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Did you know: 49% of small business in Norway do not get followed up by their bank for personal contact, support and advice.

This statistic shocks us, but the reality is that the older banks do not care about you or your business. They care only about statistics, return on investment and yearly bonuses. They don't care about the early wake-ups and the daily grind; they don't care about the steep learning curve to becoming a business owner and the considerable risk you've taken to pursue your dreams; they don't care about the job your quit or sacrifices you've made to your lifestyle and constant struggle to balance work-life balance.

Da vår CEO & Founder, Axel Hunter, flyttet med sin familie til Norge sommeren 2020 og skulle åpne en bankkonto i forbindelse med sitt konsulentselskap oppdaget han hvor lite SMB-markedet i Norge er prioritert av de store bankene. Det tok uker og måneder bare å åpne en bankkonto og få tilsendt et bankkort. Det var da Axel kom opp med ideen om å gjøre bankhverdagen for små og mellomstore bedrifter enklere. Ideen om Astat ble grunnlagt og Axel begynte å sette sammen et team som på sikt skal sørge for at de over 400 000 bedriftene i det norske SMB-markedet får den oppmerksomheten de fortjener.

Investing in a business with a founder as the main shareholder and the ultimate decision-maker is hard for investors. Even with a dilution of the founder's shares, they will most likely remain the main shareholder and exclude investors from board seats and ways to have essential information regarding the business. That means that the investor, from a practical point of view, is investing in you, the founder, not the company itself. The critical point is to gain investors' trust by managing their expectations, keeping your promises, and being honest. We have gathered some key points in our guide to what investors want when investing:

• Let investors take part in your business journey
• Have a proper spending plan
• Clear vision and professional business plan
• The team
• The Product or service
• Valuation of your business

The real cost of all those plastic cards and what it means for all of us.

As we move forward towards a more eco-friendly future, we are all looking for ways to reduce our carbon footprint. While this is a great area of focus, the reality is that the majority of damage is being done by businesses, not just individuals. Banks are known for their high carbon footprints, and the cards in your wallet play a role in it. In this article, we will explain the true impact of plastic debit and credit cards, and what it means for our future.

Astat has been accepted to join the spring 2021 cohort in the MasterCard lighthouse program. This is a huge deal for the new business account startup and may give the business the wings it needs to scale up and become a serious player to consider in the Nordics. The program gives Astat a chance to partner up with the biggest banking players in the Nordics and Baltics such as DNB, DanskeBank, SEB, Swedbank and OP Bank.

As it is difficult to value a start-up business it is important to look at different advantages your business has and what it takes others to do the same. In our valuation guide we will give you an understanding of what certain investors want to know before an investment decision.

Astat: New Norwegian business account for SMBs has closed NOK 4,5 Million in its first round of funding.

Whether you're looking to raise funds for your startup idea or just curious to find out what it takes to convince investors to invest their hard-earned cash into a fintech, raising capital is no easy game. While hope may be low with Covid-19 and investment in the fintech sector at a three-year low, fear not, as deals are still being made. Here we give you access to our tips and, access to the pitch deck that helped Astat raising NOK 4.5M.

A happy new year and a message from our CEO - Axel Hunter