Aarhus boosts startups with international ambitions

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Once upon a time, the old central kitchen was a hive of activity, cooking for hundreds of hospital patients. Now the winding corridors and nooks are home to a lively entrepreneurial environment – The Kitchen – where students at Aarhus University and the rest of the Aarhus ecosystem can work, network and get guidance. The old kitchen is also home to The Link, an organization that aims to connect the ecosystem in Aarhus.

“No one calls Aarhus the startup capital of the world – yet. Our mission is crystal clear: We remove friction so founders can accelerate. We are rooted in our community and are in daily contact with founders to understand their challenges and support them on their journey. Whether it’s securing funding, building networks or gaining insights, we’re here to help you move forward,” says COO of The Link, Sisse Heiselberg Melsen.

She sees many exciting movements in the startup scene. And many of them have international potential.

“Aarhus’ future is brimming with opportunities. Biotech and health tech are on the verge of exploding, thanks to the city’s deep research roots and the seamless collaboration between universities and industry heavyweights. Aarhus is riding the green tech wave, in line with global sustainability efforts, and betting big on a better future. Cybersecurity? It’s also poised for massive growth as the world hungers for cutting-edge security solutions,” says Sisse Heiselberg Melsen.

Better space for tech scale-ups

The company INCUBA commercially operates a number of hubs in Aarhus that house startups in a wide range of tech areas. Here, entrepreneurs can also get guidance, sparring and access to investor networks. INCUBA also takes a positive view of the ecosystem in Aarhus.

“It’s a strength of Aarhus that the ecosystem is relatively close to each other both geographically and organizationally. It’s easy to talk to each other and it makes for a well-functioning ecosystem,” says Jacob Mogensen, Director of Communications, Community and Acceleration at INCUBA.

Aarhus is beginning to reap the benefits of a strong ecosystem where more and more startups are becoming scale-ups. That’s why INCUBA is opening a brand new building – INCUBA Next – in the fall of 2024, where there is focus and better space for scale-ups.

“There is a good flow of startups, so now we are creating a building with more space for scale-ups. We hope that we can continue to create the framework for this positive development. It will be really exciting to see how it affects the entire ecosystem,” says Jacob Mogensen.

Jacob Mogensen finds that INCUBA companies are increasingly taking an international perspective in their growth journey. It’s a trend that he expects to spread further in the ecosystem as more and more companies succeed abroad or attract international investment to Aarhus.

“Many startups today start with an international mindset and look out into the world. This also gives startups with an international focus and potential. They are better able to attract money from foreign investors. It’s spreading in the ecosystem, and it’s really exciting that there is an international aspect to startups in Aarhus,” he says.