Nordic Tech Week checklist

Nordic Tech Week is Stockholm’s first fully open, city-wide tech experience, taking over Kungsträdgården from September 15th-19th. Five days of panels, workshops, and street-level activations celebrating the best of Nordic innovation. Startups, investors, creatives, and curious minds come together to connect, collaborate, and explore the future of tech.

It will be a week filled with hackathons, demos, panels, mingles, parties! (And, even a few training sessions!)

Here's our tips & tricks on how to make the most out of it!

Curate your time between side events & scene program

Side events are hosted by partners and has limited space, while the scene program is open to anyone to attend.

Here's how you can filter what's important to you:

• Prioritize the people, pitchers, and panelists over the event title per se. Do you think these people will say something you might not hear somewhere else? Is it a company or person you look up to?
• Mingler and ecosystem builder? Side events are probably your jam.
• Inspiration and knowledge seeker? Panels and fireside chats are your way to go.

🧠 PS. Some of the best sessions might not be on your radar - but they might be on someone else's. Ask around and stay flexible.

Go get that coffee!

Nordic Tech Week is a great opportunity to stand infront of the right people at the right time.

Here's how you can get that coffee:

• Go through the schedule and find the speakers you want to meet. The best opportunity is often right after their session, while they have brainspace to take in who you are and what you do. (They get nervous too you know!) If they don't have time to chat, make sure to send a DM/email afterwards thanking them for their insights and remind them about your ask.
• Check who's posted about them being at Nordic Tech Week by searching for "Nordic Tech Week" on LinkedIn and filter by latest posts. Write to them either before, asking for a fika, or after, saying you would have loved to have met them.
• Not finding speakers or pitchers up your alley? Don't forget to check out partners, builders, and ecosystem partners on the website!

🧠 PS. We once sat through an hour long panel about insurance regulations in EU just to say hi to a CEO we really wanted to work with - and, we got that coffee.

Play the long game

• Remember that the best connections are often the ones you make eye to eye, and not the ones you make online. Follow up with people you've met afterwards with a "Nice to meet you at Nordic Tech Week" at least!
• Write down key insights you get from sessions and side events. You'll be surprised reading it afterwards how much better you remember.
• That contact you've made might be relevant in a few years time, not now. It's okay, it doesn't mean it wasn't worth it!

Bonus tips

• Student? Don't be ashamed that you are and don't downplay your skills. Rather, use it to your advantage and ask for advice from the people you meet or ask for intros.
• Sign up for mingles early. Yes, even now. Some already have waitlists.
• Invitation-only and you're relevant? Be un-Swedish & just ask to be included. Seriously.
• Wondering what to wear and have never been to an event like this before? No dresscode, just bring your best mood!
• If you're looking for an internship, opportunity, or job: don't miss the companies and ecosystem partners in the booths! They're literally there to be talked to.
• Bring a powerbank and an umbrella - you never know when you'll need them!