NYHED - 18 August 2022

Jury member of the INCUBA Award, Søren Grønbæk Nielsen: "We must celebrate our local heroes"

The Danish Growth Fund's Head of Corporate Clients, 49-year-old Søren Grønbæk Nielsen, has accepted to be part of the jury that will select the winners of "Startup of the Year" and "Investor of the Year" for the INCUBA Award 2022. The Danish Growth Fund has been a partner at the Aarhus Investor Summit, where the award is presented, since the very beginning of the conference and with Søren Grønbæk Nielsen as a representative, the Fund is helping to celebrate the most innovative startups and forward-thinking investors.

Who are the greatest sources of inspiration when it comes to entrepreneurship and investment in startups in Denmark? This is the question INCUBA asks with this award, which aims to highlight the investors and startups that are particularly instrumental in taking the ecosystem to the next level.

For Søren Grønbæk Nielsen, the key to winning the Startup of the Year award is that the company has a good mix of three elements:

"Firstly, it's important that the company has a good team with a proven ability to execute. Secondly, it is of course important to have an innovative product with a strong value proposition. And finally, the company should have a positive impact on our social return, for example within sustainability and green transition," he says.

According to Søren Grønbæk Nielsen, becoming an investor of the year is also a combination of several elements that are crucial:

"The investor of the year is someone who is both active with concrete new investments, but also someone who subsequently contributes valuable networking and sparring to their portfolio companies. I would also like to see the investor of the year as someone who can inspire other investors in our ecosystem," he says.

The INCUBA award is a well-deserved pat on the back for our local heroes

The INCUBA award is presented in an effort to both recognize and support the enthusiasts who help pull the entire ecosystem in Denmark forward and upwards. And it is precisely for this reason that Søren Grønbæk Nielsen has agreed to be part of the jury for the INCUBA award. He is keen to help celebrate local heroes:

"We need to give our local heroes a well-deserved pat on the back to inspire everyone else who is starting a business or investing - or thinking about doing so. With the INCUBA award, we have a local opportunity to celebrate startups and investors who are leading the way and making a difference for the benefit of our entire ecosystem," he says.

According to Søren Grønbæk Nielsen, it is crucial that the Central Denmark Region and Aarhus get more startups and investors on the map:

"It is important to have a well-functioning and diverse ecosystem where you can continuously attract talent and external capital. At the same time, the vast majority of startups need venture capital to get off the ground. In addition, most also benefit greatly from external competencies that have tried the journey before," he says.

Many thanks to Søren Grønbæk Nielsen for sharing his thoughts on this year's INCUBA awards, which will be presented at the Aarhus Investor Summit at Aarhus City Hall on October 6. Like us, Søren is most looking forward to seeing the reaction from the happy winners. You still have time to nominate your favourite candidates for "Startup of the Year" or "Investor of the Year".