Travelling Europe for most people means experiencing new sites, foods and cultures. For us it means entering new markets, matchmaking members with investors and business partners – and, most importantly, bringing the Nordics to the world.
Nordic Edge connects the Nordic ecosystem with new markets, giving opportunities for our members to grow across sectors – and borders. Opening the doors to new markets also means opening the door to our home. We are showing Europe how the Nordic ecosystem works, and how we can shape inclusive communities and future oriented cities together.
Below you will find postcards from each city and travel we’ve done for the past six months. Curious where we plan to go next?
Halló! Iceland calling👋🏻
Networking and whale watching – or should I say networking whilst whale watching. Not your everyday combo, but definitely an unforgettable experience.
Emilie Martinsen Christensen contributed both on- and off-stage during Iceland Innovation week in April.
Iceland may be a small country in size, but that is not reflected in their innovative force and ecosystem for urban cities. Nordic Edge is a community partner, and attending Iceland Innovation week is a given for us.
– It’s very impressive to see the Nordic ecosystem in action together on big events such as Iceland Innovation Week, says Emilie and continues:
– You can really see the Nordic impact.
Nordic Edge collaborated with Goodwille during Iceland Innovation Week, a UK Market Entry company, joining forces in building business across borders.
– Not only did I have the pleasure of co-hosting alongside the professional and ever-so-charming Emilie Martinsen Christensen, but also the opportunity to meet with Nordic Edge's impressive network and the inspiring surrounding ecosystem, says Saga Palmér from Goodwille.
– We are so grateful for our collaboration with Nordic Edge. It's partnerships like these that really matter in the journey of strengthening the Nordic ecosystem. We’re excited to build on this lovely foundation with more collaborative projects already in the works! Says Edda Konráðsdóttir from Iceland Innovation Week.
Vi sjáumst síðar!
Davs, hvad sker der?🚲
Copenhagen – a mobility hot-spot and hub for urban development, and every once in a while, a home for Nordic Edge. Here, Emilie biked from one event to another – from “morgenmad” at the Ambassadors residence to community dinner at night.
The Nordic Edge delegation explored new ventures and opportunities, visiting Proptech Symposium and Copenhagen Congress Compass, making new professional relationships – and good friends.
– A favorite city and always a good place to meet like-minded people in our Nordic ecosystem, rigging their business for growth and new collaborations, says Emilie Christensen from Nordic Edge.
With us in Copenhagen, we had both members and partners sharing values and insight.
– It is very useful for us to attend events in markets rigged for export. Here we get to meet potential partners, and to share valuable experiences with other companies in the Nordics, says Randi Augenstien, Head of Innovation and Business development at Helen & Hard.
På gensyn!
Bonjour, ca va?🥖
Baguettes and business: the best combo! Oh, and did we mention a roof top dinner with the Eiffel tower as a backdrop?
– This is one of our specialties: bringing members to new markets. Sounds easy, but this requires a lot of prep and screening. We want to make sure that our members get real leads and real opportunities to pursue, says Emilie Christensen, and continues:
– We can already see results, with new members coming together in business, and more importantly, the Nordic impact in France. Paris, we’re not done!
A handful of members curious of the French market travelled to meet representatives from the French urban city environment, and attending Europe’s biggest start-up and tech event – Viva Technology in beautiful Paris.
– Our participation at VivaTech, thanks to Nordic Edge’s initiative and support, was a true catalyst for Powerpal’s international ambitions. Thanks to Emilie’s outstanding program, we were able to connect directly with investors and high-potential customers. Asbjørn Lunde, CEO and Founder of Powerpal shares, and continues:
– The conversations we started have already become concrete follow ups for us, and this marks a meaningful step towards our global growth journey.
Jan Børge Sagmø from ZNL Energy shares Asbjørns enthusiasm and says:
– The Paris event with Emilie as co-host gave us valuable opportunities to connect with investors with relevant industry knowledge. A matchmaking event that really delivered!
A big thanks to EIT Urban Mobility and Shift4Good for the amazing roof top views!
Bisous bisous, Nordic Edge
Grüße aus München! 😎
Urban Hub Europe, a cross-border partnership for smart city-clusters like Nordic Edge had one of two annual
meet-ups, this time in Munich with Munich Urban Collab as host.
Our goal? To share best practices and experiences across borders, enabling new markets for cluster members and new partnerships.
– We don’t stop with the Nordics. Our members have solutions relevant to cities all over Europe, and this collaboration makes it easier for us to reach our common goals: making real impact, says Emilie.
Challenges in Madrid are similar to challenges in Helsinki and Stavanger. We need a strong, European ecosystem, and naturally the Nordic presence is strong.
Auf Wiedersehen
Ahoy! No, not a pirate salute – just greetings from Brno, Check Republic! ⚓
Brno might not be the most frequently visited city when travelling from Stavanger, but it was definitely the hot-spot for Urban Innovation in Europe in June.
– We’re leaving Brno with new connections and insight for our members and for the project! But most importantly, our presence was about showing real impact from NEB-STAR, says Gunnar Crawford.
As a Nordic ecosystem for innovation, we contribute to EU projects as project partners, building the Nordic roadmap in Europe and contributing with Nordic know-how in the EU. The NEB-STAR project is a part of the EU’s Green Deal initiative, and we as project partners contribute with events, financial partnership models, content development and more.
– Nordic Edge is a bridge to EU-projects for our members, public authorities and academia, and the NEB-STAR project is the “soul of the green deal”, as Von der Leyden herself put it, says Inger Hanne Vikshåland at Nordic Edge.
We’re looking forward to sharing more experiences and know how’s from NEB-STAR, and to see more and more European cities take notes, and more importantly, action!
Na shledání!
Salut from Romania! 🙌🏼
Cities in Romania aiming to be climate neutral? Sign us up, we’re coming! Nordic Edge has been involved in to key projects in Romaina, and in April it was time for the final event: New Urban Habits!
On and off stage, we contributed with our knowledge and expertise on how to match the right solutions to challenges.
– Nordic Edge aims to be an epicenter for innovation for our cluster members in the Nordics, but we should also use our voice to promote the Nordic model in other parts of Europe, says Bjarne Uldal, Chief Innovation Officer at Nordic Edge.
Bringing the Nordics to Romania has paid off. We’ve facilitated direct meetings with members and public authorities, which have already resulted in 10 memorandums of understanding.
Bringing our edge means bringing the impact, which is exactly why we travel to new cities and markets!
– We’re so excited to see members taking steps in new markets in Romania, and we look forward to seeing the results, says Bjarne.
La revedere