Nordea Startup Accelerator, an intensive 12-week programme for encouraging startups, is going to welcome 35 startup companies this week to help them develop their fintech ideas.

Over 200 companies applied to Nordea’s second Accelerator programme and those selected come from countries including the US, Russia, Singapore, India, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland. During the week, the best projects will be selected to take part in Nordea’s Accelerator programme, which kicks off later on in the autumn in Stockholm and Helsinki. 

“It’s fantastic to see such great interest, and I’m impressed with the breadth of the applicant startups, both in terms of their ideas, and where in the world they come from,” comments Jan Sirich, Head of Experimentation & Learning at Nordea.

After the startup week in Oslo, around 20 teams will be selected for further participation in Nordea Accelerator. The startups will work onsite at Nordea’s offices in Stockholm or Helsinki.  

The main areas of focus include emerging technologies (such as cognitive computing, artificial intelligence and Blockchain), digital life and pension, role of banks in sharing economy, enabling rapid transactions in collaboration economy, and compliance and changes in regulation. In addition, the programme is also open to other ideas that the startups are interested in.

"The programme helps us identify new, innovative opportunities. We are continuously working hard on developing great digital services for our customers, and rely on acquiring expertise and creativity, from outside the organisation too. This time, Nordea Startup Accelerator is focusing on ideas in new technology such as cognitive computing, artificial intelligence and blockchain technology. But, we are also interested in other areas, where new technology can help us offer better services to our customers,” continues Jan Sirich, Head of Experimentation & Learning at Nordea.

Nordea runs the program together with Nestholma Venture Accelerator. IT giant Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and IBM will also be present throughout the programme, along with other fintech experts. IBM has announced that it has partnered with Nordea Bank to deliver IBM Bluemix as an innovation platform for their start-up accelerator program.

Nordea Startup Accelerator, the largest of its kind in the Nordics, provides selected startups with the opportunity to develop their ideas alongside Nordea and some of the best fintech experts in the Nordics. The first Accelerator programme was held in the winter of 2015–2016. The startups received over EUR 600,000 in new financing, and Nordea has continued to work with two of them (Jenny and Feelingstream).   

The on-site programme begins September 12 and will run until December 02.