Nordic EdTech News #117: 2024-08-19
Your Weeks 32 - 33 update from the Nordic and Baltic EdTech ecosystem
Hello and welcome to today’s Nordic EdTech News.
Next Monday evening the first Nordic EdTech Summit will be underway in Skellefteå, Sweden, and I cannot wait to welcome everyone who’s booked to attend and to speak. I really appreciate your support.
The full event programme follows below. It includes:
Amazing keynote speakers ✅
Expert panels and firesides ✅
Opportunities for peer-to-peer learning ✅
Sessions packed with insights to grow your business ✅
As a number of delegates and speakers have recently said to me, the Summit is also a great opportunity to network, to meet face-to-face and to help build the Nordic EdTech ecosystem. So to everyone working in that incredible space: if you've ever appreciated my work or this newsletter for promoting you, celebrating your achievements or giving your company a shout out - please consider returning the favour by booking your ticket now!
It was great to see an ad promoting the Summit in last Monday’s Swedish Tech Weekly newsletter. I can strongly recommend Swedish Tech Weekly by the way - it’s a great read for anyone looking for a free compact roundup of the main news from across Sweden's startup and tech sector.
Following the news in NEN #116 that Norway’s H5P Group had been acquired by D2L, there’s been a flurry of acquisition activity in Norwegian EdTech. Firstly, it was announced that Kikora, the leading maths product, had been acquired by Inkrement (Link). Both products are set to remain separate, but will work together to “become the leading maths provider in Norway.”
Additionally EG, the leading Danish software company, confirmed the acquisition of Norway’s Vigilo to “strengthen its position within EdTech in the Nordic region” (Link). The move more than doubles the size of EG’s existing EdTech business and allows it to “significantly expand our offerings to existing and new customers in Norway, Sweden and Denmark.” Vigilo currently works with 64 Norwegian municipalities in Norway, accounting for almost 40% of all children in Norwegian kindergartens and primary schools.
Whilst in Norway, this is a fascinating interview with Merete Hverven, CEO of Visma, the largest privately owned software company in Europe (Link).
Two major funding stories to update readers on this week, both from Sweden. Learnster announced that it had raised SEK 31 million in a new issue (Link). The capital will support continued product development and to “accelerate the company's growth through international expansion.” CEO Thomas Kraft has set his sights on hitting SEK 100 million in ARR in 2025 through “continued strong organic growth and complementary acquisitions.” The financing is led by Tom Nyman Holding and backed by Söderberg & Partners and Subvenio Invest.
Additionally, DI reported that Soundtrap had raised SEK 60 million in debt funding (Link). This happened after its founders bought the business back from Spotify in 2023 and aims to help them achieve the goal of “becoming an independent, profitable company.”
After the end of the so-called Chromebooks case in Denmark, there’s two interesting additional outcomes to note. Firstly, the Danish Data Protection Authority has warned of stricter penalties for any non-Google municipalities contravening student data regulations (Link). Additionally, schools losing access to some Google services including YouTube and Google Translate appears to have been part of the agreement struck (Link).
Finally, MindCET is now launching applications for its upcoming online EdTech accelerator (Cohort #13). If your startup is ready to go global but needs guidance and support in executing the go-to-market plan, they would welcome your application. Full details here.
As always, if you’ve got a story that you’d like me to include in a future issue of this newsletter, please email hello@10digits.org, tag me on Twitter or LinkedIn or use #nordicedtech / #balticedtech.
Thanks for reading, Jonathan
News from Denmark
How short video messages can help children improve their literacy and reading skills. (Link)
High school students in Aarhus cannot access their mobile phones during the school day. (Link)
Learningbank introduces Knowbot, an AI buddy promising to transform “how teams access essential information swiftly and create a better workday for employees.” (Link)
According to Scott Kirkpatrick, CEO at BrainPOP!, their acquisition by Kirkbi, the holding company behind LEGO, has been “highly beneficial, fostering an aligned culture focused on long-term goals and impact.” (Link)
Kazakhstan next for Shape Robotics as they confirm a new commercial agreement to expand into another new territory. (Link)
Tinyfarms was named the winner of EdTech Denmark’s start-up award for 2024. (Link)
uQualio won the title of best cost-effective video learning platform for 2024 at the Scandinavian Business Awards. (Link)
News from Estonia
Harno, the Board of Education and Youth, is now working with Estonian universities to deliver E-entrance exams that really “simplify university admissions.” (Link)
The first startups are beginning to emerge from Kood/Jõhvi. (Link)
News from Finland
The Board of Education recommends that schools should prohibit the “distracting use of phones” during school hours. (Link)
Great to see how Annie Advisor works to support students’ wellbeing. (Link)
Eduten opens a new office in India, which will also be the HQ for their South East Asian operations. (Link)
The new Helsinki Education Hub will launch in September - full details of their new activities here.
Uncertainty about whether a lack of funding will force Hive, the free coding school, to close. (Link)
Kide Science has been named a 2024 Best of STEM Finalist. (Link)
News from Iceland
Comments by Áslaug Arna Sigurbjörnsdóttir, Minister of Universities, Industry and Innovation about the use and distribution of free study materials have generated some criticism. (Link)
The Iceland Cricket Association has launched their new interactive audio course catalogue on the Atlas Primer platform. (Link)
News from Latvia
Edurio signs new agreements with the Coombe Academy Trust and the Watergrove Trust to expand their MAT customer base in England. (Link)
News from Lithuania
As part of its Digital Education Transformation project, the National Education Agency has published new interactive resources in biology and geography. (Link)
News from Norway
A total of NOK 106 million has been allocated to 48 projects in 2024 as part of the government’s plan to develop teaching resources “without a market basis.” (Link)
The sale of higher education textbooks in Norwegian is in “free fall”, according to the Publishers’ Association. (Link)
“How can we give children and young people a safe, digital framework for learning in school?”
Norway is in the lower echelons when it comes to educating learners in STEM subjects and does far worse than its Nordic neighbours. (Link)
Atea Norge argues that schools should be “…equipped to meet digital developments with a well-founded and functioning toolbox.” (Link)
Ludenso confirms an exciting new collaboration with US publisher, Pan
Macmillan. (Link)
We Are Learning is now partnering with Belgium’s FLOWSPARKS to “revolutionise e-learning.” (Link)
News from Sweden
Axiell's solutions will now be used to support nationwide collaboration between 46 public libraries in Greece and the National Library of Greece. (Link)
Edlevo and Infomentor have replaced Stockholm’s much-criticised school platform at “significantly lower cost.” (Link)
School administrators in Gothenburg are “exploring how AI can facilitate and make administration more efficient.” (Link)
Magma extends its collaboration with Sanoma (Link) and joins the EdSafeAI Industry Council. (Link)
700,000 people have now been trained on the Quizrr platform - the aim is to train 100 million people by 2030. (Link)
Skolon has received ISO 27001 certification. They are now members of Fidus and can enable users to login into digital national exams directly from Skolon. (Link)
Thanks for reading this newsletter. If you think that your colleagues and wider network would find it useful, please share it with them!