StartUp Norway

StartUp Norway is a Norwegian organization that supports entrepreneurship through incubator programs, accelerators, and events. It operates in the Norwegian startup ecosystem and engages with international partners to promote innovation, new venture formation, and entrepreneurial education. The organisation collaborates with universities, investors, corporations, and policy bodies across Scandinavia and Europe.

History

StartUp Norway was founded in 2011 amid a period of renewed interest in innovation linked to institutions such as University of Oslo, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, BI Norwegian Business School, OsloMet, and regional actors like Norsk Hydro and Telenor. Early activities connected the organisation with initiatives at Oslo Innovation Week, Oslo Innovation Center, and municipal programs in Oslo. The organisation expanded during a wave of Nordic startup growth alongside actors such as Nordic Innovation House, StartupAkselerator, Katapult Accelerator, and Norrsken Foundation. Founding networks included contacts with venture firms like Northzone, Creandum, Accumula, and angel networks similar to Angel Challenge. During the 2010s StartUp Norway aligned programming with research centres including SINTEF, Forskningsrådet, and collaborations with cultural institutions like Ticketmaster Norway and Oslo Opera House for event venues.

Programs and Services

StartUp Norway runs incubation and acceleration tracks inspired by models used by Y Combinator, Techstars, Seedcamp, and 500 Startups. Offerings have included mentorship drawn from entrepreneurs who previously worked at Finn.no, Schibsted, Tinder Norway alumni, and founders linked to startups such as Kahoot!, Oda (formerly Kolonial.no), Zwipe, and Cognite. Programs incorporate workshop modules similar to curricula from Stanford University, MIT, INSEAD, and London Business School case studies. Services extend to prototype support with partners like MakerLab Oslo, co-working partnerships with Mesh and StartupLab, and legal and IP advice referencing practice at firms akin to Schjødt and Wikborg Rein. Financial guidance coordinates with investors and funds including Innovation Norway, Siva, Seed Capital, Creandum, Northzone, Investinor, Altor Equity Partners, and Viking Venture. StartUp Norway also offers training modeled after accelerator cohorts run by Microsoft for Startups, Amazon Web Services Activate, and Google for Startups initiatives.

Events and Networking

The organisation organises events that mirror formats used by festivals such as Oslo Innovation Week, Slush, Sónar+D, and Web Summit. Networking activities bring together founders, mentors, and investors from networks like Startup Grind, TechCrunch, AngelList, Crunchbase, and Dealroom.co. Signature events include pitch nights similar to Demo Day formats and speaker series that have featured profiles comparable to entrepreneurs from Kahoot!, Oda, Zwipe, Gelato, and executives from Spotify, Zalando, Airbnb, Uber, and TransferWise (Wise). Workshops and panels attract representatives from public agencies and international programmes including Innovation Norway, Nordic Innovation, EIT Digital, European Innovation Council, Horizon 2020, and regional accelerators such as Bang Accelerator and Startup Wise Guys.

Impact and Outcomes

Measured outcomes for StartUp Norway include founding-team formation, company incorporation, and capital raised comparable to metrics tracked by Crunchbase, Dealroom.co, and PitchBook. Alumni ventures have pursued seed rounds alongside investors like Northzone, Creandum, Investinor, Seed Capital, and Angel Challenge. Collaborations with academic partners such as University of Oslo, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, BI Norwegian Business School, and OsloMet have led to spinouts informed by research from SINTEF and NIVA. Ecosystem impacts mirror those observed in Nordic clusters represented by Stockholm, Helsinki, Copenhagen, Reykjavik Startup Reykjavik, and Tallinn with increased internationalisation via links to Silicon Valley, London, Berlin, New York City, and Singapore. Evaluation frameworks reference methods used by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development studies, reports from Nordic Innovation, and benchmarking against accelerators like Techstars and Y Combinator.

Organisation and Funding

StartUp Norway operates with partnerships across private, philanthropic, and public sectors. Funding sources include grants and programs similar to Innovation Norway, Siva, Research Council of Norway, corporate sponsorships from firms such as Telenor, DNB, Schibsted, and support from venture ecosystem players including Northzone and Creandum. Governance and advisory structures draw expertise from executive backgrounds at Microsoft Norway, Telenor, Schibsted, DNB, Aker, and academia including University of Oslo and NTNU. The organisation engages with regional development entities like Oslo Municipality, Vestland fylke, and international networks including Nordic Innovation House, European Institute of Innovation and Technology, and investor communities in Stockholm, London, and Silicon Valley.

Category:Business incubators Category:Entrepreneurship in Norway