What makes Denmark stand out?
Denmark is popular for quite a few things. The world’s most livable city (Copenhagen), number one in the world in sustainable development, home to some of the happiest people, the country that gave us Lego and yes, its Viking heritage.
But Denmark and capital Copenhagen are also emerging as technology and startup hubs. While places such as the US, the UK or Canada are well-established tech scenes, Denmark is a contender that deserves just as much attention.
From having the most IoT sensors per capita in the world, the most digitized public sector to some of the most exciting tech startups, the country seems to have a few aces up its sleeve. What are the factors that are turning Denmark in a tech powerhouse and what are some of the threats hindering the tech sector’s development?
Growing technology and startup hub
The country is one of the top three EU countries when it comes to digital competitiveness, according to EU Digital Economy and Society Index, following closely Finland and Sweden.
Furthermore, Denmark placed 6th in the Global Entrepreneurship Index in 2018, an index measuring the health of the entrepreneurship ecosystems across 137 countries.
Danish software companies will drive in a revenue of 3,000 million USD by the end of 2020, as estimated by Statista.
Within the technology / ICT sector, there are a few specific areas in which Denmark stands out:
- audio and sound technology: Denmark is a global leader in the audio and sound technology industries, with many internationally recognized brands such as Bang&Olufsen, Brüel & Kjær and Oticon
- robotics: the country prides itself with the prime robots and drones testing centers, hosting full-scale test facilities for drone and robot applications in healthcare, agriculture or production
- wireless and mobile technology: a wireless cluster with competencies in mobile technology: LTE/LTE Advanced, Bluetooth, Internet of Things (IoT), location-based services, antennas and sound, MIMO, machine-learning, blockchain, and ultra-reliable connectivity for mission-critical systems according to The Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs
- software development: tech giants such as Microsoft, Nokia, and Google have chosen Denmark to set up international research and development centers
- security and encryption
- business solution development: some successful Danish tech companies: Zendesk, Unity Technologies, Tradeshift, Podio, Siteimprove, Trustpilot. Seven percent of global tech exits with a unicorn valuation originate in the Nordic countries
- eGovernment solutions: Denmark has pursued an ambitious agenda for digitizing its public sector and in 2018 reached the top of the United Nations’ e-Government rankings.