Digital MatchMaking
| Reference number | |
| Coordinator | Södertälje Science Park AB |
| Funding from Vinnova | SEK 1 000 000 |
| Project duration | May 2020 - October 2021 |
| Status | Completed |
| Venture | Innovations to mitigate the crisis |
| Call | Finding new ways in the time of a crisis |
Purpose and goal
The purpose of creating conditions for startups to go from prototype to production with the help of Swedish subcontractors has been fulfilled through six rounds of Digital Matchmaking (DM), where 31 startups and 15 manufacturers participated. One objective was to give each company the opportunity to talk to production experts for further support in the industrialization process, which has been achieved as all companies have completed 1-3 hours of coaching. The goal of giving manufacturers the opportunity to broaden their product portfolio has been achieved through the program.
Expected results and effects
31 startups and 15 manufacturers participated in 6 rounds of Digital Matchmaking (DM). In the evaluations, 20 startups have stated that DM has contributed to new relevant contacts. 10 startups have stated that DM has led to collaboration or future collaboration. Four different versions of DM have been implemented to test different variants of methodology and collaborations. Fem DM was organized by Production Angels, one of which in collaboration with Ignite Sweden and a round integrated into a larger programme. A round was organized by Projekt Matlust for food support.
Planned approach and implementation
The project has made it easier for the target group to network and start collaborations during the pandemic, and has saved companies both time and resources. The effective method has been tested in various formats and has been integrated into Production Angels through a new Vinnova-funded project. An interesting outcome was the higher proportion of collaborations in Matlust´s matching. A time-consuming preparatory work was carried out to ensure a match. This has provided important lessons about what level of preparatory work is needed to streamline the process.