Hacking for a Digital and Sustainable Sámi Future

Nordic Innovation supports Sápmi Business Hackathon – an effort to inspire and motivate young people in Sápmi to help create a sustainable economy based on Sámi values and resources.

Published: 08.09.2021 Updated: 22.06.2022

Are you between 18 and 35, living in Sápmi and dreaming about starting your own business? Then you cannot afford to miss out on the Sápmi Business Hackathon – a hackathon for Sámi youth who are looking to learn more about entrepreneurship.

The hackathon will take place 21–22 March in Kautokeino during the Sámi Business Week.

Sign up for the hackathon!

Through design thinking methodology, young founders and entrepreneurs will develop new and sustainable business ideas and business plans based on Sámi values and resources. Participants will have access to workshops on various business development elements as well personal mentoring, inspirational keynotes and an introduction to the design thinking methodology.

The hackathon is open for young people from Sweden, Norway, Finland and Russia. You do not need to have an established company to participate.

We hope to give you, your idea or your company more «flesh on the bones» through mentoring, keynotes and valuable networks across the borders-
Ann Catharina Lango, CEO, Ovddos

The Sápmi Business Hackathon is organized by Ovddos and is co-financed by Nordic Innovation, Innovasjon Norge, Sametinget, Sparebank 1 Nord-Norge, Troms- og Finnmark Fylkeskommune and the Barents Secretariat.

Cross-border collaboration

The Sápmi Business Hackathon will bring together entrepreneurship ecosystems from the Norwegian, Swedish and Russian side of Sápmi. Mentors and coordinators from these ecosystems already see the value of cross-border collaboration and the hackathon will build upon this and learn from each other.

The hackathon also presents an excellent opportunity to expand your business network across the borders. You will have access to mentors from the whole of Sápmi and meet participants from both Sweden, Norway, Finland and Russia.

By involving young people and using Sámi values and resources as a point of departure for business development, this hackathon truly promotes sustainability and diversity as well as sustainable growth in an important part of the Nordic region.
Svein Berg, Managing Director, Nordic Innovation

During the week you will work to go from business idea to business plan. Possible businesses could be within areas such as reindeer husbandry, the Sámi language, duodji, fishing and hunting, as well as tourism, modern design, dance, music, photography, etc.

The goal of the hackathon is to strengthen and develop businesses and cross-border collaboration between Sápmi youth – and to establish a network for young entrepreneurs in Sápmi.

“By involving young people and using Sámi values and resources as a point of departure for business development, this hackathon truly promotes sustainability and diversity as well as sustainable growth in an important part of the Nordic region. We see this project as a great contribution towards making the Nordic region the most sustainable and integrated region by 2030”, says Svein Berg, Managing Director of Nordic Innovation.

Sign up for the hackathon!

Sápmi Business Arena

The Sápmi Business Hackathon is part of the Sápmi Business Arena project. The idea behind the project is to create an arena for Sami business development, strengthen innovation and create a more robust economy in Sápmi.

Activities in the project consists of the Sápmi Business Hackathon and the upcoming Sápmi Business Conference in March 2022.

The project is run by Ovddos and is co-financed by Nordic Innovation, Innovasjon Norge, Sametinget, Sparebank 1 Nord-Norge and the Barents Secretariat.