Nordic Notes - Issue #18
5. December 2021 - Slush debrief
Hey all,
What a week! Slush is the best time of the year, but this year was extra special due to the smaller size and since the event wasn’t organised at all last year. I’ve got to say I really liked the more concentrated visitor group, it felt like every other person I walked past was an investor or a startup visitor. It was also a lot easier to accidentally run into familiar faces.
Last weeks issue of Nordic Notes is the most read of all time, over double the regular rates so thank you all <3
Next week is the launch of the State of European Tech report, so in the next newsletter I’ll dive into the most interesting details there - can’t wait!
As always, happy to hear from you, let me know what I missed, what I can improve & what you’d like to read about!
Funding rounds
🇫🇮/🇮🇸 Mainframe raised 20m€ for building MMO games.
🇩🇰 Weld raised 4m€ for their data platform.
🇱🇹 VSight raised 775k€ for their AR remote support tool.
🇫🇮 Rocsole raised 5.6m$ for their AI solutions.
🇸🇪 Carla raised 10m€ for their electric vehicle e-commerce marketplace.
Did I miss something - send me a note!
Quick Notes
Launch of the State of European Tech 2021 Report is on the 7th of December - so sign up here if you haven't yet done that.
It has been a record-breaking year in investments in Finland according to the FVCA.
Karma Ventures announced their second fund of 100m€.
Play Ventures announced their new fund focused on blockchain gaming with 75m$ in commitments.
Crowberry is hiring a Nordic Based Investment Manager and a Deal Driven Data Scientist.
Junction is looking for a Head of Marketing and Communications.
Speedinvest launched a new 80m€ fund focusing on European climate tech startups.
Slush debrief
Firstly a huge thank you to the whole Slush team! <3
Then a couple practicalities. The program on the two main stages can be found on YouTube - Day 1 Founder Stage, Day 1 Amphitheater, Day 2 Founder Stage, Day 2 Amphiteater. It’ll probs take some time to do the editing so that all they can be found individually, but the whole thing is there already. My absolute favourite talk can be found here, three Slush CEOs discussing. I’ll let you know of more favourites later.
Then to the crown jewel of Slush - the Slush 100. Congratulations to the winner Hormona! If you want to watch the finals, you can do that here.
A few words on the finalists:
Hormona - a hormone tracking app to understand your hormonal rhythm. Overall the femtech space is a very underserved market so I was happy to see a couple companies in the space at the semifinal rounds. Hormonal changes are an essential part of the life of all women, but there is a huge knowledge gap and that’s what Hormona is trying to tap into. A lot of women also suffer from hormonal imbalances that they will try to help with as well.
Vitroscope - integrated flow chamber system for live cell microscopy. Yes you read it right and yes it is tech, but if you work in a lab I’m sure you get it and understand why it’s cool. Essentially they are trying to help researchers get closer to reality with their tests.
Helppy - is helping the family members of elders with a service to handle all help. It’s a portal that gathers the relevant service providers, conversations etc. in one place.
I got the pleasure of being a judge in the semifinals Slush 100 pitching competition with these superstars (picture below). The semifinals consisted of 20 companies of which we had to pick 3 to go to the finals. Since I got to watch all the 20 pitches I thought I’d introduce some of my favourites later as well (in addition to the finalists), perhaps next week.
So true…
All the best,
Josefiina