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I am writing this editorial from Helsinki in Finland, where I have been attending Arctic 15. While Helsinki was not its city of origin (It was Espoo), Finland is of course the home of that once great mobile monolith, Nokia. Their story is an infamous case of how the mighty can fall if they don't maintain a keen eye on unexpected competition.
There was a positive to the downsizing of Nokia, since 2005 skilled engineers from Finland were no longer tied to one company and were available for new projects and opportunities. This led to a rise in entrepreneurial spirit and startups in Finland and across the Nordic region, a region that has always been synonymous with well educated and smart engineers.
Some to watch out for in the mobile and mobile related space:
Two questions for which I'd love your answers to:
- Who from the Nordic region have I missed and should be included on this list?
- Which other major institutions created massive innovation through their downsizing?
I look forward to your responses.