Hamburg invited to the Nordic Startup Challenge
Ten startups from ten countries in Northern and Western Europe turned Hamburg into an international startup metropolis on September 12, 2023. At the Nordic Startup Challenge in the Chamber of Commerce, they presented themselves to the numerous expert audience and a ten-member jury. The winner of the evening was Cetasol from Sweden, and a special prize was awarded to the Finnish company FoulFighter.
Promising innovations from shipping and logistics
Shipping, logistics and mobility were the dominant themes of the competition. Inbalance Grid from Lithuania ensures security of supply for electric vehicle charging. APDoc Flexi from Latvia facilitates photo documentation when transporting flexitanks. Clean Sea Solutions from Norway develops equipment for cleaning up the oceans. Hefring Marine from Iceland uses artificial intelligence to analyze the operation of ships and find the ideal speed to save fuel, among other things. MyDello is a platform for easily placing logistics orders. Renable ApS from Denmark recycles steel from scrapped ships. Sealutions from Belgium ensures good connectivity on ships even on the high seas. SHMnext from the Netherlands uses sensors to monitor infrastructure-relevant structures such as bridges.
The top award goes to Cetasol
Each of these startups would have thoroughly deserved a prize. However, after intensive deliberation, the jury decided in favor of Cetasol from Sweden. An important criterion for the decision was the fact that this company has already won several customers with its analysis platform, which helps ship operators minimize their CO2 footprint. As a reward, Cetasol will receive non-cash prizes worth 6,000 euros, legal advice and temporary office space in Hamburg. One of the most important goals of the Nordic Startup Challenge is to convince international young companies of the Hanseatic city as a business location.
FoulFighter gets special prize from Scaleup Landing Pad
In addition to the main award, a special prize was awarded by Scaleup Landing Pad Hamburg to the Finnish startup FoulFighter. This offers a technical solution to prevent fouling on ship hulls. Among other things, this has a positive impact on fuel consumption. FoulFighter receives advice on entering the German market and accommodation for 20 days in Hamburg. The Scaleup Landing Pad Hamburg supports international startups in launching their entrepreneurial activities in the Hamburg metropolitan region. The experts of the initiative, which is part of the economic development agency Hamburg Invest, support young companies in the initial development of their business on site. This includes, among other things, matchmaking with potential business partners.
