/ Norsjór won the Sustainable Business Idea Competition 2022
Start-up company Norsjór won the final of the Sustainable Business Idea Competition. Norsjór is building a laser system to remove fouling on ships. The solution can contribute to a significant reduction in fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.
Norsjór competed against the companies Mykos and Vantu in this year's final, which took place at Thon Hotel Norge in Kristiansand on Thursday, November 3. County Mayor Arne Thomassen presented the diploma to Nordsjór, which can now receive support of up to NOK 150,000 for office space, counseling and services for further business development.
Founder and CEO Amalie Eilertsen presented the concept to the jury and the audience. In short, Nordsjór is building an underwater laser system to remove fouling on ships. Among other things, this reduces fuel consumption and can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent. The solution thus responds to important challenges for the maritime industry. The company has already received support from Innovation Norway and is now seeking local private investors and partners in the maritime industry. Besides Eilertsen, the team consists of Arne K. Drangsholt, Kennet Karlsen and Jarle Haugereid.
Norsjór won this year's competition. From left: Jarle Haugereid, founder and CEO, Amalie Eilertsen and County Mayor Arne Thomassen (Photo: Business Region Kristiansand)
Amalie Eilertsen (Photo: Business Region Kristiansand)
Strong finalists
The three finalists all had very good and sustainable business ideas and received a lot of good feedback from the judging panel, which consisted of regional director in DNB, Helge Hammersbøen, CEO of Innoventus Sør, Kamilla Sharma, partner in BDO Jostein Håland and head of Business Region Kristiansand Geir. A. Haugum.
Tom Logmate presented for Vantu, which will use satellite data and algorithms to help camping van travelers find nice places to visit without putting pressure on nature. Vantu is a companion app that uses deep learning to help users find suitable accommodation. The company was established after the team won the EU-supported idea development competition Cassini Hackaton in May 2022 and is qualified for stage 2 of Kjeller Innovation and the European Space Agency's incubator program Nordic Launch.
Betine Bjørdal and Tor Trosten presented for Mykos. They want to produce packaging and shipping packaging, and in particular packaging for shipping fish, using raw materials from Norwegian forests. Market research has been carried out and development of a prototype is underway. Fish boxes are currently made from polystyrene and fish shippers are an important target group for the company. The material is biodegradable and completely free of harmful substances. Mykos will carry out research and development work and is now looking for local partners. The company originates from the master's program SHIFT Innovation and Entrepreneurship at UiA.
Last year's winner - Pleco Marine has been awarded the "Student Million"
Pleco Marine, which won the 2021 competition, was founded by five master students at UiA about 1.5 years ago. Tobias Øverli, one of the founders, told about their progress so far and that they have also been awarded the "student-million" (grant for student entrepreneurship "STUD-ENT") from Innovation Norway.
STUD-ENT is aimed at recent graduates who want to set up their own business based on knowledge acquired during their studies. Students must be approaching the end of their master's degree or have recently graduated. The start-up aims to build a business by developing new solutions that the market demands. The funding can be used to establish a profitable business model and launch the solution in the market. STUD-ENT grants are awarded to innovative projects with significant growth potential in the international market
Tobias Øverli, Pleco Marine (Photo: Business Region Kristiansand)
The evening's speaker was business advisor Stein Otto Daatland from Business Region Kristiansand (Kristiansand municipality's business unit).
Mingling. From left: County Mayor Arne Thomassen, business advisor Alice Leland Høye and host and business advisor Stein Otto Daatland.
