#HBGTECH, more than a demo day

Over 350 people registered to attend the biggest startup and tech event in Helsingborg this Fall – #HBGTECH. An incredible evening filled with investors, entrepreneurs, and coders. Think Accelerate was the organizers behind it. Read more as they try to sum up the jam-packed event in a short blog post. What are their takeaways and what does the future hold for #HBGTECH…

On November 29, the second round of #HBGTECH took place. At 3 pm the doors to Radisson Blu Metropol Hotel in Helsingborg opened and within minutes the venue filled up with tech-savvy people, investors, coders and entrepreneurs curious to explore the community in Helsingborg.

For those that are not acquainted with the event. #HBGTECH inspires people to take the next step to becoming an entrepreneur, connect people in the Helsingborg startup scene and showcase the incredible local startup & tech talent.

For this day the venue was filled with 3D-printers, Virtual and Augmented Reality devices and even a Biohacker. The purpose was to engage the guests and create a more interactive event. Business cards were exchanged, new connections were made, laughter in the air and some guests even jumped on the opportunity to become a human cyborg and get a chip implant on the spot. It’s days like this you really appreciate open-minded people and the great things we have happening in Helsingborg.

The show was filled with talks, pitches, panel discussion and exhibit. We even managed to get the Ecoist, an electric car into the narrow hotel entrance and on stage for the big reveal. Really required some heavy lifting, but totally worth it.

We also learned about the future of Fintech and of the opportunities in the banking sector from a great panel of Øresund Fintech members. A secret was also revealed during the show. To help entrepreneurs seize these opportunities – Øresund Fintech and THINK Accelerate are collaborating to launch a Fintech accelerator program in March next year. A 3 month, fast-paced and hands–on accelerator program with an investment of 150k SEK.

If this was the first startup event you came to, we’re sure you appreciated that the eco-system was on the stage, telling you what kind of support they provide. To mention some organizations; Almi, Connect Skåne, SoPact, Nyföretagarcentrum, CreativeLab, Mindpark, VentureLab and many more. It really shows that there is plenty of help to get if you want to turn your ideas into reality.

The panel discussions were interesting, a diverse mix of entrepreneurs from different backgrounds and came from different fields. They shared their knowledge in how to conduct crowdfunding campaigns, raise investment, the risks and benefits of being an entrepreneur, being a student while starting your own company, and how it feels to have been living in Sweden for just four weeks and the experience of being introduced to such an inclusive community.

And of course, there were some pitching! We had the pleasure to listen to Faves, Stam.io, Social Business Lab, Northern Spirit, Digifood, Injurymap, and Ecoist. Always shaky to make those five minutes into something awesome and to get both customers and investors attention. But all startups got warm applauds and had happy faces when they left the stage.

In Helsingborg, we have such an inclusive community. What makes us great is that we help each other and aren’t afraid to ask for help. This ripples not only through the souls of our entrepreneurs but also the municipality, support organisations and investors within the region as a whole. To see all of these people all gathered in one place during #HBGTECH was such a liberating feeling and a friendly reminder that you are never alone when you decide to start a startup. We are already looking forward to the next #HBGTECH.

Want to know more?

Want to know more about #HBGTECH, how you can get involved in the community and be the first to know about our future events? Then visit www.hbgtech.se to find out more.

The applications for THINK’s accelerator programs are open! Go to www.thinkaccelerate.com to apply to the THINK Accelerate, Think Fintech or Think Smart programs starting March 2018.

Photos by Tham Thi Le Cao