How and Why This Danish Startup Joined Y Combinator

How spending a million Danish kroner in three months sets the company up for continued success.

Author

Peter Juel Jensen
January 29, 2025

Pioneer AI: Checking the Nordic AI Pulse

Welcome to Pioneer AI’s newsletter, The Nordic AI Pulse. We are a Nordics-focused AI investment fund.

We track, share, and analyse information and insights on Nordic-related AI news, deals, and trends.

📚 In This Issue:

  1. How and Why This Danish Startup Joined Y Combinator

  2. Nordic AI Funding News

  3. Podcast Insights

  4. Upcoming: Nordic AI Events You Shouldn't Miss

How and Why This Danish Startup Joined Y Combinator

Danish AI EdTech startup Alice.tech has previously been featured in the Pioneer AI newsletter. Since then, the company has been accepted to the highly sought-after Y Combinator startup program in Silicon Valley, moving the entire team into a house on the outskirts of San Francisco for three months. We caught up with founder Kim Rants to hear what has been going on and the team’s recent experiences in California.

Pioneer AI: Congratulations on being accepted into the Y Combinator program! What inspired you to pursue this specific opportunity?

Kim Rants: As we spoke about last time, the USA, being one of the largest markets in the world, naturally became a focus for us as a logical next expansion step after the Nordics. Our goal has always been to push ourselves and grow. One of the prime reasons is the teambuilding and unity this USA experience provides. Y Combinator is also a great platform for the US market where we also get inspiration and sparring, plus increased investor interest.

Pioneer AI: How has the experience been so far – and what are the benefits of working like this?

Kim Rants: We have been here since the start of January, and the energy in Silicon Valley is hugely inspirational. Living and working together as a team creates a unique environment which – alongside the inspiration and input through Y Combinator – has probably been the biggest benefit.

Perhaps you could create a similar sort of intense environment for team building by renting a summerhouse, but it just does not work like that in reality. Programs like Y Combinator provide a structured way to create these kinds of experiences and intensity that encourages you to focus, collaborate, push your limits, and fully commit to the experience.

Pioneer AI: What is your setup like for the three months you are going to be spending in the US?

Kim Rants: We’ve rented a house on the outskirts of San Francisco, where we each have our own rooms but share spaces like the kitchen and living room, which we’ve converted into a “hackerspace.”

It is honestly a bit like being back in dorms - we wake up, go and train together, share meals, and work side by side. Living like this has strengthened our bonds as a team and led to innovation.

Some of our best ideas have come from sitting on the couch in the evenings, bouncing thoughts back and forth.

Pioneer AI: Finding a balance between results and the risk of overwork can be essential when working in intense sprints. How are you working to achieve this balance?

Kim Rants: I always try to lead by example and through positive inspiration and motivation. I work most of the day and every day here, but I let the team find their personal ways.

This is a “once in a lifetime” experience full of hard work, but as a leader, I try to stay focused on the fact that this is not just about “the end result.” It is also about the journey and making sure to be grateful for it. We will most likely never get a chance to replicate what we are going through as individuals and as a team. It is also about how this experience helps organically develop our company culture and values, which will be tremendously important going forward.

All in all, with travel costs, house rental, etc., the three months here will likely cost us close to one million Danish kroner, but I am certain that this is money well spent.

Pioneer AI: Have you had a chance to stop up and think about what unique strengths Alice.tech and your team bring with it to a Silicon Valley experience like the one you are going through?

Kim Rants: One of the things I value most is the balance between humility and confidence that we have cultivated in Nordics. Ironically enough, for a startup founder, I enjoy parts of the Danish "Jantelov.”

I feel that being a tech founder does not have to be about thumping your chest and constantly saying you are the best at X. It is more about having an approach of, "Why can't I be the best or compete with the very best out there?"

You could say that it is about approaching excellence with humility.

I think this is, in some ways, part of the modern Nordic mindset and something that I am proud of bringing with me to the US.

What do you think? Any comments or thoughts? Let us know via email or contact us on the Pioneer AI LinkedIn page here. 

🚀AI Funding News🚀

Select Nordic AI-related deals, investments, acquisitions and insights. 

Congratulations to all of the founders and teams!

Pioneer AI’s top Nordic AI funding insights and highlights:

1: Privacy for AI
Gothenburg-based AI startup Privasea has secured a $15 million Series A funding round, elevating its valuation to $180 million. The investment is set to accelerate the development of Privasea's DeepSea platform that supports high-security use cases for artificial intelligence and AI tool development.

Privasea taps into the needs of companies and organisations with high data security requirements by ensuring confidentiality and high performance for AI. This includes highly regulated industries such as finance, healthcare, and insurance.

