Nordic EdTech News #105: 2024-02-05
Your Weeks 4 - 5 update from the Nordic and Baltic EdTech ecosystem
Nordic EdTech News is the best way to keep up with the EdTech ecosystem across 8 Nordic and Baltic countries. I curate it from company updates and a wide variety of international sources. It’s a passion project of mine - the rest of my time is spent advising / consulting the companies who lead the future of learning. If you’d like to find out more, drop me an email.
Hello and welcome to today’s Nordic EdTech News. It was great to catch up with so many customers, friends and subscribers at Bett the other week - I hope that the show was a success for everyone who attended / exhibited! As ever, it’s been another busy fortnight in Nordic EdTech, so let’s get into what’s been happening.
In a long-awaited announcement, Datatilsynet (the Danish Data Protection Authority) finally made a decision in the Chromebook / Google Workspace case (Link). Their verdict ordered 53 Danish municipalities “to bring the processing in line with the rules” and outlined three ways in which this could be achieved. The affected municipalities must comply with the order by 1 August 2024 and have to present a plan of action by 1 March.
The verdict has been criticised as leaving “the municipalities in uncertainty.” In their response, KL also points out that negotiations are ongoing and there’s no requirement for anyone to stop using Google solutions. Other expert commentators have highlighted that the ruling holds implications for other EdTech suppliers and for the rest of Denmark’s 98 municipalities, suggesting that a national agreement / solution is the most likely way forward.
In a statement to Folkeskolen, Google Denmark confirmed that it would “continue the collaboration with the municipalities, KL and Kombit to solve the remaining challenges, so that teachers and students can continue to use the digital tools that are important for teaching."
In other national EdTech policy news, the Norwegian Minister of Education announced her intention to stop "uncritical digitalisation" in schools (Link). This reiterates comments made by Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre just before Christmas.
In more positive developments, it was great to see Nordic EdTech winning big at Bett. Norway’s SignLab was named as the best social impact solution at the GESAwards finals. Whilst Gyldendal Norsk Forlag (Early Years Digital Product or Service) and Evolytes (Primary Digital Learning Product, Numeracy and Maths) led the way at the Bett Awards.
Congratulations also to Curipod and Ludenso who have been named in the 2024 GSV Cup 50. The list recognises “the 50 most innovative digital learning and workforce skills startups from around the world.”
As ever, the European Edtech Funding Report 2024 from Brighteye Ventures is a must-read. It’s particularly encouraging to see that “European Edtech continued to show more resilience than most major Edtech markets.” Even better to see a special section on the Swedish EdTech landscape!
Plenty of Nordic insight also in this report on ”The State of Play of EdTech & the European EdTech Ecosystem. It’s produced by European Edtech Alliance as part of the EmpowerED project, which is funded by the European Commission.
Do also check out new research from Danish think tank Mandag Morgen, which investigated “Are Nordic organisations ready for AI?” Two conclusions jump out. That the use of AI is widespread, but has not yet been strategically anchored across Nordic organisations. And that 35% of them currently lack strong digital skills among their employees, particularly around when and how to best use AI.
And finally, Kahoot! has been delisted from the Oslo Børs following the successful acquisition led by Goldman Sachs Asset Management. (Link)
I hope that subscribers saw last Monday’s exclusive interview with Neil Selwyn, professor at the Faculty of Education, Monash University. His comments on Nordic governments’ plans to dedigitise schools are well worth reading and brilliantly explain what’s really going on.
Thanks for reading, Jonathan
News from Denmark
Fascinating interviews with the founders of Actimo and Labster.
Cadpeople will participate in an EU project called DigiWind, which will deliver tailored STEM programmes about the wind and energy industries. (Link)
Research from Danske Uddannelsesforlag shows that 3 / 4 teachers feel compelled to use free materials from the internet due to lack of access to printed books, whilst 7 / 10 would like to have a greater say in the choice of digital or analogue learning resources.
Shape Robotics enters into two new partnerships: with i3 Technologies from Belgium and CampuStore from Italy.
