RentCulture Newsletter: Two months later

A vote of thanks and gratitude

To everyone who has viewed, read, and subscribed to the newsletter in the past two months, I would like to thank you all for the encouragement and motivation.

These first 358 subscribers are stakeholders in this newsletter and will remain, my core group, from whom I can seek guidance. When I published the first edition two months ago while I was in the comfort of my parent's home in Mumbai, I had no clue if this would work.

In these two months:

• 6 editions of the RentCulture newsletter have been published, each featuring the journey of an international in Denmark.
• We broke a story on the European expansion of the UK-based VC firm Ada Ventures in Denmark. A massive shout-out to Rhiannon Evans-Young and Crest Communications for the opportunity. The impact was also immediate, as one of the angels chosen by Ada among the 10 is a RentCulture subscriber.
• We also had our first contribution to the newsletter by Eric Maganga , a fellow international in Denmark.

Where did it all begin?

I grew weary of the constant rejections while applying for jobs in Copenhagen that matched my academic qualifications and professional experience from India and Aotearoa, New Zealand.

So, a few days before I headed over to India for a month-long trip in April, I had the opportunity to attend an entrepreneurship boot camp in Copenhagen. It was organised by NordConnect , a consortium funded by Nordisk R?d og Nordisk Ministerr?d aimed at immigrant empowerment. Project partners consisted of

• Saimaa Vocational College Sampo, Finland
• Charge Incubator, Norway and
• Crossing Borders, Denmark

There were about 20 internationals in Denmark from all across the globe who were determined to control their destiny. All of us were facing challenges in being employed in a field of our expertise in Denmark.

The boot camp was spread across two days and I got the opportunity to present a viable business idea in front of a jury that had Terhi Toikkanen , Ransom Lekunze (PhD) and CHARLES KINGA?? . This is where I got to present RentCulture to the outside world for the first time. I was jubilant. This was now more than just an idea in my head and a bunch of drafts on my computer.

A massive shout-out to Rozabela Singh , Sanaa Talha and NordConnect for the opportunity. I am also incredibly grateful to CHARLES KINGA?? who has been mentoring me on this journey.

"You will never know if it is needed until you start posting Pratik" he said to me when I was questioning myself over if anyone would care about this.

What's next?

I am overwhelmed to announce that the RentCulture Newsletter has been accepted as one of several media covering TechBBQ 2024.

I will be in the media lounge alongside journalists and media professionals from the BBC , Ingeni?ren , B?rsen and TechInformed to name a few. You can see the full list at this link: https://techbbq.dk/media-2024/

What is TechBBQ?

TechBBQ started as a small BBQ gathering for tech enthusiasts and entrepreneurs back in 2013, in a park in Copenhagen. Over the years, they have grown and evolved into the largest and most ‘hyggelig’ event of its kind in Scandinavia.

Every September, they welcome an increasing number of people from around the globe. Our annual summit expertly connects tech & hygge: it is designed so that you can meet innovative and groundbreaking startups in the ecosystem, discuss the latest trends, network in a cosy and vibrant atmosphere, get inspired by trendsetting speakers – and enjoy a good old-fashioned BBQ!

In 2024, they will be hosting our 12th event, on the 11th and 12th of September. You can read their full story here: https://techbbq.dk/history/

The theme for 2024 is 'One Giant Leap': The team at TechBBQ believe it embodies that feeling of being a founder; a constant giant leap of faith in something you believe in.

I can relate to that!

If you wish to hear a new voice at this event, please feel free to nominate a speaker at this address: https://airtable.com/appgXNjXJqpk9Ebxd/shrKHBvxd8PE0nhAs

Here is a glimpse of what you can expect:

Practical Information:

Dates: September 11 & 12.

Venue: Lokomotivv?rkstedet, Copenhagen, Denmark (same as 2023).

You can get tickets here: https://techbbq.dk/buy-tickets/

I hope to see you there!