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Meet Nextory

William Nordenström is the Global Partnership Manager at Nextory — a Swedish founded company with the goal of making the world's books available to more people while challenging what it means to "read a book". As of February 2021, they are Members of the Swedish Chamber, making them eager to introduce themselves to our extensive network. 

It all started in 2015, when Nextory was founded in Stockholm by the entrepreneurs Shadi Bitar and Ninos Malki. Since then the company has grown to become one of the largest subscription services for audio and ebooks within the Nordic region, also available in other European markets. According to William Nordenström, the vision of the company can be traced back to the origins of the founders.  Shadi and Ninos's passion for books comes from their own experiences in Syria, where they grew up. They have both seen what happens when a dictator limits access to free literature. Therefore, democracy and the freedom of speech are topics close to their hearts. Also, books have been of great importance for their own personal development and helped them work their way into the Swedish society. What is the vision? — Our vision is to increase reading to enrich people's lives with beautiful stories. Nextory is a digital app and it is available for everyone, anytime, anywhere. Shadi Bitar—co-founder of Nextory

Keeping the startup attitude

Forward thinking, innovative and determined. Those are the words William uses when asked to describe Nextory. What separates them is primarily their constant work with developing innovative user experience, while at the same time not deviating from the notion that reading and listening is the most important thing. They want customers to stay with them because they enjoy the service and experience, rather than because of them offering an exclusive supply of books. — We have, among other things, a reading diary that we were the first to launch within our market. As a user you can follow your own development, how many books you read per month and the amount of time you spend. We also have a book challenge where you can challenge yourself and friends that are using the app.  There are still lots of opportunities for development, William ensures, explaining that what they are currently working on will end up being something very cool, if not revolutionary within the market. — We are very independent and self-propelled, and we have the resources to try out different things. We like to keep the startup attitude even though we nowadays are a much bigger company than we were a couple of years ago. We never want to let go of that feeling.

Expansion to the Netherlands

Nextory launched in the Netherlands as recently as December last year. With market research showing that Dutch people are similar to Scandinavians, for instance when it comes to the desire to try out new things and trusting new companies and services, the expansion to the Netherlands was an exciting test which so far has not disappointed.  — It is going super well so far. We have had an amazing start. It is always exciting to try markets outside Scandinavia, and the Netherlands was a big test in that sense. We are very excited to see what 2021 will offer.  Why a Swedish Chamber Membership? — I think it is a good way to connect with other Chamber Members, who hopefully can see the benefits of working together with us. We want to exchange experiences and hear about others' expansion to the Netherlands. And I am very interested and open to people contacting me about working together with Nextory and creating win-win collaborations.  

Text: Jennifer Nilsson — The Swedish Chamber of Commerce for the Netherlands

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The Swedish Chamber Webinar The Future of Retail E-Commerce

"The word Retail will not exist in a few years from now" said Paul Martin yesterday during the Swedish Chamber webinar on The Future of Retail E-Commerce.  In collaboration with Chambre de Commerce Suedoise en France and Swedish Chamber of Commerce in Latvia key speakers were sharing their insights on how retail will change in the coming years. The latest aspects about what the future of retail e-commerce will entail and the role of physical stores versus retail e-commerce. 

Will retail become obsolete in a few years and transit into consumer commerce and has 'home become the new hub'? How to move forward and also what should companies be prepared for when new VAT rules start to apply in July 2021? The webinar has been recorded and the replay will soon be available on our website. The Swedish Chamber of Commerce would like to thank our accomplished speakers Paul Martin, KPMG, Paul de Jong, IKEA Nederland, Wilko Klaassen, Klarna and Elène Siem,  KPMG and our inspiring moderator Mark Ogertschnig for sharing their expertise and experience. 

We thank all participants for joining us at this interesting and inspiring webinar and welcome anyone to join us again for our future webinars. Sign up to our digital newsletter, like our social media and visit our website  for future webinars and upcoming events."

  [video width="1020" height="880" mp4="https://usercontent.one/wp/swedishchamber.nl/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/the-future-of-retail-e-commerce-webinar_JmjbmiRP.mp4?media=1732088449"][/video]  
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Storytel — New Patron Member

The Swedish Chamber welcomes Storytel as new Patron Member

"Storytel is very grateful to be a patron to the Swedish Chamber of Commerce in The Netherlands. We have been actively involved the past two years, and see how much we can benefit from each other. Hopefully we will do many great things together in the years to come." — Ruth de Jager, Country Manager

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Welcome new Member

The Swedish Chamber of Commerce is very pleased to give a warm welcome to our new Member Einar & Partners!

"A focused partner on AIOps & IT Operations; Our passion is data, people and culture. We live for the intellectual challenge to break down complexity into simplicity. No overly complicated delivery models, not your average sales-pitch, and staff which brings emotional intelligence to a highly technical area – those are our promises." —

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Internship — Autumn 2021

The Swedish Chamber of Commerce for the Netherlands is currently looking to welcome a new intern to our office in Amsterdam for the period of 23 August 2021 – 10 January 2022. As an intern, you will be an important part of the team at the Chamber and contribute to the everyday operations of the entire organisation. The internship includes both specific duties to your internship role as well as supporting the office with administrative tasks.

