TINC Spring 2019 - Positive Challenges in Silicon Valley
By Ingrid Odlen, Junior Fellow Wallenberg Foundation, Vinnova Silicon Valley
Every company should experience Silicon Valley. TINC is like Silicon Valley on steroids – it will change the trajectory of your start-up.
Armann Kojic, Founder of Greenvolt
TINC Spring 2019 has reached its finale and Nordic Innovation House-Silicon Valley is returning to its regular pace. We will surely miss having this amazing group of Nordic founders running around, but we are excited to follow their journey after TINC. It has been four intense but very enriching weeks that have given our nine startups new perspectives, knowledge and the Silicon Valley mindset to take their startups to the next level.
The last week kept the group busy with several events. We had the pleasure to host the TINC pitch graduation at Alley by Verizon, where the companies got valuable insight and feedback from a local investor panel. As a grand finale for the program, we were invited for a reception at the Norwegian Consulate’s residence in San Francisco with amazing views of the Bay and Alcatraz.
Read about the final thoughts about the program from some of the participants below.
BusTravel IT
Konrad Örn Skulason (Founder and CEO), Florian Stascheck (CTO)
BusTravel IT is a spin-off from a tour operator started as an internal project to create a management software for tour operation around the world.
Describe the four weeks in three words
Focus. Productivity. Opportunities.
The most valuable input you have gotten from TINC
The network, the connections and the insights in the Silicon Valley culture have all been extremely helpful. Especially since we are used to Iceland, which is a small country, and hence has a small startup culture.
The highlights from TINC
The lectures, the locations and the combination of all these bits. We were especially pleased with the lectures at Stanford, which contributed to the unique experience.
Advice to companies thinking about applying to TINC
Do it! And be prepared! Be especially aware of what you want and need to focus on, think about the weaknesses and what you want to improve.
Soma
Jukka Hilmola (Co-Founder and CEO), Ville Hilmola (Co-Founder and COO)
Soma is a market network for luxury items. It is powered by blockchain based protocols that verify authenticity and provenance of the items.
Describe TINC in three words
Life changing. Amazing. Impactful.
The most valuable input you have gotten from TINC
The most valuable input has been challenging the concept, in a positive way.
The highlights from TINC
We really enjoyed the mentor meetings, Julie Hanna and the pitch sessions with Nathan Gold. We were also amazed by the Silicon Valley ecosystem which was easily accessible from Nordic Innovation House’s location.
Advice to companies thinking about applying to TINC
Launch your product before coming here and try to organize your workforce in a way to allow full dedication to TINC.
Greenvolt
Armann Kojic (Founder and CEO)
Greenvolt is building the battery of tomorrow by applying advanced nanotechnology to energy storage. Think of not having to charge your phone for a month or driving your car on a single charge across the US. They create lighter, more powerful nano batteries that can be integrated into the device they are powering.
Describe TINC in three words
Tough(.) Love. Acceleration.
The most valuable input you have gotten from TINC
The Nordic perspective mixed with the Silicon Valley vibe – head in the clouds, feet on the ground.
The highlights from TINC
I really enjoyed meeting the other teams, it’s been such a pleasure to be around them. Besides that, the mentors were spot on. I also got some industry relevant meetings through the TINC network.
Advice to companies thinking about applying to TINC
Every company should experience Silicon Valley. TINC is like Silicon Valley on steroids – it will change the trajectory of your start-up. Also, come earlier rather than later.