Finstart Nordic partners with Copenhagen Fintech to keep building a strong Nordic presence and provide a new platform for Norwegian tech-companies that wants to take on Europe.
Finstart Nordic has always been serious about its Nordic ambitions and is one of the few Norwegian CVCs to actively invest in Denmark. Through our partnership with Copenhagen Fintech, we aim not just to bring Norwegian capital to Europe, but also to bring Norwegian companies to the continent.
Strong presence in Denmark
Finstart Nordic has had a strong presence in Denmark since its beginning and has invested in two Danish startups so far – Swiipe and Nord.investments. Swiipe is disrupting the e-commerce industry with one-click-buy technology while Nord.investments is an all-digital platform for smart investments. In 2019, Finstart Nordic established its footing in Denmark even further by inviting Lotte Marschall to join the Finstart Board to be able to draw upon her immense professional experience and her knowledge about the Danish Fintech market as an angel investor.
Christopher Hjelseth, Finstart Nordic Investment Manager, is dedicated to making Finstart a central player in the Nordic fintech ecosystem and is in Copenhagen at least once a week to stay up-to-date on what is moving while also being available to the Danish startups in the Finstart portfolio. “Copenhagen Fintech has been able to create a unique fintech community that nurtures growth and innovation. We are excited to have a more integrated role in this community by entering into a partnership” Christopher states.
Co-Creation with the Copenhagen Fintech Lab
Copenhagen Fintech has its own dedicated Fintech Lab which is an accelerator and co-working space housing up to 50 fintech startups providing them with access to network and community. This allows them to help the fintech startups every step of the way – from startup to scaleup. Through this partnership, the startups in the Finstart portfolio will be able to onboard the “Copenhagen Fintech Platform”, join its scaleup program and save a spot in the Nordic Fast Track Program. In addition, the companies emerging from the Finstart Nordic Lab will be given access to various demo days and other events to showcase and learn.
In the Finstart Lab, we build and launch new ventures from scratch based on unmet needs and market opportunities. “Collaborating on events and demonstrating our Lab projects to an international audience in an early stage gives us a huge advantage both inspiration-wise and when validating our work. By co-creating across borders we will be able to stay relevant and create value faster” explains Finstart Nordic Head of Lab and Product, Cathrine Movold. Finstart Nordic plans to host several co-branded events with Copenhagen Fintech in Oslo during 2020 to ensure Oslo as a central location in the Nordic fintech ecosystem.
The Nordic as a global fintech hub
The last couple of years has seen extensive growth in Nordic Fintech. By having a strong ecosystem in place, easy access to IT skills and consumers who are keen to use the latest technology, the Nordic will soon be able to take an indisputable position within Global Fintech. Going forward Finstart Nordic will work hard to achieve this, and an important step on the road to success is to form strategic partnerships across borders like the one with Copenhagen Fintech.
