The Nordics Off to a Great Start

Nervousness, chatter, and a bit of humor filled the room as hopeful entrepreneurs pitched their ideas at today's Startup World Cup semifinals at the Hilton in San Francisco. Throughout the day, Finnish, Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian contestants got their two minutes on stage – competing for a much-wanted spot in the finals this Friday.

First up among the Nordic countries was MuchSkills, presented as the winner from Denmark but the company is actually based in Gothenburg, Sweden.

"We help organizations unleash the power of skills intelligence, and my name is Daniel Nilsson," is how the co-founder and CEO started his two-minute pitch. “ After, in the end, answering questions from the jury about scalability and how the initial mapping of employees is done, Nilsson exited the stage.

Daniel Nilsson pitching MuchSkills.

Are you happy with your pitch today?

"Very happy; there's always room for improvement, but it feels like we included the most important points in our two minutes,” Daniel Nilsson says to SVNB.

Why is MuchSkills presented as the regional winner from Denmark?

"We are a Swedish company, but we won the local competition in Denmark at TechBBQ in Copenhagen. They were looking for entries from all over Europe, so we applied."

What would it mean for you to win?

"Reaching the finals would be fantastic as it would give us the opportunity to say we're one of the top 10 startups in the world, and it would be amazing PR. It would also help us attract investors," Nilsson says, adding:

"But just being here means a lot. It gives us a chance to meet other entrepreneurs, pushes us to think bigger, and above all, it's inspiring."

Matias Mäenpää is co-founder of Videbot

Next, Matias Mäenpää from the Finnish startup Videobot delivered a solid pitch and expressed confidence after his performance.

"There haven't been any winners from Europe in this competition, and we'd be happy to be the first”, he says and adds:

"Winning would be amazing for the whole team and the stakeholders around our organization."

Videobot, founded in 2022, is a SaaS startup specializing in transforming online customer engagement through the fusion of interactive video and chatbot technology. The platform allows businesses to create personalized video-based experiences, guiding users through the customer journey, enhancing engagement, increasing time spent on websites, and improving sales leads.

Next, Digiclean Solutions, another Swedish startup, took the stage. CEO Charlotte Stigen Låstberghighlighted their mission to revolutionize chemical cleaning in industrial processes.

"Every year, industries use millions of kilos of metalworking fluids. Our focus is on how these chemicals are applied to achieve sustainable results rather than just selling more chemicals," she said, looking at the judges and the audience.

Digiclean Solutions uses sensor technology to monitor and optimize chemical usage, aiming to reduce waste and minimize environmental impact. Winning a spot in the finals would significantly support their scalability and bring attention to their mission of transforming the chemical supply chain toward more sustainable outcomes.

Last among the Nordic competitors was Konfidens, pitched by founder Aleksander Erichsen. He started his pitch with some words to remember, even it he were initially met with laughter :

"Alright, I am sorry, but this is going to be a super depressing presentation."

Konfidens has developed tools to streamline private practices for psychologists, offering features such as secure video calls, session management, and payment processing. The platform also provides research-based instruments to improve therapist-patient matching, addressing the challenge of improving mental health treatment outcomes.

The Startup World Cup, organized by Pegasus Tech Ventures, will conclude with the grand finale at the Hilton Union Square on October 4. Startups from around the world will compete for a $1 million investment.