Pitch your way to the peak and ski down with the money!

Last week I had the pleasure to travel to the beautiful city of Tahko where I attended the Tahko Ski Lift Pitch  in order to support my colleague Anna in representing UEF (one of the event’s main sponsors). Organized for the second time this year, the event brought together young and promising entrepreneurs and their start-up businesses with  investors and business coaches. The excellent idea behind this unique event which distinguishes it from other start-up events like the famous Slush? The most important things are happening in a ski lift!

Representatives of two start-ups at a time go up the mountain in a lift together with one investor. During this ride both competitors have 3 minutes time to pitch their idea. Once on the top, the investor will make a decision and only one start-up will proceed to the next round. At the end of the day the winner skis down with the 10.000€ prize money.

Down in Tahko, the valley station, all attending/competing start-ups had the possibility to present their ideas and businesses during a fair. I was amazed to learn about innovations like Adamant Health (the implementation of NeuroTracking to improve the understanding of Parkinson’s disease), Huoleti (a mobile application to connect patients, their relatives and volunteers) or Afekta (customized metabolomics services with a focus on food and nutrition)!

But that’s not all. The Pitching event was accompanied by UEF’s “Health18” seminar: a gathering of 15 great and interesting speakers who informed about their companies’ health technologies and innovations. I was especially impressed with the first speaker of the day, Fredrik Sträng, entrepreneur and adventurer, who recounted his ascend to Mount Everest and what it had taught him about courage, determination, and thinking outside the box.

And what did the event teach me? That Finland is a country full of great ideas, open minds and innovation. That I continue to be impressed by UEF’s determined research and innovation goals. And that I have chosen the very best place for my trainee stay. Or where else would I have an office with a view like this?!

Thank you Anna, Soili and Kirsi for this great experience!

Sarina Jasch