Recruiting & Talent Ecosystem for Startups in Denmark
Denmark has built one of the most attractive startup ecosystems in Europe, consistently ranked high for ease of doing business, digital adoption, and quality of life. Yet, as in most Nordic countries, talent acquisition remains one of the toughest hurdles. Startups compete not only with global tech firms but also with highly organized corporates and public institutions.
This guide maps out the updated (2025) recruiting and talent landscape — covering job boards, recruitment agencies, universities, and visa/relocation frameworks — with fact-checked figures and recent regulatory changes.
This guide maps out the updated (2025) recruiting and talent landscape — covering job boards, recruitment agencies, universities, and visa/relocation frameworks — with fact-checked figures and recent regulatory changes.
The Hub – The largest Nordic startup job platform, with 600,000+ registered candidates and 120,000+ active monthly job seekers. Free for startups under the Community Program, and includes an ATS plus automatic syndication to 100+ partner job boards. Currently lists jobs from 14,000+ Nordic growth companies.
https://thehub.io/
SUPJOBS (formerly Startupjobs.se) – Now Nordic-wide, connects VC-backed startups with the “top 5% of talent”. Runs Startup Jobs Day events, combining job fair + networking. Premium service for curated matches in tech, business, and marketing.
https://www.supjobs.com
Uptrail – Swedish-born, active across the Nordics. Known for CV-free, mobile-first applications that candidates complete in <30 seconds. Used for tech, sales, and design roles; has 60,000+ registered users and 1,000+ corporate customers.
https://uptrail.com
Demando – A reverse job marketplace where tech professionals post skills anonymously and let companies approach them. Employers pay only if a hire is made. Focus on developers, designers, and data scientists.
https://demando.io
Jobs in Copenhagen (JobsinNetwork) – A niche portal for English-speaking professionals seeking jobs in Denmark. Part of JobsinNetwork, which spans 100+ local job boards worldwide.
jobsincopenhagen.com
WorkinDenmark – Government-run portal, free to post, with automatic distribution to the EU-wide EURES network. Essential when hiring non-EU workers since jobs must be advertised EU-wide for 2 weeks under many permit schemes.
workindenmark.dk
Jobindex & Jobindex – Denmark’s largest job portal with 10,000+ job ads weekly and 200,000 weekly users. Jobbsafari acts as the aggregator. Also runs niche sites like IT-Jobbank.
jobindex.dk / jobbsafari.dk
LinkedIn – Still the dominant platform with 3.7M Danish members (≈64% penetration). High competition, but unavoidable for headhunting.
https://www.linkedin.com
Community & Niche Channels – Hacker News “Who’s Hiring,” r/DenmarkJobs, Slack/Discord developer groups, and Stack Overflow Talent remain useful for very targeted outreach.
https://thehub.io/
SUPJOBS (formerly Startupjobs.se) – Now Nordic-wide, connects VC-backed startups with the “top 5% of talent”. Runs Startup Jobs Day events, combining job fair + networking. Premium service for curated matches in tech, business, and marketing.
https://www.supjobs.com
Uptrail – Swedish-born, active across the Nordics. Known for CV-free, mobile-first applications that candidates complete in <30 seconds. Used for tech, sales, and design roles; has 60,000+ registered users and 1,000+ corporate customers.
https://uptrail.com
Demando – A reverse job marketplace where tech professionals post skills anonymously and let companies approach them. Employers pay only if a hire is made. Focus on developers, designers, and data scientists.
https://demando.io
Jobs in Copenhagen (JobsinNetwork) – A niche portal for English-speaking professionals seeking jobs in Denmark. Part of JobsinNetwork, which spans 100+ local job boards worldwide.
jobsincopenhagen.com
WorkinDenmark – Government-run portal, free to post, with automatic distribution to the EU-wide EURES network. Essential when hiring non-EU workers since jobs must be advertised EU-wide for 2 weeks under many permit schemes.
workindenmark.dk
Jobindex & Jobindex – Denmark’s largest job portal with 10,000+ job ads weekly and 200,000 weekly users. Jobbsafari acts as the aggregator. Also runs niche sites like IT-Jobbank.
jobindex.dk / jobbsafari.dk
LinkedIn – Still the dominant platform with 3.7M Danish members (≈64% penetration). High competition, but unavoidable for headhunting.
https://www.linkedin.com
Community & Niche Channels – Hacker News “Who’s Hiring,” r/DenmarkJobs, Slack/Discord developer groups, and Stack Overflow Talent remain useful for very targeted outreach.
Statum – A Danish HR-tech agency specialized in scale-ups, embedding recruiters into startup teams. Emphasizes digital, no-cover-letter recruitment flows.
statum.dk
Markholt & Partners (ex-Marcher Markholt) – Boutique headhunter for digital, tech, MarCom, and commercial talent. Uses network-driven searches for senior engineers, PMs, and digital leaders.
markholt-partners.com
Academic Work – Major Nordic firm, branding itself as the “Home of Young Professionals”. Specializes in staffing students, recent grads, and early-career hires in IT, finance, sales, and marketing.
academicwork.dk
Moment – Denmark’s largest temp agency, with nationwide coverage and focus on IT, finance, logistics, office, and customer service. Good for high-volume or interim hiring.
moment.dk
Cand – Bridges students to businesses by hiring them as consultants (Cand handles payroll/admin). Startups use it to test talent in low-risk internships or part-time projects.
