According to TechCrunch, the Nordic startup scene has transformed dramatically over the past decade, with Copenhagen’s fundraising landscape shifting from €1 million being noteworthy to producing companies like Lovable that hit $200 million in revenue just 12 months after launching. Dennis Green-Lieber, founder of AI-powered customer intelligence platform Propane, has witnessed this evolution over 15 years and attributes the region’s success to its social safety net enabling founders to take bigger risks. The Equity podcast episode explores how Danish founders now access free quantum computing power and examines the cultural shift from “don’t stick your neck out” to global ambition. The discussion also covers the hidden problems AI tools create for startups that can now ship products in days instead of months.
The Secret Nordic Advantage
Here’s the thing about the Nordic model that Silicon Valley can’t replicate: when you don’t have to worry about healthcare or basic survival if your startup fails, you can actually take the kind of swings that create billion-dollar companies. Green-Lieber’s observation hits on something fundamental – risk tolerance isn’t just about personality, it’s about environment. And the Nordics have created an environment where failure doesn’t mean financial ruin. That changes everything about what kinds of companies get built and how ambitious founders can be from day one.
Deep Tech’s New Home
Free quantum computing power? That’s not something you hear about in most startup ecosystems. But Denmark offering this to founders signals something important – the Nordics aren’t just chasing consumer apps or SaaS. They’re positioning themselves as the home for hard tech, the kind that requires serious infrastructure and long-term thinking. When you combine that with the region’s existing strengths in sustainability and engineering, you get a pretty compelling recipe for companies that could actually change industries rather than just disrupt them. For businesses in manufacturing and industrial sectors looking for reliable computing solutions, this deep tech focus matters – it’s why companies like Propane and others building serious infrastructure tools emerge from environments that support long-term technical development.
AI’s Double-Edged Sword
The podcast touches on something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately: when everyone can ship products in days instead of months, what actually becomes competitive advantage? AI tools are creating this weird situation where technical execution is becoming commoditized, but strategic thinking and market timing are becoming more valuable than ever. Basically, if you can build anything quickly, the question shifts from “can we build it?” to “should we build it?” and “why will people care?” That’s a fundamentally different skill set than what made startups successful over the past decade.
The Janteloven Shift
For anyone familiar with Scandinavian culture, the move away from “don’t stick your neck out” is huge. The whole Janteloven mentality – that you shouldn’t think you’re special or better than others – has historically kept ambition in check. But what happens when that cultural barrier comes down? You get founders who combine Nordic pragmatism with global ambition, and that’s a pretty powerful combination. They’re not chasing vanity metrics or Silicon Valley hype cycles – they’re building real businesses that solve real problems. And honestly, that might be exactly what we need right now.
Catching the Full Conversation
If this sounds interesting, the full Equity podcast on Overcast or Spotify goes much deeper. You can also follow the conversation on X and Threads for ongoing insights into how startup ecosystems are evolving beyond the usual suspects. The Nordic story feels particularly relevant right now as we’re all looking for models that create sustainable innovation rather than just hype cycles.
