Tag: IDEA communication; communications strategy; Nordic Innovation House; coworking; real estate; B2B communications; tech incubation

Singapore, 1 June 2019 – In a bid to ramp up efforts to promote Singapore and the wider Southeast Asia region as a destination for Nordic businesses, Nordic Innovation House Singapore (NIH-SG) has partnered with IDEA Communication (IDEA), an international integrated consulting company with offices in Singapore and Beijing. The multi-disciplinary consulting firm has Nordic connections of its own – its founder and managing director Helena Ma is a Chinese-born, Swedish-educated entrepreneur with an impressively fluent command of Svenska, making IDEA uniquely equipped for the role.

A joint effort by Business Sweden, Innovation Norway, the Finnish Embassy, and the Embassy of Iceland, NIH opened its Singapore office as recently as October 2018 and aims to promote, facilitate, and support Swedish businesses, startups, and entrepreneurs in their eastward expansion, particularly in the Southeast Asian region (SEA). Using Singapore as a hub, the initiative will strengthen business and trade ties between the Nordics and Southeast Asia, functioning as a soft-landing, community and resource centre, as well as a networking hub for Nordic businesses and startups.

Speaking at the soft launch of NIH Singapore in October 2018, Business Sweden’s spokesperson described the initiative as a “dream come true”. Ms Marie-Claire Maxwell, Head of Technology and Start-Up Lead, Region AP, said at the launch of NIH-SG: “It is very important to support entrepreneurs to have their feet on the ground to connect with the networks – to the capital and to local entrepreneurs.” Key stakeholders in the project also hope that the initiative will build a bridge between the Nordic countries and Southeast Asia, a region that presents great potential to Swedish businesses and startups looking for emerging markets abroad. “It [NIH-SG] is for Nordic tech startups who seek to speed up their market growth in Southeast Asia and expand their networks,” said Finland’s Ambassador to Singapore, Paula Parviainen.

It is envisaged that NIH-SG will build the robust community and network needed in order to help Nordic businesses navigate local landscapes and sensitivities, and connect Nordic companies with the right ecosystem stakeholders across the region. These will include investors, co-working space providers, startup incubators and accelerators, and stakeholders in government and academia in Singapore and Southeast Asia. IDEA’s global experience, industry know-how, and international network will lend valuable support to NIH-SG in this endeavour. In particular, IDEA’s cross-cultural experience and knowledge will prove integral in bridging the gap between the Nordics and Southeast Asia.

About Nordic Innovation House
Nordic Innovation House is a unique joint effort by the Nordic countries aiming to connect the cold corners of the globe with the main hotspots around the world. With backing from Nordic Innovation and the Nordic Council of Ministers, we bring Nordic entrepreneurship, values, and our way of doing business to the global innovation ecosystem. We give Nordic companies, from startups to corporations, a head start in the most relevant global innovation hubs. By offering a strong community, connections to the local ecosystem, and programs for acceleration, we enable Nordic businesses and entrepreneurs to hit the ground running, wherever in the world they may be.

About IDEA Communication
IDEA Communication is a multi-disciplinary integrated consulting firm founded in 2016, with registered legal entities in Singapore and China. The company supplies a broad range of PR, communication strategy, digital content, corporate communication, government relations and event management services. Representing the four tenets of ‘Innovation’, ‘Diversity’, ‘Execution’ and ‘Adaptability’, IDEA taps on its vast repository of cross-industry resources and insights, reliable industrial knowledge, and an unerring commitment to the strictest service standards to maximise commercial value for its clients.