Data and personal information security questions are likely to become growing areas of concern in relation to AI use cases. This positions Privasea for further growth, especially in places like the EU, where existing GPDR rules could likely become the starting point for expanding rules regarding AI and sensitive data.

2: Simplifying optimisation
In a recent funding round, Odense-based SEO platform Morningscore successfully raised €700,000. This capital injection will help accelerate the company's growth and development of its user-friendly SEO tool, designed to simplify search engine optimization for businesses of all sizes.

Operating within the competitive SEO industry, Morningscore leverages data-driven insights to help companies improve their online visibility. The platform's gamified approach makes SEO more accessible, enabling users to track their progress and implement effective strategies.

🎧Listen To🎧

Nordic AI news and analysis for your ears.

  • Prompt [DK] - Tests the Nomi AI dating app and gets an AI girlfriend named Summer who is up for everything - from "meeting up" to helping kill the host’s acquaintance.

  • Teknologi of Mennesker [NO] - Looks at AI and the biggest cybersecurity threats facing companies and individuals in 2025.

  • AI Sweden Podcast [SE] - Discusses the Swedish AI ​​Commission's final report and its recommendations for how the country can boost its AI competitiveness.

📅Training, Meetups & Conferences📅

Conferences

  • February 3-7: AI Week 2025: Massive conference with broad line-up and programme exploring AI’s impact and potential across industries, functions, and society. [Oslo, Norway]

  • February 4: AI for Alle: Conference on concrete AI solutions, new inspiration, and networking with other technology enthusiasts. [Copenhagen, Denmark, and online]

  • February 25: Cybersecurity and AI: Cybersecurity conference focused on the impact of AI on cyber threats and defences. [Copenhagen, Denmark]

  • March 6: Artificial Intelligence and Urban Planning: Scientific conference on how artificial intelligence can shape future cities and urban planning. [Copenhagen, Denmark]

  • March 12: AI Marketing Conference: A conference filled with concrete strategies and implementable tips from leading experts in AI-driven marketing. [Copenhagen, Denmark]

  • March 17-20: IEEE Symposium on Computational Intelligence: Research conference focused on sharing research concepts and results and fostering an environment for future collaborations. [Tromsø, Norway]

  • March 19-20: OffDig 2025: A conference focused on digitisation, including the use of AI, in public organisations. [Aarhus, Denmark]

  • April 3: Applied AI Nordics 2025: Explore real-world case studies, results and learnings from the business implementation of AI across industries. [Copenhagen, Denmark]

  • April 11: Gothenburg AI Alliance Conference: One-day conference exploring various aspects of AI implementation. [Gothenburg, Sweden]

  • April 28: AI & Data Day: Insights into how organizations can realize AI's potential and create value in a world where data and technology are constantly evolving.

  • May 7-8: Data Innovation Summit: Large conference for exploring ways to accelerate AI-driven transformation throughout companies, industries and public organisations. [Stockholm, Sweden]

  • May 12-14: AI and Machine Learning for Healthcare: Research conference exploring advances in deep learning and neural networks for the development of intelligent healthcare systems. [Copenhagen, Denmark]

  • May 13-15: International Congress on Industrial AI and eMaintenance: Congress focused on industrial artificial intelligence, or IAI. [Luleå, Sweden]

  • May 14-15: Stockholm Tech Show: One of the Nordic region’s largest events and meeting places for professionals involved in new technologies, including AI. [Stockholm, Sweden]

  • May 15: Data Centres Denmark: Industry conference that includes looks at how AI is driving the exponential growth in the data centre industry. [Copenhagen, Denmark]

  • May 15-16: International Conference on AI and Soft Computing: Scientists, researchers, and research scholars come together to exchange and share experiences and research results regarding AI and soft computing. [Copenhagen, Denmark]

  • May 22: AI Compute Summit: Examines the future of AI computing, addressing the challenges of building scalable, sustainable systems. [Copenhagen, Denmark]

  • June 2-3: NORA Annual Conference: An annual event for the Norwegian AI research community where participants can interact and share research, ideas, and new perspectives. [Oslo, Norway]

  • June 11: Scandinavian Creative AI Summit: Newest in an event series designed to showcase how professionals in the creative industries embrace the power of generative AI. [Copenhagen, Denmark]

  • June 12-13: DevSum 2025: One of Sweden’s most prominent tech conferences, including many workshops and speakers focused on AI. [Stockhold, Sweden]

Meetups

Do you know of an event, meetup, or similar event that you think should be on the list? Let us know!

Got an AI story or insight from the Nordics? Share it with us!

Reply to this email or connect on LinkedIn.

Until next time,

Pioneer Venture AI,