The Nordic region has proved to be a powerhouse for Irish businesses, with exports nearly doubling over the past five years to reach €1.7bn in 2023
Enterprise Ireland is leading a delegation of 24 innovative Irish companies at Slush in Helsinki, understood to be the world’s largest gathering of venture capital.
14 out of the 24 Irish start-ups attending Slush in Helsinki this year plan to collectively raise over €250m in venture capital funding.
“Slush has been a game-changer for so many of our Irish companies over the years, not only to connect with the VC community, but to establish strategic partnerships with Nordic companies”
The digital start-up event is considered a vital touch point for the international venture capital community.
The Enterprise Ireland clients attending Slush 2024 include Konree Innovation, Sonalake, Numra, Cytidel, Vaultree, Tracworx, Dev Ally, Lua Health, Spanish Point Technologies, Galvia, Manna Drone Delivery, EVERYANGLE, Ardanis Technologies, Provizio, Chirp, Coroflo, VRAI, W4 Games, RDI Hub Company, Equal1, Binarii Labs, Oblivious, CitySwift & Outmin.
Diamonds in the ice
“Enterprise Ireland invests in Irish companies to be leaders in innovation and achieve international scale,” said Enterprise Ireland CEO Leo Clancy. “Slush has become an important gathering of the international VC community and has become a cornerstone of Enterprise Ireland’s strategy to support Irish companies to scale globally, with past delegations achieving significant success at the event. This year we are leading our largest delegation of Irish companies to Slush, to connect with global investors, strategic partners, and industry leaders in the Nordics to propel the growth of these Irish companies to the next level.”
Irish companies such as Payslip, Provizio, iCabbi, LearnUpon and EVERYANGLE have seen success in the Nordic region, which is growing in importance for the Irish tech ecosystem.
Leading the Irish delegation at Slush, Finland, Hannah Fraser, Enterprise Ireland’s Director for the Nordic Region, said: “Slush has been a game-changer for so many of our Irish companies over the years, not only to connect with the VC community, but to establish strategic partnerships with Nordic companies.
The Nordic region has proved to be a powerhouse for Irish businesses, with exports nearly doubling over the past five years to reach €1.7bn in 2023. Over 560 Irish companies are exporting to the region, with Irish companies working with major players in the region including Nokia, Volvo, EQT, Lyko, Danske Bank, IKEA, Vattenfall, Ericsson and Sandvik.”
The Nordic region has established itself as a key market for Irish businesses, due to its own thriving ecosystem and appetite for innovation. Such has allowed for strides in the market by Irish companies across a variety of sectors, including retail and transportation. Irish companies such as iCabbi and Payslip serve as examples of successes; iCabbi, a provider of cloud-based taxi dispatch software, has expanded by acquiring Finnish dispatch provider InTaxi, enhancing support for local operators to boost fleet efficiency and customer service.
Meanwhile, Payslip, known for its global payroll management platform, has seen increased adoption across the Nordics, helping companies in Sweden, Denmark, and Finland manage payroll efficiently while ensuring compliance with local regulations.
Further success has been seen by the leading learning management platform, LearnUpon, which works with clients across the globe, including The Adecco Group and in the Nordic region Mentimeter. LearnUpon serves organisations by helping them deliver engaging learning experiences to their employees, customers, and partners, in an efficient, learner-friendly way. These strategic moves underline these Irish companies’ commitment to supporting Nordic businesses with scalable, localised solutions. Such wins reinforce the Nordics as a strategic focus for Enterprise Ireland, offering strong potential for growth and collaboration.
Attending Slush as part of this delegation, Provizio, an advanced driver assistance technology provider from Ireland, is expanding in automotive and autonomous driving safety. The company has strategically joined MobilityXlab, to collaborate with industry players such as Nordic companies Volvo Group, Polestar and and Zenseact, as well as other international players such as Magna and Zeekr Technology Europe, to continue leveraging its 5D Perception radar technology. This technology provides a robust AI-based perception system that enhances safety for both drivers and pedestrians.
Also, part of the Irish delegation, EVERYANGLE, has recently signed leading Nordic retailer Samsøe Samsøe as a key customer, and is conducting trial phases with other top Nordic retailers. By combining CCTV smart cameras with advanced AI, EVERYANGLE’s innovative solution empowers retailers to understand customer behaviour in-store like never before – helping them improve store performance, streamline operations, prevent losses, and increase profitability. Through EVERYANGLE’s advanced analytics platform, Samsøe Samsøe have gained valuable insights into foot traffic patterns, customer demographics, dwell time, and engagement with key product areas.
“Our success in the Nordics has been transformative for EVERYANGLE,” said David Owens, CEO of EVERYANGLE.
“Building strong relationships with leading retailers like Samsøe Samsøe has been essential to our international growth. By providing them with the insights needed to optimize their stores and enhance the customer experience, we’ve helped them unlock new opportunities for revenue growth. Enterprise Ireland has been an invaluable partner, providing the right connections, insights, and support to help us scale and succeed in these markets.”
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