From Trustpilot to Dreamdata: How Copenhagen’s Tech Scene Is Breeding the Next Generation of B2B Founders

When you think of European tech hubs, Stockholm and London might come to mind first. But Copenhagen has quietly been building its own ecosystem of successful B2B companies. In a recent Category Visionaries episode, Dreamdata CEO Lars Grønnegaard shared how the Danish capital’s tech scene is evolving from early successes like Trustpilot into a new generation of global B2B companies.

The Hidden Tech Hub

“There’s a handful of companies that you’d be surprised, are danish,” Lars explains. “You might know which wine app where you can scan wine labels. That’s danish. There’s a handful of unicorns out of Copenhagen.”

Among these success stories, Sendesk stands out. “There are companies that nobody knows, and then they’re the ones that people very much know, especially in the SaaS communities, or Sendesk. It’s found in Copenhagen. I think everybody knows Sendesk. That’s probably the biggest one.”

The Knowledge Transfer Effect

The impact of early successes like Trustpilot on Copenhagen’s ecosystem is clear. Lars and his co-founders came from leadership roles there: “I came from a company called Trustpilot prior to doing this venture. So me and one of the other co-founders worked there as head of product and head of engineering.”

This pattern of talent and knowledge transfer has become increasingly common. “Some of those companies that were successful during sort of the late, like 15 to 20 that has sparked off a nice trickle of new ventures,” Lars notes. “Let’s say dream. That is one of them. There are a bunch of really nice companies coming out of Copenhagen now.”

Learning from Stockholm

Copenhagen’s tech scene hasn’t evolved in isolation. The city has learned from nearby Stockholm’s success. “Stockholm is a bit, I would say they’re kind of one generation ahead of us,” Lars observes. “They had Spotify. Skype was sort of a part danish. Like, if you’re danish, you say Skype is danish. If you’re swedish, you say swedish. But those two ventures definitely also spun off a lot of new ventures after that.”

Pioneering New Disciplines

The ecosystem’s strength isn’t just in spawning new companies – it’s also about pioneering new disciplines. Lars’s own background illustrates this: “I spent a lot of time in user experience also before it was actually a discipline that existed. So we pioneered it in Copenhagen. Were like some of the first people doing UX consulting here.”

This willingness to explore and establish new fields has become a hallmark of Copenhagen’s tech scene, with companies like Dreamdata now pioneering new approaches to B2B marketing and revenue attribution.

The New Wave

Today’s Copenhagen tech scene is increasingly diverse and sophisticated. “Some of them are not in the states yet, but there are some very nice companies here,” Lars notes. This new generation of companies is building on the foundations laid by earlier successes, but with a more global mindset from day one.

Dreamdata exemplifies this evolution. Rather than simply replicating existing B2B software models, they’re tackling sophisticated challenges like revenue attribution with fresh approaches. “We’re solving it in a very data centric way. I think that’s what’s unique about our approach,” Lars explains.

Building Global from Copenhagen

The city’s ecosystem now provides advantages for building global B2B companies:

• A pool of experienced talent from successful companies
• A culture of innovation and pioneering new approaches
• A supportive network of founders and operators
• Access to the broader Nordic tech ecosystem

The Future of Copenhagen Tech

Looking ahead, Lars sees automation as a key frontier for Copenhagen’s B2B companies. “The big picture for us is this automation angle,” he shares. “You’ve seen automation in B2C go to market for the last 20 years, and you’re definitely seeing it now in the B2B space as well.”

Copenhagen’s evolution from a home to pioneering tech companies like Trustpilot to a breeding ground for the next generation of B2B innovators shows how tech ecosystems can mature and regenerate. For founders building from emerging tech hubs, it demonstrates that with the right combination of experience, innovation, and timing, global success can come from anywhere.