Editor’s note: This is a sponsored post for UKTI
Let’s agree that at one point or other, you are going to the UK. If you are in the tech business, it is more or less unavoidable and for most – very favorable, to end up there whether that is for a business trip, a conference visit or perhaps to set-up a second base for your company.
So here is a chance to do so at basically zero cost and with a bucket full of benefits. All you need to do is to apply here, but do it quickly as time is running out with a deadline on Thursday.
We are talking about a competition for tech companies that has prizes worth a lot of cash but at the same time offers things that money simply can’t buy: getting your company completely set-up for you in London or receiving a business address in Manchester, legal advice from top law firms, PR Consulting to get your name out, business development tips to make sure you grow fast, and co-working space membership and pre-paid tickets to events in your industry.
However the really interesting part about this particular competition is the fact that it is organized by Finnish and Baltic UK Trade & Investment (UKTI), a commercial arm of the UK government. As far as government organizations go, they did a great job as they not only put the government power behind it but got real entrepreneurs and partners on board to pull this through. That’s the ‘money can’t buy part’.
For instance, they have Paavo Bäckman, the founder of Catapult accelerator who was also a part of Mobile Backstage, Musopia & Four Sigma Foods.
Paavo told Arcticstartup that “even though money is valuable for startups, I think that if you really don’t know how to take next steps as quickly as efficencly as possible, then it is simply not enough. If you can get help with sales, marketing, law, etc.. It quickly becomes much more valuable compared to just money alone. You have to have skills to utilise money. If you don’t have connections, don’t have guys who have done it already, then money will not help. And this competition offers just that.”
Our whole team just came back from Techcrunch Disrupt London, and one thing we discussed a lot during the trip was that although the Nordics are extremely strong in building great companies and products, it still makes sense to either visit London and the rest of the UK often or to have an office there.
The main reason being that the networking there is lively with plenty of matchmaking and other events on a daily basis. You can walk into the office of most big VC’s any day of the week, and Angels are in abundance. Not to mention that last year, the UK-technology-sector business saw the fastest increase in almost a decade, and firms in the sector are matching their counterparts in the US, according to KPMG. So this is definitely the place to be.
With just three days to go, Take That Tech to the UK competition for Finnish and Baltic tech companies is your chance to win close to £10 000 in services along with the invaluable advice from the partners and mentors. Here is the link to apply. For more information on the competition, check out the official website.
Top Image Courtesy of Shutterstock // London Calling
