Slush 2019

For a couple of days in November we participated in Slush – a tech-conference bringing investors and startups together. Our Ventures team were there to scout for some of the most interesting startups in the world in order to find brilliant, disruptive partners.

“We are a big company, but we do have an entrepreneurial spirit. We are curious, fast-moving and willing to try out things that we believe will challenge and move our industry forward”, says Björn Axling, Vice President Accelerated Innovation and Venturing.

In particular, we were looking for companies with a deep understanding of outdoor robotics platforms, sharing economy and sustainability, AI and analytics solutions and urban gardening. We pre-vetted about 100 start-ups and then selected 21 for pre-booked 15 minute speed-dating meetings during the conference.

“It was a highly impactful three days of learning, meeting interesting people, initiating investment discussions with interesting startups and (dare I say) having fun”, says Mark Johnson, Vice President, Corporate Venture Capital.