26 Aug TNA Newsletter June 2016

Dear Advocates, Partners and Friends,

​June has been an eventful tech month in the Nordics and Baltics with the added excitement of “London Technology Week” in London and the drama of UK #Brexit and #EUref.  This newsletter focuses on key developments in June, our forthcoming Annual Summit “The Many Faces of Nordic and Baltic Tech”  on 2 November in Stockholm, and key implications of #Brexit for the London/UK tech sector and the rest of the EU/EEA, including Nordics/Baltics and Tech Nordic Advocates.

#Brexit​
On ​Friday 24 June, the UK woke up to its historic decision to leave the EU in the EU Referendum the night before (23 June) with a ​vote of 51.9% in favour of “Leave” against 48.1% in favour of “Remain”, shocking the world and dividing the country. The #Brexit decision has already had profound political and economic consequences: Prime Minister, David Cameron, has resigned; the UK Labour party is in turmoil with its leader, Jeremy Corbyn, having received a vote of note confidence in his leadership (at the time of writing); Scotland wants to remain in the EU threatening a second referendum on Scottish independence, there are rumblings in Ireland – and England was beaten by us Nordics – the football Vikings from Iceland (congratulations Iceland!) and kicked out of EURO 2016.
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​The economic consequences started to show through almost immediately: the pound dropped to its lowest level for 30 years on the Brexit result, stock markets are down, the UK has lost its AAA credit rating, and UK growth forecasts have been revised downwards. Above all else, the “Leave” vote has ushered in tremendous uncertainty, which may last for some time, pending clarity on the UK’s future relationship with the EU. Danish speaking Advocates can see DR 2 Deadline Special’s interview with Tech Nordic Advocates Founder and Chair, Jeanette Carlsson, on the economic consequences of Brexit here

#Brexit will impact the tech sector too – in the UK and EU/EEA, the Nordics/Baltics – including investment levels/uncertainty on both sides, UK access to critical tech/digital talent (1/3 of London tech is represented by overseas migrants), EU/EEA talent opportunities in the UK, collaboration and general trade/services to/from the Single Market of 500m consumers, which will impact the Nordic/Baltic tech sector too.  See interview here with @RussShaw1, Founder of Tech London Advocates, @CNBC 

As the door to freedom of movement across the UK/EU/EEA begins to close, and new (immigration) legislation is introduced, tech leaders in the UK, Nordics, Baltics and wider EU/EEA must work closely together – and we in the Nordics/Baltics must support the UK tech sector – to ensure that policy makers understand clearly how #Brexit impacts the digital/tech sector, as well as our post#Brexit needs, so as to support continued tech sector growth in the UK, Nordics/Baltics, rest of Europe and internationally. A vibrant, dynamic and fast growing London tech sector doesn’t just benefit London/the UK but also access to investment for Nordic/Baltic start-ups and tech sector growth across our region as a whole. Let’s therefore support our tech leader friends in London and the UK. 

@Russshaw1 is working closely with UK tech leaders to ensure that our voice is heard and to demonstrate our resolve and determination for the future of our sector post#Brexit. I have today, on behalf of Tech Nordic Advocates, signed a letter drafted by @RussShaw1, to be published in the UK press, showing our support for the international tech community making London the digital/tech capital of Europe. This is just the start. Please show your support by retweeting @RussShaw1, @TechLondonAdv as well as @TechNordicAdv.

The second, more positive event in London this past week was:

London Technology Week #LDNTechWeek, ​20-26 June – London, United Kingdom 
There were many exciting events across @TechCity throughout London Technology WeekTech Nordic Advocates​, supported by​Tech London Advocates put the ​Nordic/Baltic Tech sector on the agenda ​a​t  ​”​Making the most of Hackney and London – a Nordic and Baltic perspective​”​​.​ Jeanette Carlsson, Founder
​and Chair ​of Tech Nordic Advocates, ​spoke and ​raised the profile of @TechNordicAdvocates in London, along with the key opportunities our region offers London investors and tech companies.

TNA Summit – 2. November 2016, Stockholm, Sweden
You should by now have received a separate “Hold the Date” email regarding ​Tech Nordic Advocates​’ first Annual Summit “The Many Faces of Nordic and Baltic Tech”, to be held on 2 November, 13.00-17.00, followed by a networking drinks reception, at SUP46, ​Stockholm​​’s premier start-up hub.

We are proud to have secured the Support of the Swedish Chamber of Commerce in London, along with other leading sponsors. Come and help us celebrate our astounding first year​ with over 500 Advocates now in Tech Nordic Advocates, working groups under way, sold out tech events and fantastic media coverage highlighting the growth and increasingly important role of the Nordic and Baltic tech sector. Tickets available through Eventbrite



We urgently need more sponsors and offer great marketing and branding opportunities. ​
For details, see here

Other Events

Oslo FinTech Week 6-10 June – Oslo, Norway
Congratulations to Shaun Thanki for organising Oslo FinTech Week. Such an amazing week bringing together regulators, entrepreneurs, financial institutions, investors, IT companies, mentors and accelerators to support the growth of the Norwegian FinTech ecosystem. And great to see so many of our Advocates present both on stage and in the audience!
Tech Nordic Advocates FinTech Working Group was particularly proud of being invited to host the Opening Reception held at Mesh on Monday with TNA Silvija Seres, Board Director, Nordea & Oslo Business Region with the key note on “Disruption in Banking”
and to have our partner Invesdor hosting the Workshop Equity Crowdfunding Workshop: Equity Crowdfunding: What? Why? How?”

Arctic15 1-2 June – Helsinki, Finland
Did you attend Arctic15 this year make sure tag yourself, or would you like to get a feeling of the atmosphere, check out Arctic15 on Facebook!
Tech Nordic Advocates are proud to announce renewal of our Media Partnership for Arctic15 for next years event, which takes place on 3 May 2017.
More info to follow on Podio and in our monthly newsletters with news about speakers and opportunities for our Partners and Advocates to become involved.

Latitude59 30-31 May – Tallinn, Estonia
In 2016 Latitude59 had a lot to offer: the best speakers, the best audience, Pitch@Palace Estonia, a big demo area with some of the best startups and more. During Latitude59  a fair number of well-known international (tech) journalists also visited Estonia with great articles being published in big international media outlets. Here’s a great and most of all a realistic article on the development of Estonia as a country and it’s tech sector in the past 20 years by Mic’s founder Jake Horowitz!
Get a feeling of the atmosphere at Latitude59 here, see who attended and meet the speakers.
Tech Nordic Advocates look forward to next years Event – 25-26 May!

Forthcoming Events

TechBBQ 20. September – Copenhagen, Denmark
TechBBQ  is the largest startup- and innovation summit of the year in Denmark and Greater Copenhagen. On September 20th talent, capital and know-how will gather under one roof to support the startup ecosystem, to celebrate our successes and learn from our failures.

In 2016 the most honest and inspiring speakers are invited to share their stories on the Big Stage. You are invited to network and participate in activities at the Opera House’s balconies with a Hackathon powered by Ultrahack, investor corner with business angel speed dating and VC pitching, startup services, VR/Sound, robots, showcasing and much more.

Ticket sales open on Eventbrite on 5. July 2016. Our Advocates will receive a 20% discount, when applying Discount Code: TechNordicAdvocates

Stay tuned for more information in our August Newsletter, Linkedin, Twitter and Tech Nordic Advocates Collaboration Platform on Podio, sign-in via TNA Website

IP EXPO Nordic 27-28 September – Stockholm, Sweden
IP EXPO Nordic is part of Europe’s number ONE enterprise IT event series, designed for those looking to find out how the latest IT innovations can drive business growth and competitiveness. The event showcases brand new exclusive content and senior-level insights from across the industry, as well as unveiling the latest developments in IT. It covers everything you need to run a successful enterprise or organisation.  IP EXPO Nordic 2016 incorporates six IT events under one roof – Cloud, Cyber Security, Networks and Infrastructure, Data Analytics, DevOps and Open Source.  This year’s event will be the most comprehensive business-enhancing experience for those across the IT industry, including IT managers, CTOs, CDOs, network and storage engineers, CISOs, data analysts, developers and communications specialists.
Speakers include: Alexander Bard, Google, Microsoft, AWS, VMware, IBM Watson and more.
Register FREE today

See Tech Nordic Advocates Annual Summit “The Many Faces of Nordic and Baltic Tech, 2. November 2016 above.

News from our Working Groups

Tech Talent 
Watch out for news on Podio from Human Shojaee, CEO, Venture Cup, as we know that Human will share news about the Universal Startup Worldcup to take place in Copenhagen on 3 – 7. October.
Are you a Student/Startup up – don´t miss the submission deadline 21. August!

eHealth/Welfare Tech
Hold the date! The first call/webinar for the eHealth/Welfare tech Working Group is scheduled for the 15. September 15:00 – 17:00. More info to follow on Podio.

