“It has been a long journey and we are happy to be here tonight. First, it is a celebration for all our patients and all the people we have saved from amputations, and it is also a celebration for my small hometown of Isafjordur were we created jobs and prosperity says Fertram Sigurjonsson, CEO, President and Chairman at Kerecis.
The Jury’s reasoning for awarding Kerecis is:
“The decision was unanimous. The company excelled in all categories. The company has been named as one of Europe’s fastest growing companies by Financial Times in 2023. In 2022, the company became EBITDA profitable and closed the year with $74M in sales. As an innovative and growing biotech company, it has the ability to deliver enduring impact. The company is working with a real and important problem in healthcare field. The company is using a by-product that otherwise would not be used or would be a waste product. Kerecis develops, manufactures, and sells patented fish-skin products to heal human wounds and tissue-damage. The market potential for its current products is more than $10 billion. The company has implemented a broad ESG program and has an equal number of males and females in the company with a certified equal pay program.
The company is a prime example of a scaleup that is i) built on the heritage of Iceland (fish); ii) focuses on a very high value-added product and ii) due to a limited home market and talent base has been forced to be creative in their hiring and go-to-market from day one”.
“With the prize we want to celebrate founders and leaders of Nordic high growth companies and show that a modern Nordic scaleup company today concentrates on more than growth. The criterion was, innovativeness, growth and business excellence global reach, sustainability, company culture. We are proud of the high number of nominations, and they all showed a high quality, but the end the jury was unanimous that Kerecis was this year’s winner”, says Managing Director Svein Berg Nordic Innovation.
The Swedish company Einride got aspecial recognition for green innovation, with the jury’s reasoning; The company builds solutions that are completely new to the world by rethinking how the world moves goods.
The Norwegian company Gelato got a special recognition for impact, with the jury’s reasoning; A software company that enables responsible, local, on-demand production. By producing responsibly when and where a product is needed, waste and emissions are reduced dramatically.
The Finnish company IQM got a special recognition for pioneering with the jury’s reasoning; This deep-tech company has started a new branch of industry as part of 4th industrial revolution working for the benefit of the humankind.
Jury:
- Anne - Louise Thon Jensen, Partner, and Co-Founder, SDG Invest and Vår Ventures
- Javad Mushtaq, Deputy CEO / Managing Director, EAT Foundation, CEO of MAK, and Managing Partner, WE& Capital
- Nora Bavery, General partner, Unconventional Ventures
- Svein Berg, Svein Berg, Managing Director, Nordic Innovation
- Juha Lindfors, Partner Lifeline Ventures
About the Award:
Nordic Scaleup Summit and Nordic Scaleup Awards that took part 9th of May in Stockholm is the premier gathering of leading entrepreneurs, investors, and policymakers from the Nordic countries. The aim of the award is to recognise Nordic high-growth companies and entrepreneurs that run them, highlight their success stories and impact on the Nordic economy and society.
Nordic Innovation in collaboration with Dagens Industri.
Contact:
Lena Henriksson
Head of Communication and Outreach at Nordic Innovation
l.henriksson@nordicinnovation.org
+4791138654
