Jolla Phone: Hands On Video Demo
Jolla has been teasing us for a very long time now and having written over four articles about them, we still had no idea what the phone or the OS was really about. Until now. Just minutes ago, we had a live demo by Martin Schuelle, Jolla's Head of Design and it all finally makes sense.
The OS is using the screen space more effectively than anything else out there with some very cool features that make the phone really stand out. However instead of writing it all out, how about we just show you the video:
Lund-based Crowdme Offers Filmmakers A Dedicated Crowdfunding Platform
It seems like crowdfunding is half of what I'm writing about these days, but it is an industry in its infancy that's really starting to pop in the Nordics. By now you might think you have every crowdfunding platform figured out, but Lund-based startup, Crowdme, is focusing on the video niche, and is building a unique platform by focusing on that specific area.
By focusing completely on video projects, Crowdme can help video makers in two ways. First is the obvious- they can help crowdfund to pre-finance movies, but additionally can also offer video advertising afterwards to bring in additional revenues. This advertising feature is not live quite yet - they're not generating the views to make it worthwhile - but is an interesting revenue path I haven't seen taken by a crowdfunding platform.
Confessions And Advice Of Venture Capitalists: Accel Partners, Creandum And Rubylight
In October 2012 we held the Arctic15 conference in Helsinki, where a panel discussion between venture capitalists took place. This discussion proved to be rather interesting, controversial and extremely useful for everyone who wants to understand more about Venture Capitalists and get some tips and advice in regards to talking to them.
The discussion took place between Aman Ghei of Accel partners (Invested in Rovio, Supercell, Facebook), Johan Brenner of Creandum (Invested in Spotify, iZettle), Vitaly Rubstein from Rubylight (Former Co-Founders of Odnoklassniki.ru, invested in Ask.fm) and Dmitri Sarle from Arcticstartup as the moderator. During the discussion some "dirty little secrets", as Johan Brenner put it, were revealed. For a complete video, scroll down to the bottom and enjoy the show.
Dream Broker Has Grown To €1.5M In Revenue In 5 Years With Elance
Editor's note: This post is part of a series of posts published in co-operation with Elance, the leading source of outsourcing talent in the world. Elance is also supporting our ArcticEvening Helsinki on June 14th.
Elance is helping us with ArcticEvenings in the region and in return we want to highlight how they're helping startups with quick access to talent. On Thursday, Elance representatives will also be present at ArcticEvening Helsinki and therefore we want to highlight a Finnish startup they are working with.
Dream Broker is an online video software company started in 2007 that focuses in video production and distribution. They are a video platform for companies and organisations where open systems such as Vimeo and YouTube don't work. Their service can be used for software tutorials and support, staff competence development, change management as well as communications to name a few functions.
The company has strong growth and in 2011 did almost €1.5M in revenue.
We talked to Ari Heljakka, the Chief Strategy Officer about how they use Elance and how other startups could learn from their use cases for it.
Scoopshot Adds Video Support To Its News Photo Service
It what seems like a natural move for today's increasingly digital media, Helsinki-based Scoopshot has launched video support to its news photo crowdsourcing service. The app allows journalists to send alerts to smartphone users, who can arrive at a scene more quickly and cheaply than sending a professional photographer.
Users take photos and upload them through the app, and if their picture is selected they receive money through whoever requested the photos. The service is also designed for users to quickly pull up the app if they witness something newsworthy, so they can then sell the photo or video rights online. €172 000 has been transferred to amateur photographers though the site, with the leader earning over €11 000. A scoopshot user recently bought a car with his earnings, which he said he will help him get around to take more pictures.
Caine's Arcade - Watch This Video
Most of the news we read these days are about the things that go wrong in our societies. We at ArcticStartup have always wanted to take a more positive approach to entrepreneurship by covering startups and events in a more positive, yet critical light. This post is all about happiness and Caine's Arcade.
Last year, a 9-year old boy built a cardboard arcade in his father's Auto Parts store and wanted to run it as a business. Despite all of his efforts (and my god, the ingeniouity put into those machines!) he didn't see a lot of customers. And then, the internet happened. Word about his arcade was spread around and soon enough a flashmob was organised to get people to his arcade.
The video below is this story. It will make you smile and have hope for humanity. It's 10 minutes long, but very much worth your time.
23 Video Offers New Video Analytics
Copenhagen-based 23 Video has been providing video sites with a simple service to host and manage everything, on a customer's own domain, for a simple $675 per month. Customers are allowed an unlimited number of videos and have complete control of the design of the player. The company has always offered analytics, but recently they stepped up their offering to provide greater insight for their customers to figure out exactly how their users are interacting with online videos.
