JYU Venture Capital Pitching Day was a whole day of inspiring talks – Solid IO and Custom were the winners of the pitching competition

During the day, 12 start-ups and 6 R2B projects presented themselves to a panel consisting of early-stage venture capitalists Nordic Science Investments, Butterfly Ventures, Trind Ventures, Superhero Capital, and Voima Ventures. The start-up track presented innovative ideas from a wide range of fields, from health technologies to sustainability and cyber security. In the R2B track, marketing-minded students pitched research projects and offered researchers a fresh perspective on commercializing their research.

The panel asked the pitchers tough questions about the productivity of their ideas, differentiation, target customer groups, and the technology behind their products. The panel evaluated the winners of both series based on where they would most like to invest. The winner of the start-up track was Solid IO, which focuses on developing cancer treatments, and the winner of the R2B track was Custom, whose research focuses on a novel new magnet free electric motor that is both more efficient and has better power output then rare earth motors.

"We had an amazing event with more than 20 venture capital firms present. The new pitching format offered a completely fresh angle on how universities can engage with venture capital, creating a much more direct and dynamic dialogue between researchers, students, startups, and investors.” Chief Investment Officer Patrik Louko describes the atmosphere of the event.

Thank you to the investors, audience, and brave pitchers who participated!