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Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
End-of-year December Update
Hi Fellow Viking!
In this end-of-year update, we have plenty to be thankful for! We want to thank every one of you who continues to support the Silicon Vikings community. Everything you do Is a huge help for the various entrepreneurial ecosystems we support.
We hope you will have a merry Christmas and a happy new year! We look forward to seeing you all in 2024 🎆
For now, please enjoy our end-of-year newsletter 😇
Table of Contents
A huge thanks to everyone joining us in Helsinki!
Thank you to all the amazing people joining us at our New Nordics Pitch Competition’s Grand Final in Helsinki a few weeks ago! 😎 We are honored that so many of you decided to join us on a night with amazing startup pitches, fireside chats, and networking! If you missed the great event, you can watch the great recordings above!
A huge thanks and shoutout to our collaborators on this amazing event. Without you, it would not be possible! Platform6, Business Helsinki, Latitude59, Startup Estonia, Maria01, Hanken Business Lab, Infobip, Startup Tampere, and Dealum.
A big thanks to our esteemed jury and fireside chat panel, Erik de Stefanis (Partner at Interlace Ventures), Triin Hertmann (Angel Investor and Founder of Grünfin), Kerstin Cooley (Managing Ventures at Brightly Investments), Dr. Diana Nanova (CE Manager at Google), Evelina Anttila, (Managing Partner at Wellstreet) Tanya Horowitz (Butterfly Ventures), and Oscar Andersin (Failup Ventures)
The Winner is… AKIRA SCIENCE 🎊
After an intense battle, Sweden's AKIRA Science emerged as the Grand Champion, wowing VCs and angel investors with their groundbreaking ideas.
Luck would have it that the AKIRA Science team visited Silicon Valley directly after Slush, and we met up with them once again to hear about their experience. You can listen to their experience with the New Nordics Pitch Competition in the interview above!
💝 End of Year Giving 💝
Friends & Network,
As the year wraps up, We are reaching out with a close-to-heart request. Silicon Vikings has been a beacon for innovation and entrepreneurship, and our mission is fueled by your generosity.
If you're planning your year-end giving, please consider supporting Silicon Vikings. Your contribution is tax-deductible in the US and instrumental in advancing our work.
Make a difference with us and gain a tax advantage for this year. Visit https://www.siliconvikings.com/donate or scan the QR code below to donate.
Thank you for your unwavering support. Let's continue to innovate together!
🌟 STEMsight's Vision: Curing Corneal Blindness with Your Cells 🌟
Have you ever heard of corneal blindness?
Using stem cells sourced from any healthy individual, they're revolutionizing treatment. By reprogramming skin or blood cells, they've created a versatile cell bank, producing off-the-shelf tissue products that restore vision for those with corneal cell loss.
Their good deeds have raised significant funding, which has allowed STEMsight to hire industry expert Ross Mcdonald to the team.
[Read the full press release here]
Much has passed since the last time STEMsight was on the stage for the New Nordics Pitch Competition. We recently had the chance to reconnect with Laura Koivusalo, CEO and founder of STEMsight.
Join us in the conversation where Silicon Vikings and Stemsight look back at their first encounter and look at their plans for the future.
Workshop Highlight | With Pitch Coach Haje Kamps
On November 2️⃣9️⃣th, the New Nordic Pitch Competition Grand Final captivated audiences as innovative minds took the stage. Before the showdown, participants polished their pitches at an exclusive Silicon Vikings Workshop with the incredible Haje Kamps!
Haje, the hero behind countless startup success stories, shared key insights on avoiding ten common VC pitch failures. His expertise proved invaluable in preparing our competitors for the Grand Final.
A big shoutout to Haje Kamps, who continues to empower founders in their early-stage VC fundraising journey. Check out his newsletter, Pitch Guide, for everything you need to craft the perfect fundraising deck.
Though the events have concluded, the inspiration lives on. Stay tuned for more groundbreaking updates!