Olso is the fastest growing capital city region in Europe. What I find most exciting right now is the booming startup scene, and not least the way all these startups work together to get better through co-working spaces and events. It is a culture sharing – ideas and knowledge and experience.
"I am excited about Felleverkstedet, Oslo’s first national Fab Lab, where you can bring in your ideas and designed and get help to produce them in a professional workshop."
Published:
05/09/2014
Writer:
Hege Tollerud
Some of our Coworking spaces concentrate on specialist fields, such as 657 Oslo, where the majority of members are working in creative industries and communication. The Startup Lab in Olso Science Park, near the University of Oslo, and Gründergarasjen at IT Fornebu, are more technology and science-focused, while Gründernes Hus, MESH, and Bitraf host a more across-the-board range of businesses, with the latter two featuring particularly significant, growing activity at their maker spaces. And I am excited about Felleverkstedet, Oslo’s first national Fab Lab, where you can bring in your ideas and designed and get help to produce them in a professional workshop.
Oslo’s Startup Lab in the city’s Science Park
One of the latest additions to the family is Olso International Hub, initiated by Olso International Club and offering a mix of separate offices and desks in open-plan areas. The main tenant base consists of international talents who have decided to set up businesses in Oslo.
What’s special is that a lot of these environments work together across the individual co-working spaces, as well as with both the public and more established businesses and urban developers, to achieve a more coordinated startup ecosystem and take businesses to a higher level. It helps to stimulate and encourage further innovation, and makes the city region’s business environment even more attractive.
The Oslo region is home to world-leading environments within fields like ocean industries, finance, information and communication technologies, energy and environmental technologies, life sciences and culture industries.
Focusing on the last one – I am proud to say that Oslo is the definite live music capital of Scandinavia. Our more than 5000 live performances a year is more than in Stockholm and Copenhagen combined. In August alone there are more than ten different festivals in and around the city, representing all genres of music and performances.
International cooperation is important for Oslo. The city has made a creative city alliance with Hackney, London and Austin, Texas. These places have a lot in common and have identified a number of areas in which cooperation os fruitful for all. Bringing startups and sell businesses together, in particular within the culture and tech sectors, we have done events together in Hackney and Austin, and are working hard to keep and strengthen these partnerships.
Hege Tollerud works as a communications executive at Oslo Business Region, the regional development agency for Oslo, combining international profiling, place positioning and information with startup support services, talent and investment recruiting, and regional business development.
