White paper on startups lays the foundation for new Norwegian growth companies
The white paper sets out 53 measures to make Norway one of the world's best countries in which to start and run a business. A new EU report shows that Europe is lagging behind in technological development and innovation, and that its competitiveness has weakened in recent decades. This is one of the reasons why Norway needs more entrepreneurs who build innovative companies and help them grow.
'This is an important day for entrepreneurs and the startup ecosystem. The white paper will have a major impact on how we and other public-sector organisations can work with the private sector to help build more successful Norwegian companies with global reach,' says Haugli.
In preparation for the white paper, the government has worked with startup communities and us to hold consultation meetings across Norway. Access to capital, expertise and networks is central to the white paper. The measures aim to meet the needs of entrepreneurs and startups.
- Measures that give entrepreneurs across Norway better and easier access to competence, capital and networks
- Initiatives that improve the framework conditions for entrepreneurs, for example through simplification and digitalisation
- Measures to further improve the business support system, tailored to entrepreneurs
- Initiatives that promote entrepreneurship among women
This year, we received an additional NOK 70 million in funding earmarked for entrepreneurs. This increase has enabled us to launch several new initiatives, including:
- More risk capital for entrepreneurs through Startup grants
- Capital strategy courses for early-stage companies
- Support for the entrepreneurial ecosystem
- A pilot mentoring programme for scale-up companies
In the 2025 national budget, the government proposes allocating an additional NOK 52 million to our startup support schemes. The funding is earmarked for entrepreneurs, female entrepreneurship and ecosystems across Norway, as well as competence building in scaling and internationalisation.
Strengthening our focus on women
Too few women in Norway start innovative companies. The white paper therefore places particular emphasis on entrepreneurship from a gender equality perspective and includes several measures to support women entrepreneurs.
'We need more women to succeed as entrepreneurs. This is not only about gender equality, but also about making full use of all the resources in our society. Diversity in business drives innovation and increases profitability,' says Minister of Trade and Industry Cecilie Myrseth.
'Norway does not have a single entrepreneur too many. Every day, we meet entrepreneurs with impressive solutions to a wide range of problems and needs. But few of them are women. Intelligence and the capacity for innovation are equally distributed between the sexes, so we welcome the new opportunities to support more startups led by women,' says Håkon Haugli.
