Even Newsletter Nov 2024
This is edition number 7 of your monthly roundup of insights, opportunities, women founders, and updates on the startup happenings in the Nordics.
November's highlights:
- All 17 SDGs are off track for 2030
- A new bill that could make starting a company cheaper in Denmark
- The woman behind Claude’s AI personality and character
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Funded!
Changing the narrative about women founders requires us to change what we focus on. We choose to focus on how much money women DO raise. Also! Look at these great companies women are building:
Picture credit: NitroVolt
Denmark:
NitroVolt | Founding CEO Suzanne Zamany Andersen | €3.5M Seed round led by Backing Minds
Freya Biosciences | Co-founder & CEO Colleen Acosta | €11.2M round led by Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Sweden:
Kodiak Hub | Founder & CEO Malin Schmidt | €6M Seed round from Oxx
Pocketlaw | Co-founders Olga Beck-Friis & Kira Unger Söderlind | funding round led by Atomico and Willard Ahdritz, Founder of Kobalt Music Group
Finland:
Happy Plant Protein | Co-owner & CPO Elli Laukkala | €1.8M Pre-seed round led by Nordic Foodtech VC
Serviceform | Co-founder & CEO Iranthi Gomes | €2.45M Seed round led by Virta Equity
Oura | Co-founder Virpi Tuomivaara | €75M Series D round led by Dexcom
Norway:
Augere Medical | Co-founder & CEO Pia Helén Smedsrud | €2M “first close” round by Norwegian Investors and public grants
Hot potatoes: the numbers that matter this month!
🔥 All 17 SDGs are off track for 2030.
Dealroom’s latest State of Impact report is out. Impact funding is slowing down. Goal 5 (gender equality) is either stuck or going backward. Goal 10 (reducing inequality) is one of the worst performers, with just 26 people owning as much wealth as half the world’s population.
🔥 Over 60% of Gen Z plan to start a business in the next years.
Also, 91% of them prioritize social and environmental impact in their goals. With their drive for purpose over profit, they may be exactly what we need to speed up progress on the stagnating SDGs.
What’s new from Even Founders
Money tops everyone's list of "what's holding me back from starting up"
We recently held a workshop with our Startup School cohort where we discussed the barriers and roadblocks entrepreneurs face. It turns out there are some common myths that need to be busted when it comes to the financial side of things. In one of our November blog posts, we spotlight 10 things every early-stage founder should know about money.
Women in STEM fields
We also hosted a Co-founder Matchmaking event for women in STEM this month. Huge thanks to Sherry List and Charlotte Rønje for sharing your stories, and to everyone who joined and pitched your startups. We’ll be hosting more of these in the new year, so keep an eye on our socials if you’re interested! In the meantime, here’s a little inspiration.
Have you raised funds in 2024?
Then drop us an email at hello@evenfounders.com. :) Low funding stats tend to overshadow those women who are making it happen. Every month, we’ve been highlighting women founders in our “Funded” roundup (you’ve probably noticed if you’re reading these lines). But if we’ve missed your funding news or know a female (co) founder from the Nordics who raised in 2024, reach out to us, so we can spotlight your stories!
This might be relevant for you
A new bill has been introduced that could make starting a company easier in Denmark from 2025
The proposed changes are cutting the minimum startup capital for private limited companies (ApS) from 40.000 DKK to 20.000 DKK, which means you could launch your business with less upfront money. If passed, you'd also be able to pay this amount in cash or through assets. The bill also suggests allowing to raise money through crowdfunding digital platforms.
The woman behind Claude’s AI personality and character
Picture credit: Infobae
Amanda Askell is a “prompt whisperer” at Antrophic and the lead behind Claude’s distinctive and thoughtful approach. She's got a PhD in philosophy and decided to jump into the wild world of AI to do something that could change the world. In a recent episode of Lex Fridman's podcast, she talks about programming tips for non-tech people and how her philosophical mindset helps her craft prompts. I also loved her take on failure: “In and of itself, not failing is actually a kind of failure.” It’s one of those conversations that stays with you and definitely worth a listen!
3 books for your holiday reading
Holidays are coming up, which means you might have some time to reset your brain, throw on your coziest pyjamas, and read a good book. Our community shared their go-to books and here are a few recommendations for inspiration. Enjoy!
Something to chew on
Have you ever thought that your first investor might be already in your Instagram following?
Influencers and content creators are stepping into the startup investor world, bringing not just money but also deep audience insights and powerful platforms to help products grow. Is this a new funding resource for diverse founders?
That’s a wrap for this year—thank you for sticking with us!
Got thoughts, ideas, or something you’d love to see next year? We’d love to hear from you.
Until next time, and here’s to an amazing 2025 ahead! 👋
Jasmina from Even Founders
