“Bifrost was a great event for us to participate in with valuable meetings and presentations”, says Mikael Munck, Founder and CEO at 2021.A.
Three mobility companies and three ethical AI companies were selected to take part in a preparation program by Nordic Innovation House Silicon Valley. The companies got the opportunity to meet with potential partners, customers and investors in the USA as well as to pitch their company or solution during the main conference day at the Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center.
"Bifrost Summit 2023 provided immense value to Spense, thanks to Nordic Innovation and Nordic Innovation House´s support. As a startup, Bifrost has been a game-changer for Spense. Providing us with a significant boost in both the short and long term. The connections made with potential customers, partners and investors were invaluable, and we are grateful for Nordic Innovation's support”, says Jonas Lisgård, Founder and CEO at Spense.
“The event was well-organized, and all the attendees were highly engaged, creating an environment that fostered meaningful conversations and networking opportunities. Overall, Bifrost Summit has had a tremendously positive impact on Spense, and we look forward to continuing our partnership with Nordic Innovation in the future”, he continues.
Read more about Bifrost Summit
Mobility actors as drivers of change
Nordic Innovation organized in collaboration with Volvo Cars and Future Mobility the side event: Navigating Complex Change in Mobility and Transport. The event revealed that Nordic mobility actors are not just navigating, however, they are drivers of change and working every day to transition to sustainable, smarter, more connected and seamless mobility.
Nina Egeli, Head of Program, talked about how collaboration across borders, sectors, ecosystems and value chains drive innovation, transformation and system level changes and how we can share risk and engage stakeholders in achieving results through a Nordic approach.
The two mobility projects: The Nordic Network for Electric Aviation (NEA) and the Nordic Open Mobility and Digitalization project (NOMAD) were used as best practice examples of the Nordic approach.
The Nordics as leading in ethical AI
Nordic Innovation turned the spotlight on ethical AI with the side event: Foresight, ethical AI and speculative design: Leading from the Responsible future. Anna-Maija Sunnanmark, Head of Program, talked about ethical AI and responsible use of data with a focus on Nordic strongholds and best practices on the Nordic AI and data ecosystem. She also showcased the Nordic Ethical AI Landscape as an example of Nordic companies and institutions that already provide ethical AI solutions.
The following panel discussion looked into definitions of responsible AI, generative AI and AI governance, including hands-on advice for startups on how to get started with ethical AI.
“We want to share our warmest thanks to our amazing AI ethics panel: Olivia Gambelin, Ravit Dotan, PhD, Ron Bodkin and to Emmanuel from EAIGG: Ethical AI Governance Group for moderating and Michael R. Boone, PE, MS from NVIDIA for the keynote. They really did a great job of tackling the complex issue of AI ethics. We look forward to continuing to build bridges with them and Nordic ethical AI companies, of which we had the pleasure of showcasing Silo AI, 2021.AI and anch.AI together with my colleague Olivia Rekman, says Anna-Maija Sunnanmark, Head of Program.
Bringing women entrepreneurs into the spotlight
On 8 March, Nordic Innovation took part in the celebrations of International Women’s Day through the side event: Women Innovators are Game Changers organized by Vinnova and Nordic Innovation. The event brought attention to the untapped innovation potential caused by the lack of equality in the innovation ecosystem and highlighted areas where innovators, founders, tech and businesses can contribute to improving this. Advisor, Hege Guttormsen, turned the spotlight on inequalities related to investments in female and other underrepresented entrepreneurs with a presentation about the Nordic Task Force for Diversity.
The Nordics must invest globally
Nordic Innovation participated in Bifrost Summit as a part of Nordic Innovation House, which is one of the special initiatives and the Nordic Green Mobility and AI and Data programs. The event was fruitful and an important step in creating new opportunities for Nordic businesses globally.
“As seen from our perspective, the Nordic countries must act together in the green transition and in strengthening the competitiveness of our region. However, we cannot be change-agents and innovators isolated from the world around us. We need to engage with the outside world on a continuous basis – to build partnership, to explore investment and business opportunities, to better ourselves, to find markets for what we can provide or create better than others can, and to embrace the talent of others. The Bifrost Summit provided the opportunity to do all this. And not to be forgotten, the value of the informal chats, the diversity of the crowd and all the meetings and happenings that were never planned for,” says Nina Egeli, Head of Program at Nordic Innovation.
Participating companies
Mobility:
AI and Data:
