Now more than ever, startups need help finding the right people to help them grow their companies. According to Atomico’s 2020 State of European Tech Report, one of the biggest challenges faced by founders in 2020 was “getting enough support from investors”.

Written by TechBBQ

Apr 6, 2021 / 5 min. read

Capitalizing On Opportunities For Startups

Now more than ever, startups need help finding the right people to help them grow their companies. According to Atomico’s 2020 State of European Tech Report, one of the biggest challenges faced by founders in 2020 was “getting enough support from investors”.

It’s easy to see why: in a time of social distancing and remote work, getting face-to-face with investors and showing them your company’s potential is difficult— to put it lightly.

That’s why we at TechBBQ created the Startup Capital Program, which aimed to curate efficient conversations between Nordic and Baltic startups and investors from around the world. In doing so, we hope to increase investment flow, enhance impact, and encourage continuous collaboration and knowledge flow between investors and entrepreneurs.

The aim was to involve startups and investors within a format of pre-scheduled 20-minute matchmaking meetings. So far, we have held three Startup Capital events, two in 2020 and one in 2021, and all three have been successful in connecting promising startups with skilled investors.

In Startup Capital 3, we also introduced investor-investor meetings, allowing for more knowledge sharing and democratization of best practices for investors.

“Following Startup Capital 3, we learned that of the startups surveyed, 18 of 19 will be continuing the conversation with one of their matches, while 12 out of 13 investors said the same”

To learn more about how Startup Capital has helped our ecosystem, we got in touch with Kristina Landsperg, Co-founder & CEO of Whyser, a startup who participated in Startup Capital 2 and asked them a few questions about their experience with the program.

How was your overall experience with Startup Capital?

Kristina Landsperg: My overall experience with Startup Capital was that TechBBQ's setup and investors were serious, and focused on creating a valuable and efficient experience.

What was your outcome from attending Startup Capital?

KL: Although our outcome didn't result in immediate funding, we gained some valuable contacts and insights about what we needed to improve.

What cool things have happened at Whyser since your participation in Startup Capital?

KL: Since we attended we have enhanced Whyser, and most importantly welcomed new companies to our strategy & collaboration platform.

What do you think events such as Startup Capital can do for the startup ecosystem?

KL: As a startup, there are many events (except during Covid) which to some degree have been a blessing. A sea of good intentions with no action can be suffocating, leaving you with close to zero return on investment from the time you spent. However, Startup Capital wasn't one of those— the application process is fairly short and the time you spend on the meetings was very efficient.

Do you have a recommendation/advice/tip for other startups on the lookout for investment?

KL: Our best advice to startups looking for investments is threefold. First, forget about funding in the beginning, if you can, and just start selling. Second, don't immediately take all the advice you get. Consider which input you feel is valid, and trust that you are an expert in your business. Finally, remember that things take time. That also goes for finding good people to bring onboard.

Simply put: trust yourself, be patient, and take full advantage of the opportunities presented to you.

We’re so grateful to Whyser and all the other startups and investors that have participated in the Startup Capital Program. We’d also like to give a special shout-out to our partners, without whom Startup Capital would not have been possible: Innovationsfonden, DanBan, Danske Bank, Vækstfonden, and byFounders.

Startup Capital is just one of the initiatives we do to help our startup ecosystem — check out our website, social media channels, and the rest of our blog to learn more about who we are and what we do. And don’t forget to sign up for our TechBBQ Hybrid Summit in September! Wherever you are, whatever you do, we’ll have some great content cooked up for you.

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