Blog

August 19, 2020

Letter from the Chair of Silicon Vikings

by Lars Johansson

Dear Friends,

I'm excited and honored to begin serving as the new Chair of Silicon Vikings.
We live in a time of transition, but before I give a brief update on where we are as an organization, on behalf of the Board, I'd like to thank some incredible people...

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December 29, 2019

Rethinking Entrepreneurial Education: A Nordic Perspective on Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Learning

by Eilif Trondsen

The blog post provides a brief description of a new and innovative entrepreneurial education program, which will launch a pilot program in Feb 2020. The program will take place in Denmark, and some of its unique features include a variety of learning activities that blend very practical “design thinking” processes that will help future entrepreneurs become agile learners.

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August 6, 2019

Boosting Nordic startups in the Merck Accelerator way

by Charlotte Danielsson

Nordic counties have always been at the forefront of technological progress and design. In order to ensure that this region continues to be a leader in innovation and high-tech investment, Silicon Vikings recommend you to have a look into the Merck Accelerator Program.

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March 4, 2019

Exploring Silicon Valley’s Unique History with Leslie Berlin and Adam Fisher

by Eilif Trondsen

Guest Post by Brock Hinzmann, Chairman, Silicon Valley Node, The Millennium Project

The Silicon Valley ecosystem for innovation, new company startup, and investment is the envy of the world and the subject of frequent analysis and attempts to duplicate its success...

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March 4, 2019

Future of Learning Platforms: Event Description & Audio Recording + Pictures

by Eilif Trondsen

Silicon Vikings had an event on the Future of Learning Platforms on January 16th at K&L Gates in San Francisco. We had world-class panelists including: Phil Komarny, VP Innovation, Salesforce.com; Sam Herring, VP & GM, Intrepid by VitalSource; Matt Hasel, Co-Founder, TriPoint Lab. Attendees included a 25-person delegation from Norway’s Open Innovation Lab and Jo Sletback, Consul General of the Royal Norwegian Consulate in San Francisco.

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January 19, 2019

Secrets of the Serial Entrepreneur: Interview with Mårten Mickos

by Charlotte Danielsson

Mårten Mickos is CEO of HackerOne, the world's most popular bug bounty platform. HackerOne helps companies connect with the best security hackers in the world to find system vulnerabilities so that these can be fixed before they are exploited by malicious actors. As a result, the companies and the internet are more secure.

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January 19, 2019

Networking & Business Culture Silicon Valley Style

by Charlotte Danielsson

An understanding of the unspoken business and networking culture in Silicon Valley is the key for Nordic entrepreneurs to build the relationships needed to succeed in Silicon Valley. Everyone is speaking English but cultural differences lead to misunderstanding. This article provides insights into common misunderstandings between Nordic entrepreneurs and Silicon Valley locals and gives concrete recommendations on how to build an effective network.

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December 16, 2018

Open Innovation Journey to Digital Future: Case Study of Seco Tools (Sweden)

by Eilif Trondsen

An understanding of the unspoken business and networking culture in Silicon Valley is the key for Nordic entrepreneurs to build the relationships needed to succeed in Silicon Valley. Everyone is speaking English but cultural differences lead to misunderstanding. This article provides insights into common misunderstandings between Nordic entrepreneurs and Silicon Valley locals and gives concrete recommendations on how to build an effective network.

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September 17, 2018

An interview with Munya Chivasa, Head of the Merck Accelerator

by Charlotte Danielsson

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August 21, 2018

Silicon Vikings Partners with Merck Accelerator to Bring More Opportunities to Nordic Startups

by Charlotte Danielsson

Your startup needs a boost to bring it to the next level? If you’re operating in the fields of Life science, Healthcare, Performance Materials or additional search fields like Bio-Sensing and Interfaces, partnering up with Merck might be the solution. Never heard of Merck or their Accelerator? If you’re curious, want to gain access to worldwide experts and even to the Chinese market, you’ll find all the detailed information right here.

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May 8, 2018

Beyond Tech-Driven Smart Cities

by Eilif Trondsen

A few weeks back, I got an unusual request. A Norwegian friend, who brings groups of professionals to Silicon Valley, for “educational and inspirational tours” (or perhaps what some of us, who frequently get invitations to speak to such groups, refer to as “techno tourism”) asked me to speak on the topic of “smart cities and learning.”...

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April 3, 2018

Interview with Alastair Mitchell of EQT Ventures in San Francisco

by Charlotte Danielsson

We spoke with Alastair Mitchell, who joined EQT Ventures as a Partner in May 2017 to lead EQT Ventures’ B2B strategy and is the man tasked with establishing EQT Ventures’ presence in San Francisco, about what makes EQT Ventures different and why San Francisco was important for the fund...

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December 21, 2017

Silicon Valley: Challenges Ahead

by Eilif Trondsen

In my recent post on Silicon Valley, I took issue with Steinar Hoel Korsmo’s prediction that Silicon Valley would (relatively soon) become “irrelevant.” At least in my mind, the region—still the leading and most dynamic innovation ecosystem in the world...

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