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Innovative startups have good opportunities to finance their development through soft funding. Nordic Innovators helps navigate the jungle of public funds and application forms.

Sponsored: This article is published in collaboration with Nordic Innovators.

Developing new technologies and bringing groundbreaking business models to market is an expensive task. That is why a wealth of Danish and European funding schemes have been establish to help innovators without requiring ownership in return – so-called soft funding. But it can be a difficult and time-consuming job to find the right support programs. Especially as a startup with very limited resources in terms of both time and finances.

“However, all startups should look at soft funding. There are not equal opportunities for everyone, and it usually requires a certain level of innovation. It is also not necessarily something you should prioritize – but everyone should at least look into the possibilities,” says Kristoffer Riis.

And as partner and CCO of Nordic Innovators, a consultancy agency that specializes in helping startups and companies raise funding from Danish and European funding programmes, he has in depth knowledge about the opportunities.

3 companies who received funding with support form Nordic Innovators

  • Tada Medical: DKK 50 million in EU funding (Eurostars & EIC Accelerator)
  • IO Interactive: DKK 1.2 million (Innobooster)
  • – Airflight: approx. DKK 5 million (Innobooster)

A long-term funding opportunity

With 10 years of experience, Nordic Innovators has a broad overview of the many funding opportunities in Denmark and abroad. They use this overview as a basis for a strategic discussion with startups, so that their development plan can be matched with potential soft funding opportunities. Making soft money very strategic work.

“What does the roadmap look like and what do you want to do in the future? We want to look a bit further ahead because if you need money now, soft funding is not the right way to go. It’s not quick money, so it’s about looking a year or two ahead and seeing what developments are in the pipeline and getting it planned in terms of applications,” says Kristoffer Riis.

Once the plan is in place, Nordic Innovators also has experience in translating the plans into concrete applications, so that the chances getting funded in return of the hours invested is as high as possible.

“Our customers have knowledge in their field, and our job is to get that knowledge into an application. It’s a written process, and sometimes it also involves pitch training – but in both cases, we help assure the quality of the application so that the chance of success is as high as possible,” says Kristoffer Riis.

About: Nordic Innovators

  • Nordic Innovators is a consultancy firm specializing in applying for soft funding and public support.
  • The company’s 65 consultants are based in offices in Copenhagen, Aarhus, Bergen and Malaga. From here, they help young startups at the idea stage as well as large multinational corporations.
  • For startups and smaller companies, Nordic Innovators offers a full-service model where they help throughout the process at a fixed price. In addition, they receive a small percentage if the application is approved.

The article is part of the magazine “The Guide – A comprehensive overview of the Danish startup ecosystem”, published by Heyfunding and TechSavvy.media.

Read the full magazine here: