There is significant interest in Swedish and Nordic innovations in Canada. This became clear when representatives from the Circular Bioeconomy Arena project participated in Toronto Tech Week, one of North America’s largest gathering places for innovation, entrepreneurship, and international collaboration. The event brings together entrepreneurs, investors, and innovation leaders from around the world to explore new business opportunities and build future partnerships.
Representatives from Dalarna Science Park and Innovatum Science Park were on site in Canada, along with Pontus Lindberg, founder of Svepreg AB. The purpose of the trip was to explore opportunities for Swedish companies to establish new business contacts, find partners, and gain a better understanding of the Canadian market.
Swedish innovations sparked interest
One clear impression from the visit was the great interest in Swedish and Nordic solutions in the areas of sustainability, the circular economy, and innovation.
“It was inspiring to see the potential for future ventures, the exchange of experiences, and new business opportunities. There is great interest in Swedish innovations, and we see many opportunities for continued collaboration,” says Ingegerd Erikérs, business coach at Dalarna Science Park.
Svepreg explored new opportunities in Canada
Svepreg AB is one of the companies that previously participated in Circular Bioeconomy Arena’s accelerator program. The company develops sustainable packaging solutions, and the program gave it the opportunity to make new contacts and gain valuable insights into the Canadian market.
“Having direct access to relevant contacts in an international market is valuable for a growing company. We now look forward to continuing our dialogue with the stakeholders we met this week,” says Pontus Lindberg of Svepreg.
International networks open new doors
During the week, meetings were held with several organizations involved in innovation and business development, including the Toronto Business Development Centre (TBDC), which works to support international companies looking to establish themselves in Canada.
The visit is part of Circular Bioeconomy Arena’s efforts to strengthen companies’ opportunities to reach new markets and build international networks. Through accelerator programs, business development, and collaboration between innovation ecosystems, the initiative has helped develop circular innovations in areas such as wood construction and sustainable packaging.
The contacts made in Toronto are now expected to serve as the basis for continued dialogue and new opportunities for Swedish companies looking to explore the North American market.
Circular Bioeconomy Arena is an Interreg Sweden-Norway project involving collaboration between Paper Province, the Norwegian Wood Cluster, Innovatum Science Park, Kjeller Innovasjon AS, Klosser, Innovasjon, ByggDialog Dalarna, and Dalarna Science Park.
