Connect2Capital reaches new heights with its fourth iteration

Inspiring discussions and keynotes on stage

The 2017 edition of the West Nordic venture capital forum held many interesting subjects and great visitors. On the agenda was future tech trends, innovation in life science, women in the entrepreneurial and investment scene and the future of the Gothenburg entrepreneurial scene.

One of the main topics of the event - the empowerment of women investors and entrepreneurs had visitors gather for the late tuesday evening fire side chat between host Sam Manaberi and guests Anu Bhardwaj and Lauren Flanagan. The discussion literally took the issue of gender inequality in the investment and entrepreneurial scene to the center stage.

After the talk Anu Bhardwaj praised the high engagement of the male audience whilst calling for more participation from the women:

“It’s very positive that we had so many Nordic men that were active in the dialogue. Until next time, we should encourage even more interaction with the female audience.” said the founder of the organization Women Investing in Women Digital.

Over all, her take on the event was very positive.

“I think the event was extremely well organized. And the program was very well balanced for showcasing existing companies as well as new companies. I’ve met a number of investors that I think I could start engaging with immediately.” she continued.

Throughout the event’s two days, there were a series of inspiring keynotes and talks on stage - each hosted by a dedicated moderator.

“Connect2Capital is a great event created with networking and matchmaking close to heart, with a “no bullshit” approach to helping companies and investors get just what they need.”

“The event has a great mix of angel investors, venture capital and corporate venture capital and the event agenda manages to balance good keynotes with the essential networking in a very balanced manner.” said Tomas Bennich, moderator and keynote speaker at Connect2Capital 2017.

A partner driven event

Connect2Capital is made possible with the aid of some of the region's most renowned ventures. One of those, Eicorn Enterprise Ignition, co-launched the first ever prize ceremony for an Evidence Based Startup Strategy competition at Connect2Capital 2017.

The goal is to get more entrepreneurs and investors to stop going with the gut-feeling when it comes to creating  startups, and instead look more to facts.

“It’s good to be here and to be able to inspire more talks about the need of a more evidence based approach to building great startups. The mission of our project here, the Evidence Based Startup Strategy of the Year competition, is to promote the startups that recognize the power of knowing over guessing and are putting that to practice as much as possible.” said Linus Bille, founding partner of Eicorn Enterprise Ignition.

Entrepreneurship at the core

From the entrepreneurial point of view, the event was a great success. Connect2Capital saw a great number of well polished pitches on the main stage, as well as a constructive platform on a separate stage, where pre-selected rising stars could pitch in a hardcore situation while getting feedback on both the idea itself as well as on their pitching prowess.

One of the startups that had the opportunity to present on the main stage with a master crafted pitch was the experienced Sam Manaberi, CEO of Trine. Trine, a crowdfunded solar energy startup, is returning for the second year in a row at Connect2Capital 2017.

“It’s great to see that Connect2Capital keeps growing and leveling up. The event contributes plenty to the the startup eco-system by short-circuiting the usually long distance between investing capital and the best startups.”

“Personally, I've gotten plenty of new contacts and had some great conversations. To be specific - I’ve personally had six additional venture capitalists that showed interest in Trine’s current funding round. A follow-up meet has been planned with each one of them.” said Sam when asked about the state of the event.

Connect2Capital is the first step

Now follows the real proof of the positive effects of the event. Connect2Capital is oftentimes the first step in getting closer to an investment, and a great opportunity for startups to get to the second meeting, and a chance for investors to sift the current entrepreneurial scene for just the right investment fit.

Previous years has seen a host of successful deals, and we expect no different from 2017!

Connect2Capital is the venue that offers growth companies, investors and other actors in funding the ideal place to meet in an efficient and inspiring way. The forum is featuring emerging technology companies across various streams such as ICT, Industry, Life Sciences Technology and more. Gothenburg is located in an exciting region at the center of northern European regional growth and development by connecting Oslo and Copenhagen in the heart of western Sweden.

During two days we facilitate growth by providing matchmaking and pre-booked meetings. The program contains a wide range of keynotes discussing present trends and success stories, and for the third year in a row we're teaming up with Startup Grind to bring you a truly relevant event.