Tinyfarms has closed a pre-seed investment round. It’s led by Accelerace with participation from several angels. (Link)
uQualio wins an award for “Best Employee Video Learning Platform 2023.” (Link)
Great coverage for WOOF in a recent Al Jazeera piece on “Denmark: The future of tech and mental health.” (Link)
News from Estonia
Kristina Kallas, Minister of Education and Research, spoke at Educa about digital education and commented:"AI is an inevitable reality in the future of education.”
Six new videos from Education Estonia highlight what makes their national approach to data, education and technology so notable. (Link)
News from Finland
3DBear and Elias Robot complete a pilot project at Keuda. (Link)
Code School Finland, Google and the City of Hanau in Germany have launched a digital upskilling programme for teachers. (Link)
GraphoGame has received the prestigious ICEIE Certificate in EdTech. (Link)
Helsinki Education Hub will be moving forward to Phase II, with funding from the City of Helsinki and the University of Helsinki. (Link)
Kwizie launched a pilot programme with the cities of Helsinki and Tallinn as part of the European Commission’s Horizon Europe Programme. (Link)
Research from Oppiva Invest identified that a culture of sharing and uniform operations were essential to develop learning and skills. (Link)
Pandatron secured $550 k in their latest funding round, which featured three existing investors and a new investor, Sparkmind.vc. (Link)
Jussi Hurskainen, CEO of Valamis, on the challenges of internationalisation. (Link)
Vegemi, a Helsinki-based food education startup, has raised €500,000 from prominent local investors. (Link)
News from Iceland
News from Latvia
Skola2030 developed new interactive materials for students with hearing impairments to learn the Latvian language. (Link)
News from Lithuania
A new adult education platform has been launched, where adults can plan up and reskilling courses and receive state funding to do so. (Link).
Full programme for forthcoming EdTech Week Lithuania 2024 has now been announced. (Link)
As municipalities hire private tutors to fill teacher shortages, concern is raised about the impact on budgets and recruitment pipelines. (Link)
Vinted co-founder, Milda Mitkutė, reveals that supporting Teachers Lead Tech has been her best investment. (Link)
News from Norway
Schools in Oslo have access to an advanced web filter that protects students from accessing inappropriate content (Link). Whilst one Oslo teacher argues passionately for the use of digital resources and tools. (Link)
Kahoot! earns Level III Certification for Alignment with ESSA, meeting key requirements for positive student learning outcomes. (Link)
Ludenso has developed "Spatial Tales" for Apple Vision Pro, in partnership with Aschehoug. It’s one of the first 600 apps available for the global launch. (Link)
Videocation has raised NOK 11 million through a new share issue and NOK 15 million via a growth loan from Innovation Norway. (Link)
Way, the driving school simulator, generated 2022 revenues of NOK 17.6 million in 2022, but ended up losing NOK 40 million. (Link)
WeWillWrite, a game platform for collaborative writing , has raised an undisclosed amount from StartupLab. (Link)
News from Sweden
Great to see that Kognity, Magma Math and Soundtrap hosted a Swedish EdTech Superintendent Summit in NYC. (Link)
Albert announces a new profitability programme with the aim of reaching positive EBITDA for FY 2025. The business will focus more on B2B and on maximising “the full potential of existing products and markets.” (Link)
ILT Education’s Aski Raski will be available in Sweden from this autumn. It’s already used in over 40% of Norwegian schools. (Link)
New research shows that clients more than double their sales performance when using Astrid. (Link)
Binogi has launched a new pilot programme in Mexico, which will run throughout this coming Spring. (Link)
Hypocampus records over 1,000,000 study hours and 110 million answered questions on the platform during 2023. (Link)
Orbi has raised SEK 10 million from existing investors to continue growing their student-facing app. (Link)
Sofie Nordstrom, Deputy CEO of Quizrr, has been named in Forbes’ EMEA 50 over 50. (Link)
Skolon and Freja eID will work together to provide “safer access to digital national tests.” (Link)
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