At each of the three MONICA hackathons, the participant with the best idea and solution is selected to win a prize of 5,000 EUR for further development of the prototype.

Besides receiving the prize money, each winner participates in a customised Business Growth Programme targeted their winning idea. Finally, they will be able to test their prototypes at one of the projects’ six pilot sites.

The Growth Programme includes:

Customised consulting with a business development consultant, either through physical meetings or Skype meetings. The winner will get:

  • An initial meeting with the consultants from Vaeksthus Zealand where the innovative idea is analysed in relation to the Growth Programme. In this first counselling, the plan is to define the goals and ambitions for the Growth Programme, make a first, 360-degree assessment of the idea, establish potential commercialisation and look at the winner’s competences in order to define what is needed in the programme. The Growth Programme focuses on both the short-term issues that can be handled within the time period of the programme, and the long-term issues that the winner will continue working on after ending the programme.
  • Two to three follow-up meetings with a business consultant to keep the winner on track in relation to the Growth Programme. These meetings will focus on delivering and executing the set goals, ambitions and tasks.
  • One exit meeting to ensure that the winner is sufficiently equipped to deploy the idea in the second phase of MONICA pilot demonstrations. The exit meeting will include a full 30, 60, 90-day plan for actions and decisions needed to achieve success.

Workshops on the business aspects depending on the profile of the winner:

  • Concept and business development
  • Market analysis and identification of customer profile
  • Product portfolio
  • Sales, marketing, network, branding and PR
  • Business management and organisation
  • Legal aspects and processes
  • Production and deliveries
  • Internationalisation

Guidance by technical and pilot project partners through physical meetings or Skype meetings:

Prototype testing at one of the pilot sites during the second phase of demonstrations:

  • Identification of relevant pilot sites together with technical and pilot project partners from MONICA.

Get more knowledge – meet the experts

As a part of the Growth Programme, participants will have meetings with experts within business development, entrepreneurship and many other aspects concerning growth and development of business ideas. The experts are:

Lasse Sørensen
Lasse SørensenInternational Marketing and Management, Growth Consultant, Copenhagen Sound
Lasse works as a startup consultant in Vaeksthus Copenhagen and he worked, before joining the Vaeksthus team in 2013, as a senior corporate banker in leading Danish banks. Over the years, Lasse has worked with 500+ entrepreneurs, startups and international growth companies many of which have set new standards for innovation and business models. Lasse is a startup expert, pitch-trainer and business mentor/coach used by several private organisations, networks and public institutions and universities. Lasse holds a M.Sc. degree in international marketing and management from Copenhagen Business School.
Claus Kaaber
Claus KaaberM. law, Growth Consultant at Vaeksthus Zealand
With Claus Kaaber as coach, the participants will get a hands-on experience. Claus advises on business concepts – organisation, administration, economics, sales and marketing efforts so that participants become experts on online marketing, daily operations and employment relationships.

Claus also has experience working with Business Angels, which is about making the business interesting to investors. Claus Kaaber has a long career with 22 years of professional experience. He has been self-employed for eight years, of which the first two entailed working as a consultant for SMEs, being responsible for fundraising.