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If entrepreneurship were an Olympic discipline, the participants at this year’s Startup Weekend in Aarhus would be at the front of the pack. Startups were geeked out to the big gold medal when around 60 entrepreneurs gathered to develop ideas from nothing to a professional pitch in front of a panel of judges.
“I am extremely impressed. And it’s not just me. There were some very qualified mentors and judges there and they were blown away. They were blown away by the work ethic and how seriously the participants took it,” says Line Bech, Event Lead at Startup Aarhus, which organized Startup Weekend in collaboration with American Techstars.
Great potential at the perimeter of the ecosystem
While several of the participants had several startup hackathons behind them, for others it was their first encounter with entrepreneurship. Both in terms of age, gender and nationalities, it was a diverse group of people. Line Bech from Startup Aarhus had been nervous that the weekend’s two main themes – AI and cybersecurity – would attract the same types. But that turned out to be far from the case.
“There were some who know the game and know how to get the job done. But there were also some completely inexperienced people who think completely new thoughts and challenge the old virtues. I was afraid that I wouldn’t get any women when the themes were AI and cybersecurity. But there were a lot of women who really gave us some broad perspectives,” says Line Bech.
She hopes that an event like Startup Weekend can help open up the ecosystem and invite more people in.
“There is so much potential right at the perimeter of our ecosystem. That was one of the reasons why we wanted to do Startup Weekend in Aarhus. We want to try to secure the next generation of cool founders,” says Line Bech.
Creating important connections
For both participants and organizers, it was a long weekend with many hours of hard work. But when the 10 groups were able to pitch their startups to the judging panel on Sunday afternoon, it all made sense.
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“When you see the pitches that came out of this weekend, it’s all worth it. People are happy and people have made new connections and networks. I hope it has helped create networks and a way into the ecosystem,” says Line Bech and concludes:
“I don’t know if we’ll do the same exact format again, but it won’t be the last time we do something where different people come together and build something together. I can promise you that.”
10 startups pitched to the judges
DoGood – Gamification of ESG reporting
FraudGuard.AI – AI detection of scam calls
Diemond – Digital memories using AI
FitFuture – Personal fitness and meal plan app
Find Your Way – AI training guide
Ally – Increasing internet accessibility for the visually impaired
Start X – AI helper for freelancers in creatives
Safe Workspaces – AI detection of cyberbullying in workplaces
TheoFlow – CRM system for onboarding and client management
SAM – AI buddy and motivator
Watch and read interviews with the Startup Weekend winners here.
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