Nanna Lín’s CEO, María Dís Ólafsdóttir pitched at TONIK, the innovation festival of the Faroe Islands. Nanna Lín was thrilled to be selected to pitch alongside more than 20 inspiring startups at an event that brought together founders, innovators, investors and ecosystem builders focused on shaping resilient futures. We extend our warm thanks to the organisers, Christoffer Suhr Bundgaard, Ben Arabo and the entire TONIK team, for creating such an energising and welcoming space for conversations, collaboration and new ideas, and for supporting the participation of young startups like Nanna Lín. 

Nanna Lín was delighted to take part in Blue Open House 2026 at the Iceland Ocean Cluster during Iceland Innovation Week. The event brought together a vibrant community of innovators, entrepreneurs and industry leaders, creating space for inspiring conversations, new connections and exciting opportunities in the field of circular materials. For Nanna Lín, it was a valuable opportunity to share the work behind our innovative fish leather and connect with others interested in building a more sustainable future for materials.
Photo credit: Hulda Margrét Óladóttir

We are delighted to welcome Ólöf Rún Haagard Jónsdóttir to Nanna Lín as our new Director of Research and Development. Ólöf recently graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biotechnology from the University of Akureyri and is also a certified practical nurse. 

She is a fantastic addition to our team, bringing both expertise and fresh perspective.

Lilja Gísladóttir, former director of R&D, is our new Chief Information Officer. A key part of Nanna Lín from the start, Lilja now leads our outreach efforts, bringing her expertise in sustainable fish leather.

With our growing team, more exciting updates are on the way—stay tuned!

Sigrún Björk Ólafsdóttir, SigrúnDesign, created a stunning collection that was showcased at House of iKons Fashion Week London on Saturday the 14th of September 2024. Sigrún incorporated our Nanna Lín leather prototype, alongside traditionally tanned salmon skin leather, in her Fish King design. Lilja represented the Nanna Lín team in London. Photography: Mariana MA.

Part of the Nanna Lín team attended Iceland Innovation week in mid-May 2024, a conference that celebrates and showcases innovation and collaboration. We were invited to host a promotional stand in collaboration with Hringrásarklasann (The Circular Cluster), a collective run by The Environment Agency of Iceland. We also had a presentation booth at the Iceland Ocean Clusters Blue Ocean House. The week was filled with making connections and having meaningful conversations.

Nanna lín was one of nine teams chosen to participate in the Norðanátt´s Investment Festival in Siglafjörður on the 20th of March 2024.

The team had an excellent time meeting new people, discussing everything fish leather, and taking part in the thriving Icelandic business and investment scene with like-minded individuals.

María Dís Ólafsdóttir, CEO, showcased her powerful pitching skills in the unique setting of an old Icelandic fishing vessel.

It has been two years since Nanna Lín was founded, and so it was time to celebrate! The companies second annual party was held at the beginning of March 2024. The team and partners went out to eat and ended the night in Sky lagoon. We look forward to see what the next year brings.

Collaboration agreements have been made with both the restaurant Rub23 and the fish processing company Hnýfill ehf. Both companies are located in Akureyri,  and source their salmon from the Silfurstjarnan land based fish farm in Öxarfjörður, North Iceland. The discarded salmon skins are collected for the Nanna Lín team to use in production. These collaborations not only strengthen local partnerships but also reduce waste.

As of November 1, 2023, Lilja Gísladóttir has been appointed as the Director of Research and Development for Nanna Lín. Lilja is a fisheries scientist and holds a Master of Science in Environmental Biology: Conservation and Resource Management. She has extensive experience in the fields of research and development and project management. Lilja has followed the project since its inception and is a welcome addition to the team. 

At the tail-end of the summer of 2023, the first piece of leather made it successfully through the transforming and tanning steps, finalising the proof of concept. The end result resembles bovine leather rather than traditionally tanned fish skin. The next phase is to improve the manufacturing process so that the leather is both more resilient and malleable. 

The team is overjoyed and excited for what lies ahead.

Nanna Lín got a grant from the Womens Business Grant to write a business plan in May 2023. There were in total 253 applications from women led projects that applied and 31 projects that got a grant. Those who got a business plan grant, like Nanna Lín did, were invited to participate in a business workshop for two weeks. The workshop ended with a business related pitch competition and was over all a good preparation for the upcoming work around the business side of the Nanna Lín project. 

Nanna Lín participated in the business accelerator Vaxtarrími 2022, from October 4 - November 26. Vaktarrími is a continuation of the Nordansprota competition and therefore also with the theme of food, energy and water. During the accelerator, teams were invited to attend workshops, advised by mentors, partake in educational sessions and more. Norðarnátt was responsible for the accelerator and a total of 9 teams participated. Photo courtesy of Norðanátt, the teams Nanna Lín and Pelliscol share advice.

Nanna Lín won the competition Norðansprotinn, which took place on May 20, 2022. When the competition took place, the project was called Roðleður (Fish skin Leather). The theme of the competition was food, energy and water. 13 teams were originally registered. 6 of the teams subsequently made it through to the final round and were invited to give a presentation in front of a jury. The results took place at the University of Akureyri. Norðanátt together with devoted sponsors organized the event.