Bridging Innovation between European AI Startups and Industry Giants

Nearly a hundred 1:1 tailored meetings took place during the two-day event at Malmö’s startup house, Minc.

In addition to the matchmaking session, attendees had the opportunity to network with other participants at various events, including an icebreaker mingle at Devhub — Malmö’s premier hub for gaming startups. They also participated in breakout sessions exploring both the European AI ecosystems and the local Skåne ecosystem, as well as a workshop on corporate-startup collaboration.

“This event aims to help startups accelerate their innovations and create partnerships to help scale their company and their business in order to grow their innovation. We have also arranged numerous mingle opportunities to help the startups, not only connect with those corporates that they have been matched with, but also to engage in peer-to-peer discussions with other startups,” says Elijah Aldana, Head of International Projects at Ignite Sweden.

Driving AI Adoption in Europe

The event was organized by AI Sweden, appliedAI Institute for Europe, Hub France IA, Ignite Sweden, and Minc. It is part of the European AI Startup Landscape, featuring over 1000 innovative startups at the forefront of AI innovation in the continent.

“One of the biggest challenges in Europe is the struggle with AI adoption. While the USA and China are advancing rapidly, Europe lags behind despite having world-leading companies and excellent data sources for building unique solutions,” explains Philip Hutchinson, Senior AI Strategist at appliedAI Institute for Europe.

“AI startups, being agile and innovative, are crucial for enhancing innovation and accelerating AI adoption in Europe. This is why it is important to connect them with larger companies.”

Exploring Strategic Collaborations with Startups

At the European AI Startup Matchday, 16 leading corporations explored innovative AI solutions from startups that have the potential to enhance their business operations.

“We participate in this event to look for AI companies that can support Södra’s forest owners to make better decisions. We believe that AI is a tool that can help to reveal and increase the hidden values of forest management,” says Erik Madeyski Bengtson, Investment Manager at Södra Ädla.

“The event gives us the chance to meet and mingle with startups from Sweden and abroad and understand what is going on in this segment. I also think that having the opportunity to meet the startups in-person this time instead of digitally adds a lot of value.”

The event also welcomed leading industrial giants like Alfa Laval, Bouygues, Deutsche Telekom, E.ON, IBM, Pernod Ricard, Saint-Gobain, Securitas, and Vattenfall.

Opening Doors to Corporate Customers

The European AI Startup Matchday gathered 50 startups from France, Germany, and Sweden showcasing cutting-edge AI solutions across various industries.

“It is an impressive event, bringing together lots of very cool startups and corporations from across Europe,” says Dr. Jonathan Spitz, CEO of the German startup GaussML. “These events help us by opening the doors to corporations. It makes it much easier for us to start talking with big corporations because it facilitates this initial handshake and brings us together.”

Ahmed Luay, CEO and founder of the Swedish startup Viviotex, highlighted the value of in-person meetings: “Meeting corporates physically rather than digitally allows us to present our technology live, which is far more impactful than just showing it on a screen.”