Have you ever considered making a meaningful change and creating a positive impact in your career? Developing your own business idea is a powerful avenue to achieve just that.
At the Demo Impact Day last week, seven teams got the chance to pitch their innovative ideas to tackle societal or environmental challenges. They presented their projects to a diverse audience comprising potential investors and customers, along with a jury of four experts who allocated funds to the most promising solutions. A little bit like Shark Tank, right? All of the business ideas were truly exciting and three teams were able to fully convince the jury.
The Demo Impact Day was the last step of Science Park’s Startup Program which supports entrepreneurial minds to transform their ideas into successful startups. The program starts twice a year and spans eight to ten weeks. The teams accepted into the program get the chance to benefit from group sessions as well as lectures on startup financing and pitching.
The day of the final pitches started Tuesday afternoon with some alcohol-free apple cider and mingling. The teams seemed nervous and excited at the same time, looking forward to sharing their well-practiced five-minute presentations. After each pitch, the jury got three minutes to ask questions allowing them to challenge the ideas before deciding which of the dedicated teams should win the prizes.
One idea really won the jury’s heart and consequently the first prize of 15,000 SEK and a trip to Sweden’s largest technology fair – TechArena: The digital service Nivan focusing on web accessibility developed by UX/UI designer and JU alumnus Lotte van Bree.
The award for the second place, a trip to TechArena, was handed to Remus Radoiu who presented an audio-based AI to identify and prevent fraud.
However, those two prizes were not the only ones of the night. As part of the jury, experts from both Knowit and Almi honored business ideas with consulting hours provided by their companies. Almi allocated ten hours to Jonatan Fotsjö for his business concept, Ecollecta, which revolves around the collection and recycling of cans. The ten Knowit consulting hours were awarded to Lotte van Bree and her digital service Nivan.
The Demo Impact Day further included pitches for a nutrition app, a bike repair service, an indoor air filter that utilizes microalgae to provide oxygen, and a platform designed to integrate goal setting, tracking, and achievement. Of course, those innovative business ideas presented got great feedback from the jury and audience as well and every team can be more than proud of their presentation and themselves.
To all the teams pitching their impactful business ideas: Congratulations and good luck with the next steps in your progress!
And to everyone feeling ready to take on that challenge themselves: Sign up now for the next Startup Program here!
Writer: Nathalie du Hamél
