Nyhavn, Copenhagen. Image: © Andreas Mariotti/Stock.adobe.com
Copenhagen is a bustling start-up city that is home to a diverse array of cutting-edge and pragmatic technologies.
Famous for Carlsberg, bicycles and hygge, Denmark’s capital city of Copenhagen has a long-established hallmark for the quality of its start-ups.
Following up on our October 2017 list of 14 fast-moving Copenhagen start-ups to watch, we felt it was time to return to the city of the Little Mermaid and deduce what new start-ups have emerged on the scene.
The city has hundreds of tech companies and includes global success stories such as Zendesk, Unity, Trustpilot, Siteimprove and LogPoint, to name but a few.
With the emergence of communities such as #CPHFTW (Copenhagen For The Win), there is a serious effort to make Denmark one of the best places in the world to start a business.
What is compelling about the Copenhagen scene is how most of the start-up energy goes into solving real-world problems in order to make life easier and better.
And so, here are the 10 Copenhagen start-ups to watch in 2019.
Amie
Amie is the creator of an intelligent knowledge management platform for R&D. Founded in 2017 and led by CEO Johannes Beil, it has raised $323,000 in funding so far from investors that include The Nordic Web Ventures and Futuristic.vc.
Drivr
Drivr is a cloud-based ground transport platform for taxis and private hire firms. Founded in 2010, Drivr is led by CEO Haydar Shaiwandi. It has raised $10m to date from investors that include The Danish Growth Fund.
Grandhood
Great news! @grandhoodHQ is the first fintech startup-company in Danish history to receive the vital stock broker license. This means that the company is finally ready to go live in Saxo Banks trading system! https://t.co/BXTX0Smlei
— SEED Capital Denmark (@seed_capital) January 28, 2019
Grandhood has developed an alternative pension fund especially for SMEs to enrol employees and invest their money. Founded in 2017 by Jon Lieberkind, Jens Kam Christensen and Mathias Bredkjær, Grandhood raised $3.2m in September 2018.
Headlight
Headlight is a business coaching platform that also connects participants with personal trainers through its app. Founded in 2018 by Simon Sylvest, Erik Algreen and Oliver Bernhard, it runs programmes in Copenhagen, LA and Berlin. The company last year raised €1m in a funding round from the Founders start-up studio.
Hedia
Image: © 7activestudio/Stock.adobe.com
Hedia has been developed as a tool that will make everyday life easier for people suffering from type 1 and 2 diabetes. Founded in 2015 by Andreas Jespensgaard, Christina Kildentoft and Peter Lucas, it has raised 6m Danish kroner (about €800,000) so far.
Peakon
We're all set up for today's community event in #Copenhagen with @seeknspeak, on how to attract and engage your talent!#PeakonEvents #EmployeeEngagement #BeMore pic.twitter.com/Wn3I2WcOkO
— Peakon (@peakonteam) February 26, 2019
Peakon is a ‘people analytics’ SaaS platform that collects and analyses employee feedback using machine learning. Founded in 2015 by Christian Holm, Dan Rogers, Kasper Hulthin and Phil Chambers, it has raised $33m to date, including a $22m round last year led by Balderton Capital with participation from EQT Ventures, Idinvest Partners and Heartcore Capital.
Simple Feast
Simple Feast is an online cookbook platform that also offers plant-based food that is sustainably produced and delivered to your doorstep. Founded in 2015 by Jakob Jønck and Thomas Ambus, Simple Feast last year raised $12m in a Series A funding round including Balderton Capital and 14W.
SquidHub
The SquidHub team. Image: SquidHub
SquidHub is the creator of a clever hub to join your favourite productivity apps together in one useful place. A previous Start-up of the Week here on Siliconrepublic.com, the company was founded in 2016 by Asger Johansen and Andreas Overbeck.
Templafy
Companies spend more than $2 trillion globally on #mergers and #acquisitions per year.
We look back at some of the best and worst merger and acquisitions to identify what works and what doesn't.https://t.co/hw3K6ffKSz
— Templafy (@Templafy) February 21, 2019
Templafy claims to have solved the problem of document anarchy to ensure consistency across all of a company’s documents, presentations and emails. Founded in 2014 by Christian Lund and Henrik Printzlau, Templafy raised $15m from existing investors in November 2018, bringing total funding raised so far to more than $40m.
Too Good to Go
Check out these tips and steps you can take to tackle #foodwaste from your home, wherever that may be ?https://t.co/lhEI3L5aWC
— Too Good To Go (@TooGoodToGo_UK) February 26, 2019
Too Good to Go is an app aimed at fighting food waste by helping food stores sell surplus stock instead of throwing it away. Founded in 2016, the start-up recently raised €6m. It is active in nine countries and counts more than 7.5m users. It works with retailers and restaurants including Carrefour, Accor and Yo Sushi.
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