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The Memo

David Helgason at Slush 2016

Unity files for IPO, will become first Icelander-founded company to be listed on NYSE

Last week, Unity the company behind the game engine that powers more than half of the top 1000 games in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, filed their S-1 to go public on NYSE. The company, which will have the ticker symbol U, is raising up to $100m

Why Game Development could be Iceland's next Breakout Industry

Why Game Development could be Iceland's next Breakout Industry

Last week was an interesting one for the game industry in Iceland. Teatime Games – founded by QuizUp’s cored leadership team – released their most successful game to date, Trivia Royale. The game got featured in the U.S. App Store very close to the top (and those who know mobile

Organise, Standardise, Attract: How Angel Investors Should Contribute to Iceland 2.0

Organise, Standardise, Attract: How Angel Investors Should Contribute to Iceland 2.0

Over the last weeks and months, a lot of talk has been around how innovation (and IP-intensive ventures) should be our focus, when building the next phase of the Icelandic economy. The government has announced and delivered some measures towards that goal – by increasing R&D tax refunds, speeding

Startup SuperNova and the Startup Reykjavik legacy

Startup SuperNova and the Startup Reykjavik legacy

Startup Reykjavik was founded in 2012, by Arion Bank and Icelandic Startups (then Klak Innovit). That same year was the first year of the Startup Iceland conference, so in a sense, 2012 is the year that some of the longer living programs, that put their mark on the year and

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

Building a Food Startup from Iceland: Interview with Garðar Stefánsson, CEO of GoodGood

Building a Food Startup from Iceland: Interview with Garðar Stefánsson, CEO of GoodGood

In the last several weeks, there’s been some interesting developments in the food startup scene. Not food-tech, but good ol’ product development, based on new ideas, branding, and lifestyle trends. GoodGood, a producer of non-sugar added sweet products, like chocolate spreads, raised $3m, and healthy snack company Responsible foods

Covid Response: The Startup Edition

Covid Response: The Startup Edition

Yesterday, the leaders of the Icelandic government announced the so-called “Package number 2” – a set of economic stimulus initiatives to support the Icelandic economy following the Covid outbreak. The package ranged from grants for companies that had to close due to bans on gatherings, to 100% backed loans (sounds similar