Nanofiber Innovation Takes Top Prize at Oulu’s Polar Bear Pitching

Polar Bear (Jason Brower) and MC Simo Kekäläinen put up an interval show.

Startup companies competed this year in the Polar Bear Pitching event held in Oulu, Finland, in an exceptional location and under extraordinary circumstances. By the Oulujoki river, the weather was mild with temperatures above freezing and drizzling rain.

The finals of the event featured ten companies, including five from Finland, two from Switzerland, and others from the United States, Japan, and India.

The increasingly international group of participants is largely due to the fact that satellite events of the competition have already been held in India, Switzerland, and Japan, among other locations.

Polar Bear Pitching has grown into an internationally acclaimed startup event, attracting competitors from almost every continent. The competition is streamed to dozens of countries.

The basic concept of the competition is that startup entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to judges, investors, and the audience while standing waist-deep in an ice hole carved in the frozen Baltic Sea. It serves as both a competition and a remarkable opportunity to secure funding and gain visibility for one’s business. Jumping into a frozen sea is a very concrete way to demonstrate the seriousness of your business.

In addition to the adrenaline-pumping finals, Polar Bear Pitching offers a conference with world-class workshops and inspiring keynotes, not to mention numerous side events and evening parties for networking.

Maximilian LeRoux, CEO of Acouspin delivering a pitch.

The winning pitch was delivered by Maximilian LeRoux, CEO of Acouspin, a company from Espoo. The prize money was 10,000 euros.

Acouspin, originating from research at the University of Helsinki, has productized nanofiber produced with ultrasound in an unprecedented way. These nanofibers, a thousand times thinner than a human hair, can be utilized in various industrial and medical applications, such as building artificial skin for wound repair.

In five minutes, LeRoux successfully summarized the vast potential of nanofiber, which is sometimes difficult to understand.

This year, in addition to Acouspin, the top three included Fanhaven, a Californian music industry startup, and Swijin, a Swiss company manufacturing sportswear designed for women.

The Polar Bear Pitching business event, organized by Business Oulu, has become one of Oulu’s international hallmarks. This year, the startup idea pitching competition in an ice hole once again attracted numerous emerging companies and media from around the world to the city.

Next year, Polar Bear Pitching will return to Oulu’s Market Square waterfront, which is currently under renovation. As part of the European Capital of Culture year program, there are plans to open the event even more to the general public.