Connecting the dots between growth companies and the City of Oslo
New and old projects are at full speed in 2021. We asked our newcomer project manager for Public-Private, Andrea Nylund to walk you through some opportunities. Grab a coffee and come this way:
"First up, let’s explore how the City of Oslo can be interesting to your growth company as a customer or a testbed to try out new solutions. Oslo Business Region and the City of Oslo are working together with startup hubs in Oslo and others to create more opportunities for growth companies. How can the city itself be a driver in the startup scene?
A testbed approach
The aim of our “testbed” initiative is to help growth companies scale here and internationally. Pilot programs, such as Smart Oslo, give growth companies and the City of Oslo an ideal, low-risk opportunity to try out innovative solutions that already have a great track record here and abroad. Even through Corona, Oslo has maintained a solid economy and is uniquely positioned to stake a claim in high-growth areas such as health tech and circular economy, but we will waste that potential if we don’t smooth out the kinks and move faster.
To fast-track partnerships between growth companies and the city, we will be kicking off matchmaking initiatives over the next few months. We will connect the dots between the entrepreneurs and public sector visionaries who are ready (with just the right amount of impatience) to make an impact, whether social, environmental or financial.
I have been at Oslo Business Region a little over a month now and I am really inspired by OBR’s multi-talented, international and creative team.
I strongly encourage people to contact me to get on my radar for upcoming opportunities as these initiatives take shape. My virtual door is wide open to talk about city challenges, solutions from growth companies, and project ideas."
About Andrea
Prior to OBR, Andrea Nylund co-founded a couple climate tech startups in her native California and was on the board of the US Zero Waste Business Council. Since moving to Oslo four years ago, she has been immersed in the startup ecosystem, working with Katapult, Tøyen Unlimited, The Explorer, and others.
She's also led business delegations to Silicon Valley and Tokyo. Most recently - at Osloregionen, she worked on the development of Oslopolitan, a web portal that lays out networks and resources for internationals interested in working, investing and studying in the Oslo region.