50 of the Most Innovative Nordic Companies - These are the Finalists in Serendipity Challenge 2017

     (Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/524738/Serendipity_Challenge_2017_Finalists.jpg )

"This year's lineup is the strongest and broadest to date. Every company has either good potential or are well on their way to revolutionize their industry. Several of them have already received international traction which says something about the spirit of innovation in the Nordics," says Omid Ekhlasi, founder and head of Serendipity Challenge.

The competition targets startup and growth companies based on unique innovations or business concepts with the potential to establish themselves on a global market. The companies have been evaluated by an expert jury, which has focused on scalability and well-defined growth opportunities.

The 2017 edition of Serendipity Challenge is the first time the competition is open to companies from all Nordic countries, resulting in nearly 400 entries in total.

"The finals will showcase unique and ground-breaking products and services that create consumer behaviours as well as societal and economic value. What's striking this year is the large number of companies with intelligent and connected products, which through, gathering , processing and analysing extensive data, will change our everyday lives for the better," says Omid Ekhlasi.

The Finals in Almedalen/Visby

Out of the 50 companies that have qualified for the finals, 24 will be pitching in front of the jury in Almedalen. The 7 best get the chance to pitch their business idea from the big public stage and compete for the "Startup Company of the Year" and "Growth Company of the Year" awards. The winners in each category receive a growth package worth SEK 200,000 and a seat on the winner delegation trip to Silicon Valley.

Tech arena and exhibition

All 50 companies are represented on site in Almedalen and will also be part of a tech exhibition, where visitors have the possibility to vote for the company they want to award with the "Prize of the Audience." In connection to this, seminars will be held on the theme "From Startup to Unicorn".

Link to the competing companies:

theserendipitychallenge.se/bolagen-2017

The 24 companies competing for the titles "Startup Company of the Year" and "Growth Company of the Year" are marked with a trophy.

Images for media: http://bit.ly/2sxksif

Photographer: Tommy Fondelius

About the competition 

Serendipity Challenge is an entrepreneurship competition for startup and growth companies. It is a joint venture, organized by Serendipity and Industrin tar Matchen (ITM). A jury chooses 50 companies among the hundreds of applications received, which proceeds to the finals in Almedalen, Visby 3-5 July. The jury is chaired by Saeid Esmaeilzadeh, founder and chairman of Serendipity Group and the jury members are renowned investors, entrepreneurs and innovation experts. Serendipity Challenge is open to all Nordic companies regardless business sectors. The final takes place at "Industriområdet" address: Sankt Hansgatan/Trappgränd, Visby on Tuesday, July 4th. www.serendipitychallenge.se

About Industrin tar matchen 

Industrin tar matchen is a joint initiative by thirteen Swedish industry organizations; its mission is to clearly communicate the importance of business and industry for Sweden's prosperity. www.industrintarmatchen.se

About Serendipity

Serendipity is "House of Technologies - Home of Entrepreneurs." It was founded in 2004 with focus on building innovative companies based on scientific discoveries. It's portfolio contains listed and privately held firms that operate within advanced material, animal health, bio technology, clean technology, and medical technology. www.serendipity.se

For more information, please contact:
Camilla Wallin
Press & Communication
+46-(0)-709-58-11-08
camilla@sdip.se

Omid Ekhlasi
Founder
Serendipity Challenge
+46-(0)-735-25-25-09
omid@sdip.se