The companies and products of the future are created by innovative entrepreneurs who have the ideas and the courage to make them a reality. They are the ones who will grow Danish GDP and strengthen Danish exports and competitiveness, so we need more of them.
This is why Bitten & Mads Clausen's Foundation, together with LINAK and Sønderborg Municipality, has launched a targeted initiative to ensure that all start-ups get the help they need. STEAR – SONDERBORG ENERGY & TECH STARTUPS focuses on technology-based entrepreneurship in close collaboration with the University of Southern Denmark.
Sønderborg is to a large extent based on entrepreneurship. Large companies such as Danfoss and LINAK and many SMEs are the result of innovative entrepreneurs. And we need even more of them.
In Sønderborg, we have a unique position of strength in technology and energy on which we can build the companies of the future. But it requires us to make an active effort to work in depth with technology, product development and fund-raising. This is what we are doing by launching a dedicated organisation to support energy and technology start-ups.
Lars Tveen, CEO of Bitten & Mads Clausen’s Foundation
Together with LINAK, the Foundation has founded the association STEAR – SONDERBORG ENERGY & TECH STARTUPS, which will provide a specialised effort aimed at research-based entrepreneurship. The association was launched at a major start-up event on 4 February, with speakers from Denmark and abroad.
Bent Jensen, who has built the global company LINAK from scratch, explains:
We need more quality entrepreneurs and successful founders in Sønderborg. Because they are the ones who develop the products and companies of the future, and we need them, not just in Sønderborg but in general. So, of course, we must give them the help they need.
Bent Jensen, Owner of LINAK
Collaboration creates results
STEAR is founded in close collaboration with Sønderborg Municipality and the University of Southern Denmark. In this way, a long-term strategic collaboration has been created that cuts across the public, private and university sectors, as envisaged in the National Entrepreneurship Strategy.
Erik Lauritzen, Mayor of Sønderborg, says:
We have a targeted and ambitious plan for how we will strengthen entrepreneurship and thus the job-creating companies of the future to achieve the goals set out in the municipality's Masterplan for Settlement, Business and Green Growth. We have a strong tradition of collaboration and teamwork to create results that benefit everyone; that's what we do here too.
Erik Lauritzen, Mayor, Sønderborg Municipality
The University of Southern Denmark has many years of experience and success in supporting entrepreneurship from, among other places, Odense, which today is widely recognised as having a strong position within robotics. This expertise is incorporated into the project.
Dean Henrik Bindslev explains:
We very much look forward to the collaboration in Sønderborg. All the necessary ingredients for developing growth entrepreneurs are present. There is unique collaboration across relevant stakeholders, a globally oriented business community and strong technical competences in the field of research. It's a very solid starting point for success.
Henrik Bindslev, Dean, SDU Sønderborg
STEAR – SONDERBORG ENERGY & TECH STARTUPS will be located at Alsion, the University of Southern Denmark campus in Sønderborg.
