13 Scandinavian Tech Startups You Need to Know About in 2016

Despite popular innovations and success stories like Skype and Spotify birthed from the region, many are still surprised to learn of Scandinavia’s prominence in the global startup arena.

Given its rising status on the tech startup scene, entrepreneurs and investors are increasingly looking to this region of the world for new ideas and innovations. The following are the top 13 Scandinavian tech startups that should be on your mind—and device—in 2016.

13. Gobi 

For those looking to upgrade from Snapchat, this app may be right up your ally. Gobi shares all of its features, in addition to sharing snaps with groups. The app—created by a group of Norwegian university students—just saw its 4.0 release back in May.

12. Yogaia

Attending yoga classes at a local studio can be both pricy and time consuming. Yogaia provides online yoga classes—ideal for those who need yoga to relieve stress in their schedules, instead of adding to it.

11. Stay.com

For those seeking an alternative to TripAdvisor for trip planning, Stay.com provides—in its own words—”travel recommendations by qualified locals.” The platform features user-created guides by local experts in 150 cities, offline access to travel resources, and more.

10. Truecaller

Truecaller is a CallerID application that enables users to see who’s calling before answering. The platform identifies callers by searching its database of over 2 billion numbers for a match. Truecaller also enables the blocking of spam text messages with its TrueMessenger application.

9. Issuu

Copenhagen-based Issuu develops a digital publishing platform that allows anyone to quickly upload and distribute their publications worldwide. The service currently boasts over 30 million publications and more than 100 million unique visitors a month.

8. Unacast

For the uninitiated, proximity marketing is a new paradigm of advertising and promotions that entails localized wireless distribution of advertising to consumers based on their location/place. Leading Oslo-based proximity marketing solution provider Unacast develops the PROX platform for connecting beacons and other proximity sensors to online marketing platforms.

7. Sqore

A plethora of employment websites exist across the globe, but Sqore’s innovative platform gives students and young professionals the ability to compete for global opportunities like academic scholarships, corporate jobs, internships, and more.

6. Tespack

Tespack develops advanced solar-powered backpacks for charging devices when out-and-about or on the road, away from outlets. The company is purportedly the first to offer solar-powered backpacks designed especially for outdoor activities like trekking and biking.

5. EdQu

EdQu is a learning platform for improving education management in elementary schools. The app is currently only available in Swedish, but due to its current traction—is likely to set a trend for educational tools on a larger scale.

4. MusiClock

For the musically inclined, MusicClock’s app provides a range of tools for creating music—guitar charts, background tracks, jamming tools, and more.

3. iZettle

iZettle’s PoS app/platform and card reader device makes paying with credit cards easier for both businesses and customers. Over the past few years, the company’s solutions have enabled users grow their businesses each year by more than five times the European average.

2. Hufsy

Danish fintech startup Hufsy develops an app that allows users to get an instant overview of their financial health, send/receive payments, analyze patterns and trends, report taxes, and more—all with one platform.

1. Meshcrafts

Scandinavian countries lead the world when it comes to electric car adoption—in fact, Norway’s fleet of plug-in electric vehicles is the largest per capita, globally. In response to this groundswell, Norwegian startup Meshcrafts provides solutions for smart urban mobility, including its app for finding electric vehicle (EV) charging stations.

Rest assured that the best is yet to come from Scandinavia’s lively community of tech innovators and startup ecosystems. Be sure to keep these groundbreaking startups in your sights as they expand their products and services to other global markets.

Source(s):

• http://www.gobiapp.com/
• https://yogaia.com/
• http://www.stay.com/
• https://www.truecaller.com/
• https://issuu.com/
• http://unacast.com/
• http://services.sqore.com/
• http://www.tespack.com/
• https://www.edqu.se/faq
• http://mymusiclock.com/
• https://www.izettle.com/se
• http://www.hufsy.com/
• http://www.meshcrafts.com/
• http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ariel-kramer/three-scandinavian-startu_b_10371042.html
• http://www.startupranking.com/top/sweden
• http://www.nordicstartupbits.com/2016/07/04/3-ed-tech-trends-watch-2/
• http://www.nordicstartupbits.com/2015/09/28/musiclock-3-simple-steps-turn-passion-business/
• http://www.wired.co.uk/article/norway-tech-startups-global-potential-viva-labs-meshcraft-socius-nlink
• http://www.businessinsider.com/the-coolest-tech-startups-in-scandinavia-2015-3?r=UK&IR=T&IR=T
• http://www.geektime.com/2015/02/26/20-finnish-startups-you-should-know-about-check-out-suomis-best