KTH startups met leading venture capital firm
When it comes to top-tier level universities for potential entrepreneurs in the tech space, KTH ranks among the likes of Oxford and Cambridge. This according to Lakestar, a leading European venture capital firm that came to Stockholm for an exclusive event with select KTH startups.
Lakestar visited KTH Innovation on September 18th to hold an exclusive session and networking event with select startups from KTH and STING. Thirty early-stage startups gathered in Sydöstra Salongen in KTH Library to meet, listen to and network with three representatives from Lakestar. The participants learned about raising high risk capital from Investment Manager Mathias Hanel, navigating the legal framework as a startup from Legal Counsel Natalia Neuman, and how to plan, sell and brand effectively while going from idea to startup from Christoph Schuh, Partner.
Lakestar has also made early investments in successful Swedish companies like Spotify, Klarna, King, and Skype. Stockholm’s reputation and track-record as an innovation hub makes the city particularly interesting, said Mathias Hanel:
- Compared to other cities, Stockholm has a very high density of unicorns, especially if you look into the number of unicorns per capita. If you do the analysis, you clearly see that the Nordics, and Sweden in particular, are worldleading in this area.
After having organized a similar lecture series at the prestigious university ETH Zurich, Lakestar decided to turn their eyes to Stockholm. When asked why Lakestar chose KTH, Christoph Schuh said:
- When looking for toptier level universities for potential entrepreneurs in the tech space, KTH, together with Oxford and Cambridge really stand out.
Getting access to the right competence, capital and networks is a key component in the commercialization of new technology. By teaming up with Lakestar, KTH Innovation aims to give KTH startups a competitive edge.
- Lakestar demonstrates the strength of European venture capital, said Magnus Oskarsson, Project Manager Business Relations & Network at KTH Innovation. We look forward to continue developing our cooperation in the coming months.