New industry forum with leading international actors meet up today.

Today, leading industry representatives meet at Södra Teatern in Stockholm to discuss cleantech investment strategies for the future, share investment cases and network. Participating companies include Fortum, BASF, Saab Ventures, Metso, Kemira, Stora Enso, Climate Change Capital and Environmental Technologies Fund. The initiative stems from a necessity to gather industrials with focus on investment in cleantech.

- We hope to find new opportunities to expand our business in cleantech, says Detlef Pohl, Siemens Venture Capital.

Since 2007, Cleantech Scandinavia has mapped all investments made in Nordic cleantech growth companies. An unmistakable trend is the developing interest from industrial investors in the Nordic countries, Germany, Austria, Japan and the United States, which in 2010 accounted for four out of five investments.

On the acquisition side, the trend is even more obvious. Large industrial companies from major foreign markets are now the typical buyer of Nordic cleantech companies. It is clear that Nordic companies are seen as valuable assets to increase the value of their cleantech offer. All exits in 2010 were made to major European industrial actors.

- Increased cooperation with established industrial companies is essential for the growth companies' success on the global market, says Stefan Jakelius at the Industrial Development Fund, one of the most active cleantech investors this year.

The advantages are many as established industrial enterprises start to invest in new growth companies. Growth companies get greater access to funding, new sales channels, access to testing facilities and the necessary market knowledge, which can help speed up their growth. Investors, in turn, benefit from finding new partners and co-investors from the industry, securing the investments they have already made. Furthermore, new investment are often made when the established industry start looking for opportunities within their own organizations.

- This is good news for the Nordic cleantech industry! We hope that this effort towards the industry will create an even stronger growth power in the Nordic cleantech sector, says Alexander Lidgren, founder and CEO of Cleantech Scandinavia.

For more information contact:
Alexander Lidgren, Cleantech Scandinavia
Telephone: +46736601007
E-mail: bigge@cleantechscandinavia.com

Dr. Detlef Pohl, Siemens Venture Capital
Telephone: + 49 89 636 46 112
E-mail: detlef.pohl @ siemens.com

Stefan Jakelius, Industrial Development Fund
Telephone: 08-587 919 59
E-mail: stefan.jakelius @ industrifonden.se