Collaboration between startups and large companies strengthens the ecosystem

It is a strong trend and an obvious fact that most large international companies are investing in partnerships with innovative and sustainable startups to increase speed. It is not just about gaining access to cutting-edge technology but also learning new ways of working in projects and obtaining access to skills that you would not otherwise have been able to associate with. Two persons that are working to strengthen the ecosystem for innovation are Catarina Berglund from Automation Region and Ignite Sweden’s Program Manager Stina Lantz. They will talk about this under Umeå Tech Arena on November 26.

Development and innovation often occur when companies, researchers and public actors meet and collaborate. Catarina Berglund, Process Leader at Automation Region, leads the work on developing a neutral collaboration platform with the purpose of increasing Sweden’s innovation power.

-We are trying to create the right conditions for all players to be able to contribute with their superpowers, so that we can work smarter together. The large companies, for example, have established market channels and processes for product development, but they can accelerate their innovation by working with startup companies. With well-functioning collaborative environments, Sweden can take a top position in developing a smart industry, says Catarina Berglund.

Ignite Sweden has built a platform for large companies and industries to meet startups that can solve their challenges with new technologies. Our Program Manager Stina Lantz sees a growing interest among large companies to open up their innovation work for startups.

-Ignite Sweden has worked actively with over 350 startups since 2017 and has been able to see fantastic collaborations with large companies and the public sector, even across geographical boundaries, says Stina Lantz.

-What is so amazing is when we gather people who are interested in finding collaborations between one another, you sometimes find unexpected connections. An example of an unexpected connection is when a startup first develops a solution for a specific industry, and later on applies the same solution for a health and medical care company, says Stina Lantz.

If you want to listen to Stina Lantz and Catarina Berglund and many more speakers you are welcome to join Umeå Tech Arena on November 26 in Umeå. The event is free of charge and registration is open: http://umeatecharena.uminovainnovation.se/. The entire event will also be live-streamed at https://www.facebook.com/uminovainnovation/.  

Umeå Tech Arena is a meetup for everyone who loves tech organized by Uminova Innovation. The event is held in English.

Article originally published on Uminova Innovation’s website. https://www.uminovainnovation.se/en/nyheter/collaboration-between-startups-and-large-companies-strengthens-the-ecosystem/