NSAwards Grand Finale

Nordic Startup Awards Grand Finale 2018 took place on the 30th October, and Goodwille as Nordic Partners of the NSAwards were of course on site in Copenhagen to celebrate the best of Nordic startups and entrepreneurs. Our Marketing Manager James Service gave a run down on the Awards, and below he reveals the highlights of the show and the startups and entrepreneurs that stood out extra among the best of the best Nordic businesses. 

It was a cold, wet and dreary Tuesday night in Copenhagen. But it was the Nordic Startup Awards Grand Finale, and Goodwille (a Nordic Partner) are one of a few service providers joining the elite in Nordic Tech at the Østre Gasværk Teater.

It’s got everything you could want from an awards ceremony, but it’s wrapped in an energy and warmth generated by the finalists. There is talk of collaboration not competition, with Thorbjorg Helga Vigfusdottir, winner of the people’s choice asking the other Nordic Countries to help her in raising the profile of Iceland.

For me, there were a few winners and speeches which really stood out, and I wanted to share them with you.

Best HealthTech Startup – Nightingale Health

Nightingale Health, a healthcare startup from Finland who are disrupting and revolutionising the healthcare sector – or, as their CEO put it, the sickcare sector. Nightingale Health are creating pioneering products for the active prevention of lifestyle diseases, with their blood testing technology providing 50 times more data than current solutions.

We heard their CEO speak earlier in a panel, and he asked the audience “What’s better than someone offering you $1Billion for your company?”.

“Telling them no”, he replied.

An excited Finn isn’t something found very often, but this guy was inspiring, warming and oozing with the entrepreneur mentality. Sadly Nightingale Health missed out on the Startup of the Year award, but we are excited to see them later this year at SLUSH.

Ecosystem Hero of the Year – Sissel Hansen

Sissel Hansen, the founder of the book series Startup Guide (available at good book stores, online and at the Goodwille offices) got the biggest cheer of the night from the crowd. An emotional speech in which she declared she was “passionate about passionate people”. Sissel launched her book series with no knowledge of publishing, but she had no problems telling the “expert” publisher who joined her on the journey that’s not how they were going to do it. She made it clear that if you do what you’ve always done, you’re going to get the same results. You could see how much it meant to both Sissel and the crowd for her to be recognised with this accolade; and for that, it was one of my highlights.

Best AI/Machine Learning Startup – Corti

An AI assistant that helps emergency service call takers better diagnose patients. Corti analyses everything the caller says and shares. The platform is used by the emergency services in Copenhagen right now and helping to save lives. The recipient of the award said he couldn’t wait to take it back to the team who were still working, in their basement, at 9pm. Whilst we all gathered to celebrate their success, the people who built it work tirelessly to improve it, for our future benefit – it’s this passion and commitment that’s inspiring.

Saga Robotics, who see Brexit as an opportunity for their robotic fruit picking business picked up the award for best Foodtech Agritech Startup. Whilst 657 Oslo, the home to over 225 talented individuals beat Maria01 and Minc to the prize of Best Coworking Space.

For the startups, it’s the recognition. They spend long hours, days and years, working on disrupting or revolutionising an industry that they are passionate about, with no guarantees of success. And it’s their commitment to their product which makes our world easier, more comfortable, safer or healthier.

For us it was a privilege to join the Grand Finale, and we look forward to developing our partnership with the Nordic Startup Awards, and supporting many of their winners and finalists, both past and present, with their future UK Market Entry.

Find out more about the Nordic Startup Awards & Goodwille by reading our partnership press release here.

In the picture: all regional winners at the NSAwards Grand Finale 2018