It was with a familiar blueprint of meetings, pitches, and networking led by programme manager
Gathered together was the
“NEXUS is an opportunity for us to take our idea forward,” said
The pair, who work at the University of Helsinki’s Faculty of Science in technical roles, are almost ready with their prototype, and eagerly looking forward to the opportunities that NEXUS can provide them: “We’re hoping that the programme can help us validate our solution, grow our networks, and eventually raise funds,” Ravindran explained, with Shete adding that feedback from clients would be key for the team to make sure that their solution addresses real market demand.
At the same time,
“When we met with our mentors, we got some great ideas, and now I’m really looking forward to the actual hands-on stuff,” said Musse, referring to the programme’s workshops and practical venture building work. Kola agreed, adding that a programme like NEXUS “really motivates you to do things, learn, and grow.” Together, the pair hoped that by the end of the programme, their idea would have matured into an MVP with at least one round of market validation with potential clients done, giving them all they’d need to continue growth with the market.
For the programme’s mentors, the kick-off was an exciting opportunity to get excited by the fresh crop of ideas present.
“These events are always great,” explained
The energetic Swede continued, saying that in addition to getting to know the variety of ideas present, what was fun for her with NEXUS – which she noted has kept improving batch after batch – is helping both those teams that are active in a field in which she has domain-specific expertise overcome specific hurdles, as well as giving broader assistance to teams whose ideas’ subjects fall outside of her wheelhouse.
Another returning mentor,
“Very often with people with an academic background,” Garavini explained, “the challenge is that they’ve got the technical part well covered, but the business part needs work. NEXUS, with its high calibre of mentors and experts can help these teams find the right competences and be more pragmatic”
With the kick-off activities over and out of the way, NEXUS is already in full swing, with teams having already taken part in the first workshops of the programme. We'll be sure to check back with the teams prior to the programme's final demo day in November, but in the meanwhile, why not get to know the teams at
The
For more information about NEXUS, please contact programme manager
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