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allan martinson

Open For Applications: Elevator Pitch Contest

by Miikka Kukkosuo, April 23, 2009 — Leave a Comment

Money

Update: The deadline is extended until May 13th.
The conference agenda can now be downloaded from the event home page (or use this PDF direct link).

ArcticStartup is proud to present an opportunity for all Baltic and Nordic startups to connect with and pitch to venture capitalists and compete for great prizes.

In alignment with the Second Annual Tallinn Conference organized by The International Technology Law Association in collaboration with Enterprise Estonia, ArcticStartup is cooperating to organize an Elevator Pitch Business Plan Contest with support from Connect Estonia. The contest is held in Tallinn, Estonia on May 26, 2009.

Prizes:

  1. One full day of law consulting with Fish & Richardson P.C., Silicon Valley, worth $6000. The prize can be used as the winner wishes, e.g., to incorporate a subsidiary to establish operations in Silicon Valley. The consultation can be done in person or by Skype or Polycom video. Consultation with the Munich office of Fish & Richardson P.C. may also be included, subject to availability and requirements of the contest winner.
  2. One full day of law consulting with Knobbe, Martens, Olson & Bear, LLP,  worth $3000, to be used as the winner wishes. The consultation can be done in person (location negotiable) or by Skype or Polycom video.

The jury: 

  • Martin Hauge, Managing Director, Creandum, Stockholm
  • Allan Martinson, Managing Director, MTVP, Tallinn
  • Artturi Tarjanne, Managing Director, Nexit Ventures, Helsinki
  • Rick Marshall, Managing Director, Intelligent Capital, San Francisco
  • Sten Tamkivi , Chief Evangelist, Skype, Tallinn
  • Ott Parna, Managing Director, Estonian Development Fund, Tallinn
  • Richard Allan Horning, Principal, Fish & Richardson P.C., Silicon Valley

Growth-oriented technology startups from all Nordic and Baltic countries are welcomed to apply. Five firms will be selected to present a 5-minute pitch at the event. The judging criteria include the expected success of the firm, growth potential, differentiation and competitive advantage, risk and financial viability, and the management team.

Please note the contest rules and other information in the Invitation. Any questions about the contest can be sent to miikka(at)arcticstartup(dot)com.

The applications must be based using this form.

Please send your application to events(at)arcticstartup(dot)com latest by May 13th 6:00 PM EET. Finalists will be announced on May 14th.

Coaching and training for preparing the pitches are available to all chosen finalists prior to the contest, provided by Connect Estonia and members of the International Technology Law Association Luiga Mody Hääl Borenius and Raidla Lejins & Norcous, either online, in Tallinn, or in the participants’ home country, depending on possibilities.

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ArcticEvening In Tallinn – A Success

by Ville Vesterinen, January 29, 2009 — 2 Comments

arcticevening in tallinnLast night we held ArcticEvening in Tallinn, Estonia in co-operation with Connect Estonia,  so we could bring part of the Finnish startup scene to meet the Tallinn scene. This is a great way to get people from different scenes to meet and find new opportunities to work together beyond national borders. The night was a success. We had a four startups presenting, Scred, Edicy, Snoobi and Nutiteq. The audience put the startups to test during the Q&A, but for the most part the startups surviced well.

The panel was equally good. Sten Tamkivi, Allan Martinson and Taneli Tikka gave the audience what they came for – a very interesting and thought provokin take on the current economy, the startup ecosystem, most interesting companies and events of 2008 and what they predict will the ones to follow in 2009.

What stuck with me was Allan’s remark that you should look beyonnd just the Internet for new business ideas. The focus has been so squarely on the Internet for the past few years that the biggest opportunities might now be on the edges of the Internet where the Internet meets the real world, or in totally different areas, like for example the food industry that’s trying to cope with the EU legislation. Similarly, after I grilled Taneli for a while to reveal the areas he is looking most closely at, he mentioned the fast improvements in the genetics industry and the possibilities to link the social web to the improvements in that area. Similarly, Sten made us think beyond the ‘Skype as phone’ concept talking about mobility and how Skype is looking at possibilities of introducing an Open API.

A great evening, that we want to build on also in the future. Look out for more ArcticEvenings around the Baltic and Nordic countries.

photo by seikatsu (CC:)