In 2008, just as the financial world was imploding, Georg Ludviksson took a job at Glitnir Bank in his home country, Iceland. On day three the bank failed. Ludviksson saw an opportunity.…
An Afghan Entrepreneur Aims for IT Success in Germany’s Growing Market
Three years ago Aemal Sayer was an accomplished IT entrepreneur in Kabul, looking for his next move. He had already founded several startups, each with varying degrees of success. But he wanted…
More Unicorns Exited than Born in Q2 2016 – Report
Unicorn exits exceeded unicorn births in Q2 2016, according to a report. The H1 Global Tech Exits Report, conducted by CBInsights, found that for the first time in six quarters there were…
Belgium’s Startups Are Justifying Some Surprising Statistics
Europe’s tech scene is diversifying. No longer is it confined to a handful of cities and regions. And little Belgium is evidencing that more than most nations. The country, which is home…
Six Startups to Join EY Blockchain Initiative
Six startups will contest a challenge laid down by accounting giant EY, to develop blockchain solutions for energy trading and digital rights management. The EY Startup Challenge, a six-week program beginning September…
Radical Agility: How Zalando Tech Became Berlin’s Hottest Workplace
“We can wait in the jungle” isn’t something you hear much in Berlin – much less in the office of a fast-growing multinational. But a jungle (perhaps better described as a bush,…
Entrepreneur Lu Li on the Startup Gender Gap, and New Book ‘Dear Female Founder’
Women looking to become entrepreneurs face a shortage of role models. Lu Li aims to redress that. Her new book, Dear Female Founder, has pooled together letters from 66 women in business…
European Commission Telco Deregulation Plan ‘Will Help Giants’
A European Commission plan to further deregulate its telecommunications market has come under fire, after it was claimed the plans would help the continent’s biggest players increase their grip on the market.…
Georgia Pilots and Sweden Ponders – Is Blockchain the Future for Europe’s Land Registries?
Blockchain, the secure, “trustless” database, has until recently been best known as the technology underpinning cryptocurrency bitcoin. Now, though, officials are realizing that it can be much, much more. The platform, created…
Iceland’s Startup Scene Punches Above its Weight
For Iceland, size is rarely an issue – just ask England’s overpaid soccer stars, who were roundly and embarrassingly beaten by Strákarnir Okkar (‘Our Boys’, the national team’s nickname) at this year’s European…