Norway is one of the world’s richest nations – mostly thanks to the discovery of oil deposits in the North Sea half a century ago. Easy access to capital, coupled with a desire to move the economy beyond fossil fuels, has created fertile ground for startups.
The capital, Oslo, is Norway’s main startup hub, attracting not only local talent but also entrepreneurs from Berlin, London and Stockholm. A report by the Oslo city council claims that, between March 2017 and February 2018, the number of startups in the city grew by nearly 20 per cent, which is faster than in its European rivals.
Many of Oslo's startups have a hardware focus, developing digitally powered devices that meet specific needs. Here are six startups that caught our eye.
No Isolation
The startup aims to help socially isolated people stay in contact – whether it’s children who can’t attend school because of long-term illness, or seniors with relatives living far away. Its first product was a small robot called AV1, which acts as the eyes and voice of a child forced to stay at home or in hospital. The child controls the bot from a tablet at home, while AV1 is on the pupil’s desk at school, its camera transmitting in real time. Friends carry the robot from class to class, to afterschool activities and even birthday parties. More than 850 AV1s are currently in use in 13 countries, and some 160 have been deployed at more than a hundred UK schools.
No Isolation’s latest product is KOMP, a flat screen with a large control knob that makes it look like a retro television. It’s aimed seniors who are unable (or unwilling) to use more complicated technology such as a tablet. Family members and friends can send pictures from their smartphones to the KOMP. Pictures pop up automatically, short messages can be added, and it’s possible to make high quality video calls with no need to press any buttons – video call is automatically connected after a ten-second countdown.
Founded: 2015 Investment raised: $10.6M Founders: Karen Dolva, Marius Aabel and Matias Doyle
Otovo
Otovo is a marketplace for solar installers. “We let homeowners buy solar panels adapted to their homes in just a few clicks,” says founder Andreas Thorsheim. Cost is calculated based on analysis of satellite images of properties, with installers bidding for projects – potentially saving homeowners money. The company has expanded to Sweden and France. “Almost every roof in Europe will have solar panels, so we’re eager to make use of the tech advantage that has made us the winner in markets we have entered so far,” says Thorsheim.
Founded: 2016 Investment raised: $21.7M Founders: Andreas Thorsheim, Simen Fure Jorgensen
ReMarkable
It’s a tablet, but a slightly unusual one. With reMarkable, users can’t browse, check email or send WhatsApp messages. Instead, it’s a black and white e-paper tablet for notetaking. Users write on it with a supplied pen, just like on a sheet of paper, but the device’s text recognition software quickly converts handwritten text into type. The startup has so far sold more than 100,000 tablets. To focus, the team has ‘zen’ days in the office when “we don’t have meetings, and keep talking to a minimum,” says CEO and founder Magnus Haug Wanberg. The approach translates into the product, too: the tablet is for reading, writing and sketching “without interruptions,” he adds.
Founded: 2016 Investment raised: $1.5M Founders: Magnus Wanberg
Kahoot!
Kahoot! is a game-based learning platform. It’s now used in half of US schools and 200 other countries as educational technology – offering free learning games such as some 60 million multiple-choice quizzes by web browser. The idea is to make learning “awesome, fun and engaging,” says Asmund Furuseth, the company’s CEO. Last year, Kahoot! had more than one billion players worldwide and 70 million monthly active users. It has become such a pop culture phenomenon in schools that “kahooting” is now used as a verb. The vast majority of the content on the platform is created by users – and the firm also has a premium version, Kahoot Pro, with access to time-saving and collaborative features for teachers.
Founded: 2013 Investment raised: $58.9M Founders: Alf Inge Wang, Asmund Furuseth, Jamie Brooker, Johan Brand, Morten Versvik
Huddly
There are plenty of video conferencing solutions, but few have AI capabilities. Huddly’s first product, an intelligent wide-angle conference camera Huddly GO, was launched in December 2017, and the second iteration, Huddly IQ, followed in September 2018. Huddly IQ comes with an onboard neural engine for advanced AI processing. It allows the camera to “understand” the meeting room environment by analysing how often the room is used, who is present, and where speakers sit. In 2017, Google selected Huddly GO to be a part of the Google Hangouts Meet hardware kit. To date, Huddly has delivered approximately 50,000 cameras globally.
Founded: 2017 Investment raised: $25.1M Founders: Anders Eikenes, Stein Ove Eriksen
XPLORA
XPLORA is a smart watch startup. Founder Sten Kirkbak decided to create a watch for children after he nearly lost his son Filip, then four, at a shopping centre nine years ago. “It was a very traumatic experience,” Kirkbak says. So he built a device that makes it possible for parents to know the location of their children at all times. The watch is a phone with a camera. The version for seniors also reminds the wearer when to take medicines or measure their blood pressure. Incoming calls are answered with a simple screen tap, and the conversation is like being on speakerphone, with similar quality. Outgoing calls are possible as well: the watch stores up to 50 numbers, depending on the model. The wearer can also receive texts – though can only reply with a range of emojis. For the children version, an app ensures strict parental controls.
Founded: 2016 Investment raised: $3M Founder: Sten Kirkbak
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
