Yesterday, three finalists pitched in the Founders Challenge, the competition focusing on the global goals. A jury consisting of MÃ¥ns Lindblom, UI/UX Designer, Sara Ringdal from ALMI, Gitta Hertzman Perez from WonderBrand, Marcus Resvik from MAQS Law Firm, and Maria Lindholm from Wellstreet had the difficult task of selecting a winner among the tough competition - and the winner was the company Anferra!
The jury's motivation: - "With a great idea that addresses a huge problem, the team has developed a solution that is truly circular. A simple and yet scalable innovation, that has both business potential while also creating a sustainable impact. The winning company has a diverse team with high potential and could take a prominent role in the waste management industry. Congratulations Anferra!"
Out of the three finalists, one wishes to remain anonymous. This means that here we will present the winning contribution Anferra as well as the company Seaqure labs, which also delivered a fantastic pitch and business idea. Seaqure labs has also won the venture cup competition "IDEA 2023" and has been in Norway at an aquaculture conference where they pitched as "Top 10 Most Promising Aquaculture Startups"! - As mentioned, the competition was tough, and all three companies presented very strong pitches and sustainable solutions in line with the global goals.
Furthermore, it was a very successful evening with mingling and networking, delicious snacks, and drinks! Throughout the evening, pictures were taken, which you can see in the gallery below.
"We want to extend a big thank you to all the companies that submitted fantastic business ideas, the finalists who pitched, and the audience who participated!"
We also want to extend a special thank you to; MAQS Law Firm, Qgroup, Almi, ProAgile, Måns Lindblom, UI/UX Designer, Sara Ringdal from ALMI, Gitta Hertzman Perez from WonderBrand, Marcus Resvik from MAQS Law Firm, Maria Lindholm from Wellstreet, and project managers Erika Ingvarsson, Andreas Jarlén, Malin Jovanovic, Tobias Larsson, Alma Backendal, Jessica Oldborn, Melisha Linnell, Anferra, Company X, and Seaqure labs - for making this final an amazing evening!
About Anferra
Anferra promotes circularity in the steel and chemical industries by turning waste into valuable resources. We help machining companies increase their recycling rate by targeting a waste fraction that is today largely landfilled, called steel grinding swarf. Our patent-pending process can transform this waste into a water treatment chemical, iron chloride, achieving purity levels that meet European standards for treating drinking water. The other contents in the grinding swarf can be separated out and used in stainless steel production. In addition, the process generates hydrogen gas as a byproduct, which we see great potential in utilizing as energy.
About Seaqure labs
Seaqure labs is an Aquatech Startup that uses mycoproteins as the solution for current unsustainable methods in aquaculture. By utilizing "mycelium," or fungi, we create a completely circular feed product using industrial by-products that can be tailored to local sources such as the food industry. Anchored in the fundamental principles of the circular economy, our technology allows us to produce sustainable, economically viable ingredients that also have probiotic effects for salmon species.
