From the Nordics to China – The first pitching competition won by Jakamo
How to get advice and funding to enter the Chinese market? Slush side-event kicks off a new type of business accelerator.
HELSINKI (November 29, 2016) – One day before the Slush conference, over 100 entrepreneurs and investors gathered for the launch of the first Nordic-China startup accelerator. The event was organized by Beijing-based COMB+ and Helsinki-based Pivot5, and featured pitches from ten pre-selected companies.
The winner, Jakamo from Finland, managed to convince the jury with their collaboration platform which allows transparent information sharing between manufacturing companies.
“We were really happy with the quality of the pitching startups, and many of them have a potential in the Chinese market,” says Mr. Ling "Leo" Zhu, CEO of the Beijing-based accelerator COMB+. “We see Helsinki and the whole Nordic region as the natural bridge between Europe and China. No one should attempt to enter the Chinese market by themselves, however, finding the right partner is easier than generally thought,” he says.
COMB+ is a leading startup incubator in Beijing, with two campuses for hundreds of companies, an investor network and now also a unique acceleration program for Nordic startups. The winner of the pitching competition is granted a free acceleration week in Beijing together with experts from COMB+ and Pivot5.
Pivot5’s partner Torsti Tenhunen welcomes the Chinese partner and investors to Finland and Nordics: “The Chinese market is huge and much easier to access if you have trusted partners in China. So far required knowledge, partners and investments have been a bit hard to reach. With COMB+ and their network, we can now offer hassle-free and goal-oriented help for Nordic startup. For kicking this all off we invited COMB+ and other participating investors to Helsinki and Slush.”
“Two of our portfolio companies, IndoorAtlas and Munin Sports, have already seen success in China. Now we urge more Nordic companies to apply if they are serious about entering China,” Tenhunen concludes.
Other companies pitching at the event were Benete, Cumucore, Fourdeg, Heliostorage, MusiClock, Reverse Resources, OnniCare, Valfi and Valossa.
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Media contact information:
Torsti Tenhunen
Partner, Pivot5
+358 400 729 271
Media kit and event details:
Media kit: https://goo.gl/9M2f08 (Dropbox)
Event page: http://www.slush.org/nordicstochina/
About the organizers:
COMB+ is dedicated to creating an ecosystem for global entrepreneurs and startups to realize their dreams. As a new generation innovation incubator, COMB+ has a unique “platform + investment” business model. We focus on technology- and culture-related projects, especially those with original and subversive ideas. Globally, we have over 20 strategic partners, 50 investment alliance partners and 100 mentors and consultants in the innovation field. Our innovation centers in Beijing Chaoyang district and Fangshan district is the largest by single zone GFA in the world. www.combplus.com
Pivot5 accelerates startups and corporations in disruptional thinking and creating new, agile and transformational businesses. Our investments-as-a-service, acceleration, incubation and matchmaking programs have helped startups and corporations in renewal. We also innovate, co-create and invest in tech teams and startups across media, mobile, data & analytics, IoT, commerce and education domains. In addition to Nordic territory, we are specialized in Chinese market and accelerating Nordic startups to China with Comb+ from Beijing, China. www.pivot5.vc