Are you an SME or Startup in MedTech? Medtech Innovation invites you to join the FDA and Regulatory Workshop, a preliminary conference/workshop with three FDA and key persons from Minneapolis presenting their take on what is needed to succeed in gaining an FDA approval, conducting clinical trials and why Minneapolis is the hub to conduct this into.
The Conference will be held in Copenhagen on 23. August and in Aalborg on 24. August. It´s for FREE!

Check out our Collaboration Platform on Podio, for more info on our Working Groups.

Latest Partner News

D Young & Co
The recent vote to leave the European Union marks a new chapter for the United Kingdom. This decision will take several years to implement and will have no effect on the coverage of a European patent or patent application, as the European patent system is governed by the European Patent Convention, a non-EU treaty. For this reason, UK-based intellectual property firms will also continue to represent clients before the European Patent Office (EPO) and World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) in the English language.  To find out how a UK exit from the EU might affect your IP rights, including patents, trade marks and designs, please contact our experts: mail@dyoung.com.

Gillamor Stephens continue to work in the Nordic and Baltics with live projects to open operations in London and the US as well as hiring in Finland. Interestingly, international talent seem more open to the idea of moving to the region, in this case Finland – but only if the company is hot! We spent the last week of May at Latitude 59 in Tallinn and then a ferry ride to Helsinki for Arctic 15. Arctic seemed a misnomer with 25˚C and clear blue skies for most of the week! An excellent array of start-ups and investors, with companies from ‘back of the fag packet’ ideas through to €m+ turnover. These two events are and excellent showcase and Arctic 15 especially had a strong mix of interesting companies and speaker panels. Book early for 2017 as numbers are capped!

Invesdor, the Nordic leader in equity crowdfunding, raised 1.2 million euros on its own crowdfunding platform. Invesdor’s equity offering drew in a total of 300 investors from 19 different countries. Also Invesdor’s largest external shareholder, Nasdaq OMXH-listed Finnish wealth management group Taaleri Oyj used the opportunity to increase its stake in Invesdor. See more in Invesdor self-crowdfunds 1.2 M

The City of Copenhagen continues its focus and support for developing Copenhagen as a FinTech Hub. The Community is already planning for the return of the Worlds largest FinTech and Payment Systems Event Money20/20 on 26-28 June 2017 in Copenhagen. TNA will be monitoring and supporting the side-events and look forward to involve our Advocates inviting Startups from the FinTech Community across the Nordics and Baltics to participate. More to follow on Podio and within the framework of our FinTech Working Group.

The Capital Region of Denmark So many interesting initiatives coming out from the Danish Capital. Here´s a couple worth highlighting;

Europes best workplaces are in Denmark Almost 20% of the 100 best workplaces in Europe are located in Denmark according to a new study among 2250 companies in 19 European countries.

Copenhagen is great for doing business. Denmark has the 2nd most competitive economy in the EU and the 6th best in the world according to the 2016 World Competitiveness Index by IMD, reports Copenhagen Capacity, who supports foreign companies, investors and talent in making a successful start in Greater Copenhagen See more

The City of Albertslund located within the Greater Copenhagen Region, and home to Gate 21 and DOLL, Europe´s biggest outdoor living lab for LED lightning and Smart Urban Services, hosted the excellent and well attended Greater Copenhagen Smart Solutions event, showcasing the best in urban innovation, including the flagship project Lighting Metropolis.
Not yet on Podio? You are missing out on opportunities through Podio, Tech Nordic Advocates Collaboration Platform, sponsored by Citrix

Make sure you set up your profile in Podio. You can then access Podio directly from the Tech Nordic Advocates website, using the Advocate sign-in link in the top right corner.

If you would like to join Podio, but are not yet a Tech Nordic Advocate, please email: info@technordicadvocates.org to become an Advocate.

Help us grow Tech Nordic Advocates

Help us grow further by recommending your senior tech network to: info@technordicadvocates.org

For information on Tech Nordic Advocates partner benefits and how to become a Tech Nordic Advocates partner, click here
This newsletter is our last before the Summer break. We would like to wish all Advocates, Partners and Friends a great Summer and please remember to support our friends in London.

Back in August!

Jeanette Carlsson

CEO & Founder
Tech Nordic Advocates