A Few Quick Updates On The MegaUpload Case (With Video)
As a quick followup to the MegaUpload case, founder Kim Dotcom is still on bail awaiting a hearing on a US application to extradite him to face charges of infringing copyright on films and music, racketeering and money laundering. In his first interview after being released, Dotcom said, "I find it very surprising that this is happening because like I said we had legal advice all these years telling us that we are an online service provider and we are not liable for the actions of third parties." The full video is embedded below. Dotcom holds dual citizenship in Finland and Germany, which is why we figure we can provide a quick update every now and then.
Arctic15 Will Be Bigger And Better This Year!
We've been quite busy since December putting together our plans for 2012 and naturally that includes Arctic15, the annual conference we're putting together for growth entrepreneurs from Northern Europe. This year, the event will take place over the course of two very exciting days in October. October 17th and 18th to be exact. We've redefined our concept a little bit to better suit the needs of the entrepreneurs in the region. During the two days we'll have more than 50 people on two stages sharing their advice and experience. Tickets and the full program will be available later in the spring, but below is a little introduction to what we have in mind.
Videoplaza Secures $12 Million Series B
Videoplaza has just come out with an announcement that they have secured a $12 million investment aimed for global expansion. The Series B funding comes from Qualcomm Ventures and Innovacom. We've written about the Sweden based company before as well, regarding their strong growth. With this investment the growth is sure to follow. The company had a great 2011 according to the press release. It served five times greater ad volume than the year before and opened up new offices in Madrid, Berlin and Singapore. It now operates in 17 different countries.
Interview With Harry Nelis Of Accel Partners (Video)
We talked to Harry Nelis, a partner at Accel Partners, about startups, entrepreneurship and Europe as well as many other topics. When we shot the video, Nelis had just come down from the main stage at LeWeb where he participated in the traditional Money Panel. Accel has been able to discover and invest into some of the most successful startups out there. Some of their portfolio companies include Facebook, Groupon, Spotify and the list goes on.
Clipsource: Online Marketplace For News Videos
Clipsource is an online marketplace for news videos. Launched originally in Sweden in 2009, the service enables media companies to buy, sell or share news videos that have been produced in-house or sourced from viewers and readers.
The company aims to capitalize on the recent proliferation of video content on news and media sites. According to Dan Willstrand, CEO of Clipsource, "As online video advertising offers nearly ten times higher revenue per impression than standard banners, there is a strong economic incentive for the publishers to show more video".
The Last Set Of Arctic15 Pitches (Video)
Here we've got the last chunk of Arctic15 videos. See pitches by Meetin.gs, Graduateland, Holvi, Achoo, and Mepin. If you want more of the Arctic15 experience, join us for our pre-Christmas party with Future Female on December 1st, and keep your eyes out for our upcoming ArcticEvening events. Find these great pitches below the fold:
Second Batch Of Arctic15 Pitches (Video)
Here's another batch of Arctic15 presentations, including Mancx, the first place winner. Also in this group we've got presentations by Streamtainment, 300.mg, Fishare, and Kiosked. So clear off the rest of your schedule this afternoon, cancel that meeting, and re-live the Arctic15.
First Batch Of The Arctic15 Pitches (Video)
We're releasing the first batch of the Arctic15 pitches. We saw a wide variety of presentations from all across the Nordic and Baltic countries, and now we're presenting pitches from Tribe Studios, Conferize, Transfluent, Campalyst, and 46elks. Re-live the Arctic15 conference and check out the videos below the fold!
Hipmunk/Reddit Co-Founder Steve Huffman's Keynote At Arctic15 (Video)
Here's another Arctic15 video from the archive! We were honored to have Steve Huffman give our keynote presentation at the Arctic15 conference. In his talk, Steve tells us about his time at ycombinator, the Reddit story, and goes through the thought process behind his new startup, Hipmunk, which is bringing new innovations to flight search and hotel booking. You can find the video below the fold:
Felix Petersen At Arctic15 (Video)
We're ready to begin releasing our videos from Arctic15. The first video we are going to share is the talk Felix Petersen, the co-founder and CEO of Amen, held at Arctic15. He went through 18 points and backed them up with personal experience from his previous ventures and his findings working with Amen. Arctic15 is the annual launch event we organise to bring in world class keynote speakers and showcase the talent from Northern Europe to attendees.
VideofyMe Monetizes Independent Videos
Advertising is important for independent bloggers as it is so far one of the biggest revenue sources for them. VideofyMe, a Sweden-based start-up, is trying to serve that need by helping independent bloggers monetize their original video content. With their service bloggers can create videos in browser and on the go with their iPhones (Android app to be launched soon), easily publish those videos to Facebook or Twitter and earn some money from pre-roll ads that VideofyMe provides. The start-up has been working in the Swedish market since 2009 and is now going global.
WeVideo Video Editor Gets Integrated With YouTube
WeVideo, a startup founded by two Norwegians, has announced that its cloud-based video-editing platform is now available for free on YouTube. The platform allows YouTube users to create and edit their videos on the fly with no additional software needed. All you need is a YouTube account.
