Six startups ready for the Danish Tech Challenge finals

11 companies pitched in front of the jury last week and subsequently answered questions about everything from technology and product to patents and customer segments.

We have asked Carl-Emil Grøn Christensen from Reshape Biotech and Jakob Hildebrandt Andersen from Optoceutics how they have experienced the season ending of Danish Tech Challenge.

How was it to be in the semifinals?

“It was amazing! It would be a great aggravation not to reach the semifinals. We worked hard, both day and night, so it was really nice that we succeeded,” says Jakob.

What did you get out of pitching in front of the jury?

“Much of what we have been working on through DTC was verified, turned around in all directions to find any gaps. If you see holes as something that can be patched, then feedback becomes a way to make yourself stronger. The more feedback we can get, the more robust we and our company will be. And the goal is to become bullet proof, so it was really cool to have more eyes on the case,” says Carl-Emil.

“I would also like to add that I honestly think that all the finalists deserve to win. Everyone is so cool, talented and ambitious. It sounds crazy, but we see the final as a win-win, because either we win, or we win some of our best startup colleagues.”

 

Optoceutics

Jakob Hildebrandt Andersen

 

What should you focus on until the final?

“We need to be better at justifying our strategy and the decisions we have made,” Jakob says.

“For us, distribution and commercialization are difficult. We work closely with our advisors to strengthen our ability to explain the distribution model and sharpen the arguments for choosing our products over others,” explains Carl-Emil.

In mid-December, all six finalists will pitch for a new, impartial jury to find the winner of Danish Tech Challenge 2019. The winner will be announced at a big award show in January, where the Industry Fund’s Entrepreneur Award will be presented by H.R.H. Crown Prince.