Successful take-off for Dalarna Startup Arena 

- It makes me happy in my heart to see all the talented entrepreneurs we have met here today.
That's what Karin O'Connor from SVT's Draknästen said when she participated in the premiere edition of Dalarna Startup Arena the other week.  

Dalarna Startup Arena gives business angels, investors and startups a chance to meet and get to know each other. The event premiered at Dalarna Science Park on Friday, October 25, as one of the final events of Dalarna Innovation Days 2024. 

- "We work all year round to connect start-ups and investors, both in terms of capital and expertise. But doing it in the form of a full-day event was new to us," says Brita Klingberg, one of the business developers at Dalarna Science Park. 

"Almost all startups need to invest in development and acquire skills before they reach the market, and this is where forums like Dalarna Startup Arena can make a difference, both for individual startups and in the larger perspective," says Brita. 

- Getting startups and investors to know each other is a prerequisite for strengthening innovation in Dalarna and thus contributing to the county's development. 

Great breadth 

In the premiere of the Dalarna Startup Arena, eight selected startups got the chance to present themselves and their business concepts in front of a panel of experts. In addition to startups from Dalarna, startups from Gävleborg and Västernorrland were also present. 

- We have a good cooperation with the incubators in our neighboring counties, so we had the opportunity to gather a really strong starting field, says Brita. 

The expert panel consisted of Olivia Ingemarsson from Backing Minds, Anders Tunestam from DalaCapital and the aforementioned Karin O'Connor from SVT's Draknästet and Dimitri Haid from Clas Ohlson Foundation.

During the day, the quartet had to assess ideas in areas as diverse as nutrition, wood measurement, climate, concrete, app tools, accessibility, film production and cross-country skiing. In addition to asking some tough questions, the experts also offered plenty of advice and tips, including on business models.  

Some of the ideas presented have already been developed over several years, while others are new and relatively untested. The most praise from the panel went to Svepreg, a startup that has developed a new form of timber measurement called ikorni. Behind the innovation is Pontus Lindberg, who was recently named regional winner of SKAPA, Sweden's largest innovation competition. 

- Today, the measurement only takes place when the timber has been unloaded, but with ikorni, the measurement can be done already on the timber truck. This results in more efficient handling and reduced mileage, thereby also reducing the carbon footprint," Pontus explained. 

Talent hunt 

After a long lunch where participants had the chance to get to know each other, tech entrepreneur and futurist Heaven Bereket took the stage. She is driven to make a difference for other people, especially in Africa. And not through donations, but through investments.  

Today, Heaven is part of the Pangea Angels organization that connects talent with other talent and capital. So far this year, the ROI is a whopping 2100 percent.  

- Africa's population is much younger than in Europe and it is tech first. The pace is fast and there are not a lot of regulations to slow down, so development is fast," she said. 

Think long term 

Dalarna Startup Arena ended with a panel discussion between Heaven Berekret, Oscar Westergård from the startup generator Antler, Joakim Svahn from the investment bank Nefco and Jörgen Bond and Erik Tosterud from Dalarna Science Park. 

Oscar Westergård shared some good advice for the entrepreneurs present, including taking a long-term view of the relationship with an investor or business angel. 

- Don't make any happy calculations and keep your promises, we tend to have very good memories.  

I would say that 80-90% of the investment decision is about the personal qualities of the team and the atmosphere in the team. Is there the fire and magnetism? Is there the drive and the backbone? 

To make contacts and build networks, the panel recommended the whole ecosystem of promoting organizations, such as Almi, Dalarna Science Park and various chambers of commerce.   

- For my part, I have often sought out people I want to learn from myself. People are generous with their knowledge and networks, so you can also ask "Do you know anyone I should meet?" to get ahead," advised Heaven.