Approximately 30 startup companies participated in the pitching competition, presenting to the jury promising future innovations in sectors such as health, biotechnology, and circular economy. This year, there was a relatively high number of teams with research backgrounds compared to previous years.
Twenty startup companies advanced to the semifinals held at the top of Tahkovuori, where they presented their pitches to a jury consisting of angel and venture capitalists.
In addition to PrecisionPhage, four other companies made it to the final stage of the pitching competition: Finnpole, mechIC, GaltTech, and LeapSEQ. In the final round, the top five faced the jury members Jari Osmala (FiBAN), Noora Tuikka (Nostetta Ventures), Vilma Torstila (BoCap), Kim Väisänen (Evli Growth Partners), and Elina Koivumäki (FiBAN).
The jury was impressed not only by the business concept of PrecisionPhage but also by its strong team and research-oriented background.
“PrecisonPhage has almost unlimited scalability potential, and the business idea has a significant societal impact. Additionally, the company stood out from the beginning of the competition with a convincing pitch,” summarized the jury members.
The winning company received a prize of 10,000 euros, along with visibility on the Nasdaq tower billboard in New York’s Times Square.
During the growth and innovation-themed Tahko Ski Lift Pitch event, Tahkovuori served as a meeting place for approximately 400 startup entrepreneurs, business decision-makers, experts, investors, and students.
“This year, we saw several teams with growth potential and innovative business ideas in the startup competition. In addition to the winning team, we will surely hear more from many of the teams involved in the competition in the near future,” said Tiina Hartikainen, the event producer of Tahko Ski Lift Pitch and growth director of the Kuopio Chamber of Commerce.