The Mine has just opened, and we are here to find the gold.
By Marcus Stensland
This is what Pro-Rector at NTNU, Toril Nagelhus Hernes said at this year’s Student Investor Day.
At Student Investor Day, the goal is to gather the leading student entrepreneurs at NTNU. Eleven startups took part, and the participants got the opportunity to present their startup and meet leading investor networks from Trøndelag and Norway.
In collaboration with Sparebank 1 SMN, three prizes were also awarded, “Best business idea,” “Best business plan,” and “Bærekraftsprisen,” with a total prize of NOK 150,000.
In addition, the winner of the “Best Business Plan” won participation at Stage Two in Berlin, a pan-European startup competition for the best startups spinning out of leading European universities.
The reason behind the creation of Student Investor Day is simple. Stian Bongard at NTNU’s School of Entrepreneurship explains.
– NTNU’s School of Entrepreneurship has long wanted an event where student startups are associated with relevant investor networks. The startup phase of a venture is usually a capital-intensive period, especially for students who are still studying or have recently graduated from university, he says.
Routing back to the quote from Pro-Rector Hernes earlier, Student Investor Day was held in the newly opened innovation hub at NTNU, called ‘The Mine’.
The Mine is Norway’s biggest space dedicated to student innovation. Established to help students materializing their entrepreneurial ideas, it also acts as a meeting point for students and businesses.
The hub officially opened on September 2nd, and is located at campus Gløshaugen in Trondheim.
Below you can see some videos from the event (in norwegian).