Angry Birds Played At Formula 1 Singapore (Video)
A few weeks ago we wrote about Angry Birds being played with the Uplause technology at the Formula 1 event that took place in Singapore. Since we covered the items right after the weekend, we didn't have any video available. However, now we do and it just makes you smile. Take a look at the video below and see people in the audience participate in playing Angry Birds Fast and Furious. People participate by shouting, which is basically the control for the slingshot. Made us smile for sure.
Arctic15 Exclusive: Derek Sivers - Uncommon Sense (7/8)
In the seventh and second last video of the series, Derek Sivers talks about Ideas vs Execution. He goes to talk about the fact that ideas aren't valuable by themselves, but it's the execution that matters. Sivers explains all this through a pretty wacky real-life example. We'll be posting the last bit of the series on Wednesday, just before Arctic15.
Arctic15 Exclusive: Derek Sivers - Uncommon Sense (6/8)
As the series with Derek Sivers is turning to its end, the sixth video is titled "0.1". In this video Derek Sivers shares his thoughts on shipping early and getting traction for your MVP (even though he doesn't really mention the concept in the video). The last two videos, coming out next week will be titled "Ideas vs. Execution" and "CD Baby". The videos will be published on Monday and Wednesday, just before Arctic15.
Arctic15 Exclusive: Derek Sivers - Uncommon Sense (5/8)
In the fifth video of the Derek Sivers - Uncommon Sense -series, Derek Sivers talks about switching your idea if it does not work. Wondering why we're sharing these videos? Check out the first post with Derek Sivers for more information. There are three more videos in the series and we'll release them this coming Friday, Monday and Wednesday - just before Arctic15.
Arctic15 Exclusive: Derek Sivers - Uncommon Sense (4/8)
In the fourth video of the Derek Sivers - Uncommon Sense -series, Derek Sivers is talking about "revolution". He talks about the fact that when you keep simple and base your business on existing concepts, you're a lot closer to the clients. He also talks about building the monetisation system for CD Baby and shares how he came about it. Wondering why we're sharing these videos? Check out the first post with Derek Sivers for more information.
Arctic15 Exclusive: Derek Sivers - Uncommon Sense (3/8)
In the run up to our Arctic15 conference, we've announced an exclusive video series with Derek Sivers, the founder of CD Baby. The story why all this is relevant can be read from the introduction to the first video. In the video series he will share his advice and experiences in building CD Baby into one of the largest online music stores before selling it onwards. In the third video of the series, Sivers talks about the fact that nobody knows the future. Sivers believes that if more people actually stated this, more intelligent conversation would follow.
RIM Strengthening Forces In Northern Europe
I had a chance to talk to Paul Lucier yesterday at The Conference held in Malmö. Paul Lucier works as the Managing Director for Northern Europe and Russia at RIM. He's stationed in Stockholm, Sweden and working from there to build RIM's presence into the region. Everyone who's had their toes in the mobile streams long enough know that RIM is a serious player in the market with their Blackberry products and services. Yesterday I got the chance to see a few of their products and play around a little with the new Playbook that will hit shelves this September in Sweden. What's also good to know is that RIM is looking to build up its presence in the region, not only to sell more devices, but also attract more developer talent.
How Sopima Values Microsoft Technology
I had the opportunity to talk to Jaan Apajalahti, the CTO and co-founder of Sopima, a company changing the way people work on contracts. Instead of passing around documents in e-mails and having a ton of different versions saved locally, Sopima allows companies and different parties to work on contracts in a much faster way by keeping them in a central location. More interestingly for the other founders and entrepreneurs out there, Sopima is built on Microsoft technology - Silverlight as well as Windows Azure.
Finnish Snowboarding Championships To Be Filmed With Nokia N8s
According to Nokia Ääni, a new Nokia blog written in Finnish, Nokia has partnered to film and televise the Finnish snowboarding championships solely with the help of Nokia N8s. According to the blog post, all filming will be done on N8s between the 7th and 10th of April in Ruka, Finland. The filming will be done by a four man crew of Flatlight Films. This is the first time in history a full television show will be filmed with only smart phones.
Interview With Mohamed El-Fatatry Of Muxlim (Part 2)
Yesterday we released the first part of the Muxlim Founder and CEO, Mohamed El-Fatatry interview. In the interview, El-Fatatry talks about the creation of their business and how they went on to grow it. In the second part of the interview El-Fatatry explains how they realised a completely new business area after discussions with Coca-Cola.
Interview With Mohamed El-Fatatry Of Muxlim (Part 1)
We haven't covered Muxlim at ArcticStartup in the way it deserves to be covered. So, what better way to do it than have a talk with the founder and CEO of the company, Mohamed El-Fatatry. El-Fatatry isn't your usual startup founder in Finland. He's of Egyptian background and went on to start the world's largest muslim-oriented site when still in school. Muxlim grew immensely fast in the early days they didn't really have any competition. One of the drivers of their growth can be attributed to excellent media coverage.
