The Nordic countries such like Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland are in headlines.
The reason why they gained spotlight was mainly because they have been able to grow the educational technology industry in better shape. The specialty of such growth was that, the small startups are slowly creating products with limited resources and with a more agile mindset.
Out of the many reasons, presence of openness towards technology in education, schools embracing technology to empower students and to develop their social emotional skills are counted to be the primary reasons why edtech in the Nordics could clink. The emphasis in countries like Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Norway is to make learning intuitive, collaborative and not keep it centered to garnering of best grades.
The other reason for widespread growth is having things in place. One finds innovators from the educational arena, educators, institutions doing well in this region and such factors indeed contribute towards healthy growth. Further the founders of these edtech startups are some of the best enthusiastic entrepreneurs who believe in making learning more impactful through development of solution that is innovative and futuristic.
Take for instance, the EdTech scene in Denmark is experiencing a healthy growth in the scope of learning technologies because everyone right from the educational institutes to investors to the public sector all want to become a part of this boom. And this is paving the way for innovative edtech companies to make an impact across the country.
Administration Support to Create High Tech Future in Education
The level of government interest in entrepreneurship and small business development in any country helps boost potential solution to flagging economic growth and resolve unemployment problems to an extent.
Similarly, in the Nordics, the Danish minister of education, Merete Riisager has a broader as well futuristic visionary to make the nation a high tech future in education. The minister also backs the idea that students must learn to be creative makers and not just ‘users of technology.’
In addition, in order to push the growth of education technology, major steps are taken to make programming a mandatory subject with more than 50 schools currently running test projects. The government also extends monetary assistance to the edtech companies for smooth execution of best ideas.
Characteristics in Nordic Countries That Help EdTech Grow
The favoring characteristics of the Nordic Countries definitely contribute to the boom of edtech companies. Some of these characteristics are mentioned below-
1. The tech savvy population and high standard of living makes the Nordic region a good test bed for new tools, technologies and apps.
2. Most of the gaming studios located in Sweden, Finland and Iceland have already had significant international success in designing online games, including game-based apps ( and a recent article claimed that just Swedish gaming companies are today valued at SEK 60 Billion).
3. High Access to high speed networks, including wireless that enables a better gaming experience
4. Widespread use throughout the Nordics of mobile devices /platforms (increasingly used in games) as well as many early adopter-game tech users in the Nordics.
Other Factors That Contribute Towards the Growth of the Industry
1. Clusters- Nordic countries have their dedicated edtech cluster. Their aim is to provide EdTech entrepreneur with a platform where they can network and enhance collaboration between key stakeholders including tech experts, the market, users and customers.
2. Nordic Tech List- This is a database of EdTech startups in the Nordics which helps one acquire relevant information. For instance, if you want to know, eg, basic information about EdTech companies in the Nordics, they need to just go to the advanced search and in the industry box select technology and education.
3. Accelerators- xEdu- A leading business accelerator for edtech startup based in Helsinki, Finland. It offers a broad range of assistance including coaching and mentoring, real life testing environment for research and development.
4. Edtech Forums- Nordic EdTech Founders Forum, popularly known as N8 is also the most extensive network of Founders of EdTech companies in the Nordics with 83 members. The goal is to positively impact the global education by developing and strengthening the edtech ecosystem through sharing experiences, knowledge and insights.
5. Delegation- Quality is an important factor when it comes to any product or service. Finland based company Kokoa Standard cater Edtech quality verification service. They have earned good repute for their academically backed-way of conducting evaluations and is well recognized in the industry across the region.
6. Awards- Nordic EdTech Alliance has partnered between Nordic EdTech communities and other players. The purpose of such is to attract Nordic and International investors to invest in EdTech companies as well as build a stronger international image. The first collaborative initiative in this regard was the Nordic EdTech Startup Award.
Thus, with timely strategic and thoughtful steps taken, the future of EdTech in the Nordics looks promising. And, now hearing it and also after reading the fascinating facets of edtech scene in Nordic, if you are keen to know country-wise development in the Nordic Region, please refer to the links below:
http://net.futurelearninglab.org/2016/09/21/the-emerging-nordic-edtech-landscape-some-early-research-findings-and-observations-part-i/2/
