public policy

'Stuðnings-Kría' - government matching loans for startups, opens for applications

'Stuðnings-Kría' - government matching loans for startups, opens for applications

‘Stuðnings-Kría’, one of the policies announced as part of the governments response to the Covid-19 outbreak for startups, has started to accept applications. The program, which will match up to 70m ISK per company, provided the company has since secured financing from private investors that will then be matched by

Bring on the Experts: Iceland should target remote workers and help them work from Iceland

Bring on the Experts: Iceland should target remote workers and help them work from Iceland

The last couple of weeks were quite eventful. The country is formally opening on June 15, the second Covid package for the economy is going through parliament, and – finally – the spring weather that Icelanders love so much is coming. In this newsletter, I want to try a new format, inspired

The Memo: a16z invests in Iceland, Kría unveiled, and Covid and Startups

The Memo: a16z invests in Iceland, Kría unveiled, and Covid and Startups

This post is from The Memo – our regular newsletter with commentary and analysis on the most important things in Icelandic startups, venture, and tech. You can sign up here. Image credit: Government.is a16z’s first investment in the Nordics is in an Icelandic/Finnish gaming company, and venture initiative

The bill on Kría, the Icelandic Venture Initiative, opened for feedback

The bill on Kría, the Icelandic Venture Initiative, opened for feedback

Note: Kiddi has been consulting with the ministry on this topic and others, related to innovation policy. This morning, the Ministry for Industries and Innovation, submitted the bill that will create Kría, to public consultation. The bill creates a new entity – Kría – which will invest in venture capital funds that

Introducing an action plan on public innovation

Introducing an action plan on public innovation

An action plan on public innovation was introduced last week. The plan is based on the innovation policy for Iceland as well as the government’s policy on increasing the use of innovative solutions in the public sector. “We create many opportunities by increasing the weight of innovation in the

Innovation Center Iceland to close by end of year, following the new innovation policy

Innovation Center Iceland to close by end of year, following the new innovation policy

Last Tuesday, the minister of innovation, Þórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörð Gylfadóttir, announced plans to close down the Innovation Center Iceland (ICI) (is. Nýsköpunarmiðstöð Íslands) by the end of this year. With this decision, the minister hopes to move the support of the public to parts of the innovation environment in more