbonise European homes’, raises €10.3 million from investors incl. Norrsken VC, Partech, Lowercarbon Capital, and MCJ Collective.
Humani, the company providing talent access to opportunities for growth, raises €2m from Dreamcraft Ventures and a list of prominent angel investors.
Emblem have raised nearly €50 million for a new European seed fund with a focus on Denmark, Stockholm and Paris, backed by EIFO and a list of Danish entrepreneurs (3shape, Dixa, Falcon, Pleo, Zendesk, etc).
SaaS startup, PatentRenewal.com, raises €2m from Vendep Capital to continue digitising the legal process of renewing patents.
🇸🇪 Sweden
Mastercard, the global payments company, acquires the cloud-based cybersecurity platform Baffin Bay Networks.
Candela, the startup building fast & sustainable waterborne transport raises an €18.6m round co-led by EQT Ventures and investor duo Joel Eklund & Svante Nilo Bengtsson.
MYSTiC GAMES, a gaming development studio in Stockholm, raises €1.2m in seed funding led by Shima Capital.
Blinto, the auction site for used heavy machinery, raises €10.6m in funding from Verdane.
Mathem, an online supermarket has acquired 100% of shares in Kavall, a speedy delivery startup.
🇫🇮 Finland
DelSiTech, the DeepTech company providing the technology and expertise for solving drug delivery problems, receives their 3rd grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
MVision AI, the startup using AI to streamline cancer treatments and waiting times raises €5.4 million in post-seed funding from J12 Ventures and Voima Ventures.
🇳🇴 Norway
1X, the robotics company building androids capable of human-like movements and behaviours, raises €21.8m. The series-A2 round was led by the OpenAI Startup Fund, with participation from Tiger Global Management and list of Norwegian investors.
Two, the B2B BNPL (buy-now-pay-later) short-term financing tool to help companies manage their cash flow, raises an €18m series-A led by Shine Capital and Antler.
// ecosystem:
👏 Jasmina Pless shares some of the changes coming 1st of April regarding the recruitment of international talent that can hopefully benefit startups. More on that here.
// startup stories:
🤰 Ella Smoraczewska Harris, Founder & CEO of UVISA Health: “Business as Usual for Pregnant Startup Founders: An Unhealthy Expectation or a Required Necessity?”
// vc, funds:
🤝 “What makes a good co-founder?” as told by Michael J. Wiatr, General Partner at Antler for TechSavvy.
💸 Another’s Legacy are looking for a Marketing Manager
💸 TechBBQ are looking for Head of Partnerships
“The SVB Takeover: What Does it Mean for the Danish Startup Ecosystem?” hosted by Kromann Reumert with speakers incl. Maria Flyvbjerg Bo, Jimmy Fussing Nielsen, Tommy Andersen + Christian Haustveit (EIFO). Wednesday, 29 March 2023 from 15.00 - 17.30 (CET).
Global accelerator program, Techstars, announced that it was shutting down its operations in Stockholm immediately. Jessica Rameau, Partner at Wellstreet VC and mentor in the program, is still offering her help to the cohort. Get in touch with her here.
Across the 28-29th of March, BackingMinds VC are organising two invite-only events in Aarhus and CPH. International VCs in town include: Samira Ann Qassim (Pink Salt Ventures), Sara Wimmercranz (BackingMinds), Amanda Hultman (Atomico), Alena Kaja Redeker (Auxxo) and more.
LEAP FORWARD, a customised accelerator program for Danish startups and scale-ups with international potential are now open for applications until April 14th.