Slush, Startup Sauna and Junction – well-known and respected brands in the world of startups, programmers and innovations – have joined forces and are travelling together in Europe, giving all interested parties the chance to develop internationally. Their Hack Tour will be hosted on September 13 at the O4 co-working space in Gdańsk’s Olivia Business Centre. This is a great opportunity for startups to develop their project and developers who want to take on the next programming challenge.

Representatives of one of the world’s best startup ecosystems from Finland together with the startup environment from northern Polish: O4, Black Pearls VC, Startup Poland, startup zone Gdynia, Project Startup, 3camp, Olcamp, Netcamp and Exea Smart Space initiate the third edition of the event that can change the lives of many startup founders and programmers – Hack Tour. The two previous editions of the meeting in Gdańsk ended with a measurable success, because, according to the representatives of Startup Sauna, it is measured by the degree of integration and cooperation of the local community of innovators.

– There is still a debate about where the best climate for startups is, measured by the size of the investment. Only 3% of Europe’s population lives in the Nordic countries and they generate €50 billion in investment. We believe that cooperation and synergy are the key. The joint visit of the three most important Finnish startup initiatives is intended to be a classic presentation of how we in Finland understand community building – says Jan Bubieńczyk from Startup Sauna.

“At O4, we really appreciate the visits of our Finnish friends. It is an event that not only perfectly sums up the current state of the local startup sphere, but also positively integrates our entire environment. Besides, it’s good to see yourself in someone else’s eyes every now and then; I say this both from the point of view of the community as a whole and from the point of view of the individual innovations presented. A Hack Tour is like an Olympics where you win just by taking part in them. Among other things, thanks to the possibility of a direct, honest conversation with people who have virtually unlimited possibilities to support the idea, and at the same time help in conquering the global market – emphasizes Marta Moksa, Managing Director of O4, co-organizer of Hack Tour 2017.

Startups: International investors at your fingertips

Startups taking part in the Hack Tour will have a unique opportunity to present themselves in front of foreign and Polish investors. This year’s mentors include: Pontus Stråhlman – member of the board of FiBAN, a thriving organization associating Nordic investors, Peter Horsten – founder and CEO of Goyello, Izabela Disterheft – CEO of INTERIZON, Józef Balicki – manager, expert in the field of capital investments, Matti Kari and Jarmo Kuusivuori – experienced entrepreneurs and investors.

The top 15 startups will present their ideas to mentors and receive reliable feedback on them. The top 5 will have an individual conversation with each of the mentors. In addition, you will be able to win tickets to the SLUSH 2017 conference. The author of the best presentation will have the opportunity to go to Startup Sauna in Helsinki for 7 weeks. This leading accelerator in Northern Europe was created m.in. in order to actively support promising startups in developing their optimal business models (m.in implements an intensive “go-to-market-strategy” program). To date, it has helped more than 220 young entrepreneurs who have managed to raise a total of $200 million in funding.

“We are seeing the continued growth of our local innovation ecosystem. Many of our entrepreneurs are already ready to try to go out into the world. We believe that a face-to-face meeting with representatives of one of the best international accelerators will be the next step to success for them. We are glad that they do not have to go to Berlin or London for this purpose, but to Gdansk, which is 2 hours away. – comments Paweł Harajda from the OLCAMP Association from Olsztyn.

Developer Junction

During the Hack Tour, programmers will be able to take part in a workshop run by Junction – the organizer of one of the largest hackathons in the world. They will face a challenge posed to them by one of the local ICT companies. This year’s Junction is not only a chance for promotion in the employers’ environment, but also an opportunity to win an invitation to the November hackathon in Helsinki.

“The Tri-City development community has another chance to prove that it really is among the world’s best. Our engineers and IT specialists are a close-knit, active environment, and Junction can be an interesting lesson and another experience for them. I believe that the more opportunities to learn and creatively take on challenges, the better it is for the participants themselves and the companies they work for – adds Krzysztof Moszyk from 3camp.

Hack Tour Begins September 13 at 16:00 in coworking O4 at Olivia Business Centre. The event will be held in English.

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Event schedule: http://startupsauna.com/local-event/gdansk-poland

Registration until September 6 at: https://slush.typeform.com/to/zO6zDk.

For more information, please contact the local partner of Hack Tour Europe in the O4 co-working space: Marta Moksa, marta.moksa@oliviacentre.com

WELCOME!