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Íslandsdóttir

  • Meet the Experts

    We are an international team of professionals dedicated to simplifying every stage of the the path to public funding. 


    With deep expertise in grant writing, project planning and management, and grant compliance, we combine strategic thinking with hands-on experience to deliver results. 


    Get to know the people behind Islandsdottir!

Thorunn Jonsdottir 

- Founder & CEO, Grant Expert

Thorunn has been a consultant on funding and grant writing for 10 years and has been immersed in the world of startups for 15 years as a co-founder, consultant, mentor and business angel.

She has written over 300 grant applications and won over 1.7 billion ISK (€11.7M) from Icelandic funds in grants for her clients (excluding tax deductions). She has a 31% success rate for applications to the Icelandic Technology Development Fund.

She is an Angel Ambassador for Nordic Ignite, a former volunteer organizer at Startup Iceland, and has taught entrepreneurship and innovation and been a mentor in entrepreneurship programs at the Technical College, Bifrost University, the Iceland University of the Arts, and Reykjavik University. 

Thorunn has worked with some of the most promising startups in Iceland, including: Sling (acquired by Toast Inc), Gangverk, Dineout, Aurbjörg, Yay, Advise, and Sundra.

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Emiliya Ivanova-Nikolova 

- Senior Grant Writer, Grant & Legal Expert

Emily has over 20 years of professional experience working as a Legal Adviser in the Ministry of Labor in Social affairs (Bulgaria), Chief Legal Officer at Sofia Municipality, Independent Law Practice, and an expert in EU and other international funds – both as a grant writer and evaluator of grant applications.

She is a Board Member of Innovation and New Icelanders Committees of the Association of businesswomen in Iceland - (FKA) and a City Leader for Founders Live in Reykjavik.

Emily has a Master's degree in Law with a specialization in International Law and Relationships from Sofia University, Bulgaria. She also has Master‘s degree in International Business and Management from the Academy for Economics, Bulgaria. She has attended many courses and trainings on starting and growing nonprofit organizations, as well as having finished a specialization in Social Entrepreneurship at Copenhagen Business School.
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Nathalia Cruz Wiium

- Grant Writer, Marketing Expert

Nathalia has over 10 years of experience as a Marketing Analyst, Institutional Marketing Manager, Corporate Events Organizer and, more recently, a Sustainable Marketing Strategist. This experience has provided her with a diverse range of skills working with small and medium-sized businesses. Nathalia has provided clients with comprehensive market and competitive analysis work for Portuguese, Spanish and English speaking market. She also builds bridges from Europe to Brazil via networking and business development.

Nathalia has a Master’s Degree in Advertising and Marketing from Universidad Paulista, Brazil and a Bachelor in Technology and Marketing from ETEC, Brazil.
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Eileen Venna Sarte

- Executive Assistant, Process & Quality Expert

Eileen has over 15 years of experience in the Business Process Outsourcing industry with expertise in Workforce Management. She also has experience in Operations & Quality Management and has been passionate about operational efficiency, client management, compliance and process improvement.

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Særun Greta Hermannsdottir

- Junior Grant Writer (on Maternity Leave) 

Saerun Greta has a BSc degree in Tourism and a diploma in Bookkeeping. She has also studied law at the University of Akureyri. She has worked in customer service and accounting in various industries as well as handling account settlement and planning.

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