The Internship is located in our office in Amsterdam. Last day to apply: April 18, 2021 Read more :
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Swe-Cham Member Qred AB recognized on FT 1000 fastest growing companies in Europe 2021

The Swedish Chamber of Commerce for the Netherlands congratulates member company Qred AB for being recognized for the second year in a row in the FT 1000 list of Europe’s fastest-growing companies

   

The story of the small-business entrepreneur

Once upon a time, a relatively young and hopeful entrepreneur started a small business. Everything was fresh, exciting and a bit unfamiliar. The first thing that needed to be done was to obtain a bank certificate stating that the founder’s hard-earned and saved start-up equity capital had been deposited. With pride, the entrepreneur went to the nearest bank to announce that he wanted to open an account for his new business and deposit one hundred thousand kroner into his account. He enthusiastically described his plans to the inscrutable bank clerk, who asked, “but why have you chosen to come to our bank?” The entrepreneur was taken aback, since this bank had received the prestigious “Best Swedish Commercial Bank” award, but he calmly replied because it seemed like a good business bank. After 15 minutes, the entrepreneur was informed that the bank did not believe in his idea and that the bank therefore rejected his customer application. The entrepreneur felt like he had been doused with a bucket of freezing water. He thought, “how is this possible?” He didn’t want to borrow money, he just wanted to open an account and make a deposit. He started to doubt himself; what if the the banker was right - that he wasn’t cut out for starting a business in the real world? Fortunately, he didn’t give up, and soon found another bank that was more understanding. That young entrepreneur was me. Since then, I’ve often been told that my experience was not unique - that the big bank frequently rejects normal account applications, and makes customers feel insignificant. That makes me upset - especially in light of the fact that 4 out of 5 jobs are created by small business owners and that a nation’s future prosperity largely rests on its capacity to found and nurture new growing companies. Today, 15 years later, I am what is often called a serial entrepreneur. I love creating new businesses and disrupting traditional, archaic industries. First, Televerket’s monopoly was challenged, and then Svenska Spel. Next on the chopping block is banking oligopoly. Through the years I have fortunately been able to establish contacts with cordial and competent commercial bankers, but for new entrepreneurs the challenge remains - or has even gotten stiffer. And that is just to open an account; it is even more daunting to try to obtain capital to grow and develop your business. By and large, obtaining a commercial loan via a larger bank is a lost cause if you do not have a very long track record and a sizeable turnover, or a childhood friend with the bank director. In any case, binders full of documentation are required - business plans, budgets, period accounts and, not least, that you are a full customer with the bank regarding payments, debit card and pension savings, with a considerable sum of assets. We know that small companies are often forced to turn to family and friends for funding or risk missing out on investments and growth. While the big banks are extremely profitable and interest rates are at historical bottom levels, lending to small businesses has decreased to historic lows over the past decade. Eureka!! I just stumbled upon a burgeoning new business idea, I thought. Qred wants to help companies grow. We believe that all companies, from blossoming startups to mature businesses, should get the treatment and respect they deserve. It should as simple to get a business loan to finance an investment, as it is to buy a book online. Moreover, with a well-designed and functioning digital solution, you should expect an answer within minutes, not weeks. And, by saving on town square branch offices, we can also reduce costs. To summarise, our ambition is to help as many small business owners as we can, and to get the oligopoly banks to become just a little more polite and accommodating to their current and potential customers. Emil Sunvisson, CEO and founder Qred ‍  

FT 1000: the fifth annual list of Europe’s fastest-growing companies

 
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8 March, 2021 – International Womens Day Lunch Talk Lisen Wirén, Programme Manager at the IKEA Social Entrepreneurship at Inter IKEA Group

How to be a changemaker – Are you curious to know how to impact people and planet in a positive way?

 
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Swedish Chamber of Commerce offers two Scholarship positions for 2021-2022
Are you looking to extend your professional network in an international environment? This is your chance to apply for the Swedish Chamber’s Scholarship Program 1st July, 2021 - 1st July, 2022, located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The Chamber seeks to recruit two talented and creative scholars — learn more about the programme and how to apply here: https://swedishchamber.nl/home/about-us/internships/     “Being a scholar at the Swedish Chamber gives you the unique opportunity to develop international business skills, to work with the most interesting Swedish companies and business people from a wide range of industries. You will get to know the Dutch business culture and grow your international network while gaining hands on experience in a international environment.” — , Management Intern and scholar of The Scholarship Fund for Swedish Youth Abroad       These opportunities are made possible thanks to the generous scholarship donors The Scholarship Fund for Swedish Youth Abroad and Gull & Stellan Ljungberg Foundation Scholarship.                      
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