cand.dk
Amby – Provides embedded recruiters who integrate into teams, especially during post-seed/Series A scaling.
amby.com
JobSquad – Focuses on international, multilingual recruitment, especially entry- to mid-level. Helps startups hire customer support and sales reps across EU borders.
jobsquad.dk
Compass HRG – Executive search firm for C-level hires (CEO, CTO, CFO). Used by scale-ups preparing for global growth.
compasshrg.com
Best practice:
statum.dk
Markholt & Partners (ex-Marcher Markholt) – Boutique headhunter for digital, tech, MarCom, and commercial talent. Uses network-driven searches for senior engineers, PMs, and digital leaders.
markholt-partners.com
Academic Work – Major Nordic firm, branding itself as the “Home of Young Professionals”. Specializes in staffing students, recent grads, and early-career hires in IT, finance, sales, and marketing.
academicwork.dk
Moment – Denmark’s largest temp agency, with nationwide coverage and focus on IT, finance, logistics, office, and customer service. Good for high-volume or interim hiring.
moment.dk
Cand – Bridges students to businesses by hiring them as consultants (Cand handles payroll/admin). Startups use it to test talent in low-risk internships or part-time projects.
cand.dk
Amby – Provides embedded recruiters who integrate into teams, especially during post-seed/Series A scaling.
amby.com
JobSquad – Focuses on international, multilingual recruitment, especially entry- to mid-level. Helps startups hire customer support and sales reps across EU borders.
jobsquad.dk
Compass HRG – Executive search firm for C-level hires (CEO, CTO, CFO). Used by scale-ups preparing for global growth.
compasshrg.com
Best practice:
- Early hires: contingency/pay-on-success agencies.
- Scaling: embedded recruiters (Statum, Amby).
- C-level: retained search (Compass HRG, Odgers Berndtson).
Internships (“praktik”) – Students work in companies for credit. Startups can also host virksomhedspraktik (for unemployed graduates) subsidized by the state.
Apprenticeships (lærlinge) – Vocational programs with wage subsidies.
Piktalent – Connects international IT/tech interns with Danish startups.
Major university channels:
Copenhagen Business School (CBS) – CareerGate portal (via Graduateland) + large career fairs.
DTU (Technical University of Denmark) – Major fairs like DSE Lyngby; Career Hub for engineering students.
Aarhus University & University of Copenhagen – Job banks (via Graduateland), free postings.
Aalborg University (AAU) – Known for project-based learning; startups can sponsor semester projects.
ITU Copenhagen – Tech-focused career events and internship programs.
Tip: Project or thesis collaborations are a low-risk pre-hire test.
Apprenticeships (lærlinge) – Vocational programs with wage subsidies.
Piktalent – Connects international IT/tech interns with Danish startups.
Major university channels:
Copenhagen Business School (CBS) – CareerGate portal (via Graduateland) + large career fairs.
DTU (Technical University of Denmark) – Major fairs like DSE Lyngby; Career Hub for engineering students.
Aarhus University & University of Copenhagen – Job banks (via Graduateland), free postings.
Aalborg University (AAU) – Known for project-based learning; startups can sponsor semester projects.
ITU Copenhagen – Tech-focused career events and internship programs.
Tip: Project or thesis collaborations are a low-risk pre-hire test.
EU/EEA/Swiss hires: No permits needed. Only CPR registration required.
Non-EU schemes:
Processing Times (2025):
Relocation & Integration:
Non-EU schemes:
- Pay Limit Scheme – Salary threshold DKK 514,000/year (2025).
- Supplementary Pay Limit Scheme – New in 2025: threshold DKK 415,000/year.
- Collective Agreement-Based Business Scheme – For 16 key countries (e.g., US, India, UK); threshold DKK 300,000/year, job must be advertised for 2 weeks.
- Positive List – Updated July 1, 2025; covers IT, engineering, health roles; locked until 2027.
- Fast-Track Scheme – Available to certified firms with 10+ employees since 2023. Allows expedited permits (~2–4 weeks).
- Start-up Denmark Visa – For entrepreneurs; since 2024 can also be used to open branch offices in DK.
- Job-Seeking Permits for graduates – Extended to 3 years in 2023.
Processing Times (2025):
- Fast-Track: 2–4 weeks.
- Regular Pay Limit/Positive List: 1–3 months.
Relocation & Integration:
- WorkinDenmark & Copenhagen Capacity – Public agencies offering employer support and candidate attraction.
- International House Copenhagen – One-stop CPR/relocation service + spouse career program.
- Private relocation firms: Gateway to Denmark, Aspire Mobility, Santa Fe Relocation.
- Spousecare – Private firm offering tailored partner support programs.
The initial draft overlooked Danish public co-funding instruments that directly support talent hiring:
- InnoBooster (Innovationsfonden) – Grants up to DKK 5M; can co-fund salaries for new hires, consultants, or R&D.
- InnoFounder – 12-month program for graduates/entrepreneurs, includes stipend + development budget.
- InnoExplorer – Supports commercialization of early research; relevant for spinouts.
- Industrial PhD / Postdoc – Co-funding for startups hiring researchers, covering salaries and travel.
- Grand Solutions – Large consortia projects; relevant once startups partner with corporates/universities.
- MicroGrant (Fonden for Entreprenørskab) – Small grants (DKK 25–50k) for student startups to hire first help or test projects.
- Lundbeckfonden Start-up Programme – For life sciences, provides seed grants for neuroscience-linked startups.