From 2021-2023 Nordic Innovation supported Nordic Scalers 2.0 which included three new programs for Nordic scaleups. One of them was the Nordic Scalers Scaleup Academy - a one-year program with digital workshops that go through the critical steppingstones for a growing company.
Read more about the Nordic Scaler Scaleup Academy
We spoke with Pelle Törnell from the Nordic Scaleup Academy about his experiences and learnings from the program.
Why is it important to offer a Nordic program for scale-up companies?
“The challenges and opportunities of scaling up a company are the same regardless of which Nordic country you are based in. We all have relatively small domestic markets and need to internationalize early. The better the exchange of knowledge between Nordic countries, the greater the chances that we will produce more companies that scale up with the Nordic region as their base, thereby creating new job opportunities domestically,” says Pelle Törnell.
What kind of feedback have you received from the participating companies, and how has the program been beneficial?
“The feedback from the participating companies has been very positive. The program provides management teams with the structure, processes and new knowledge needed to take the companies to the next level. We see how the management teams become stronger and develop together to tackle bigger challenges.
“We see that the need for support is considerable, but reaching out to management teams with our training is a challenge," says Pelle Törnell.
Nordic Scalers 2.0 was completed as planned in the summer of 2023. Some activities like Nordic Scalers Scaleup Academy will continue 2024, partly under the auspices of Nordic Innovation, partly through the independent programs bearing the Nordic Scalers name.
The main activities of the Nordic Scalers 2.0 program have been the establishment of three Nordic programs under the Nordic Scalers umbrella, alumni activities, establishment of ecosystems/community building, analyses, reports and events. The goal for Nordic Innovation is to provide support at the Nordic level to help scale-ups accelerate and manage their next stages of growth through access to competences, connections, customers and capital. It also aims to reinforce Nordic scale-up community building and brand the Nordics globally as a leading scale-up hub.
The Nordic Scalers 2.0 programs do not receive funding from Nordic Innovation. National innovation organizations will be able to cover or co-finance participation fees for their own companies.
