Cut ice hole, stand a startup exec in it: Finland’s super-cool approach to pitching for funds

The city of Oulu is situated in northern Finland, just 220km from the Arctic Circle. It’s a dark, drizzly place where the temperature hovers around freezing. Although the idea of staying warm indoors is appealing, few seem interested in doing that during Oulu’s annual Polar Bear Pitching event.Now in its third year, Polar Bear Pitching is an early-stage startup competition where presentations have no time limits. Entrepreneurs can take as long as they like to pitch to an investor jury, but they only have this freedom while standing in freezing water in a hole drilled into sea ice. “We have always thought we [in Oulu] are slightly crazy and want to do things differently,” explains Christian Sundell, chairman of the event organising group. “If we are this small city, far in the north, we have to find ways to stand out.”Pitching from an ice hole definitely does that. It may sound like a crazy concept, but for the 20 pre-selected finalists, it is an opportunity to practise their pitching skills and secure pre-seed or seed funding. The winner gets a €10,000 cash prize, professional services from the event partners, and a two-week stay in Silicon Valley. From robotics to analytics,… Read full this story

Cut ice hole, stand a startup exec in it: Finland's super-cool approach to pitching for funds have 282 words, post on www.zdnet.com at March 21, 2016. This is cached page on Vietnam Art News. If you want remove this page, please contact us.