Meet our new Funding & Growth Manager: Tonje Ørnholt
For the past five years, Ørnholt has worked closely with startup companies in Abelia and now she is in charge of putting Oslo on the map for more investments and international opportunities.
"Oslo has a completely unique position with world-class companies and technology, and compared to other European cities, the development has taken place at record speed", says Ørnholt.
In fact, the city was in 18th place at The European Startup Initiative Europe Heatmap in 2019. The year before, Oslo was in 34th place. In the last eight years, the entrepreneurial community has also grown from zero to over 50 hotbeds for innovation, such as MESH and Startuplab.
According to her, Oslo has the potential to run head to head with Stockholm within a few year. "Then we must get more of the international environment into Norway, and not least get more talent to move here and look at Oslo as a capital for innovation", she says.
Ørnholt believes that the ecosystem must work together to strengthen Oslo's reputation, among other things by making successful growth companies more visible ambassadors in the international market. She herself plans to work closely with the environment, so that Oslo Business Region are aware of the challenges and how to support to solve them.
We at Oslo Business Region are looking forward to working together and we are positive she is a great addition to the team. "Tonje is curious, structured and already knows our ecosystem from before", points out Oslo Business Region CEO, Siw Andersen. "She has expertise on scaleup, community development and what provides good framework conditions for the entrepreneurs", adds Andersen.
Dealroom
Later in September, Oslo Business Region will launch a separate Oslo page on the international database Dealroom. The popular and widely used platform shares insights on startups, scaleups, innovation, ecosystems and investment strategies, and more. "We hope it will provide good insight and analysis for the entire ecosystem. In the meantime, the information about Oslo-based startups and scaleups will also be available on the global platform. It will hopefully strengthen both the interest and willingness to invest of international investors in Oslo, says Ørnholt.
