Inven2Pitch

Photo: Jannicke Kristoffersen, Inven2

The purpose of Inven2Pitch is to present potential opportunities for investors, as well as for entrepreneurs searching for exciting projects they can further develop into vibrant companies.

“What the projects have in common is their need for entrepreneurs and funding when they are ready to proceed to the commercial phase in just a short time,” says Ole Kristian Hjelstuen, CEO of Inven2. 

Health and cancer

Two Inven2Pitch meetings were held in 2018. In March, ten health projects in the early stages were presented by either Inven2’s project managers or the researchers behind the projects.

The event was held in the health incubator Aleap in the Oslo Science Park, and more than

70 attendants received information about the projects stemming from outstanding health research at the University of Oslo and the hospitals under the South-Eastern Norway Regional Health Authority.

In June, more than 60 people came to the Oslo Cancer Cluster Incubator to hear presentations given by eight promising cancer projects. A large share of the attendants were experienced investors in other cancer companies.

“I am pleasantly surprised that so many established investors from the industry came to the pitching. Many of the projects are related to immunotherapy or represent entirely new cancer treatment methods,” says Hjelstuen.

Norway has a strong tradition in world-class cancer research. Companies like Algeta, Nordic Nanovector, Ultimovacs and Zelluna Immunotherapy have been founded on the basis of this state-of-the-art research.

“Pitching has proven to be a good way of disseminating information about developments in our portfolio. I firmly believe that it will now be easier to obtain funding for these projects after these two rounds of successful pitching,” says Hjelstuen.

The health projects presented at Inven2Pitch:

• Pacertool | A new platform for pacemaker implants based on patient-specific responses
• AKAP18 | Novel therapy for preventing secondary damage in connection with stenting of heart attack patients
• Dronebud AS | Drone deliveries of biological matter between hospitals in the Oslo area
• Ambulansebåre | Lighter and more flexible motorised ambulance stretchers with tilt function
• Catalysts Technologies AS | Catalysts’s digital platform strengthens the work on creating a more inclusive society, one relationship at a time
• Petomics | Mapping pets’ microbiota – a technical and analytical service
• ZinChel | Prohibits antibiotic resistance 
• TSD | Secure storage of sensitive personal data
• DinQ | A new antibiotic 
• Coeliac disease | Blood-test based test that can determine coeliac disease without a previous gluten diet, reducing the number of unnecessary endoscopies

The cancer projects presented at Inven2Pitch:

• Tankyrase inhibition in cancer therapy
• A new drug against Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML)
• Autologous anti-CD20 TCR-engineered T-cell therapy for recurrent Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
• Lymphocyte Booster – Lymphocyte boosting growth medium for Adoptive Cell Therapy
• CD37 CAR for cancer immunotherapy
• IL-15 Immunotherapy – Fusion protein for immunotherapy of solid tumours
• Backscatter: A communication technology enabling colon-cancer screening