The Poseidon statue and fountain. Gothenburg will host Edays in November. Photo: Kjell Holmner
(Updated Oct 7, 2010) On November 8-10 – in about five weeks – hundreds of Swedish and American businesspeople will come together in Gothenburg, Sweden’s second largest city located on its West Coast. They will attend the Swedish-American Entrepreneurial Days. “It will be our best Edays ever,” says Gunilla Girardo, who resigned from her role as President of SACC-USA in July, but continues to lead the preparations for SACC-USA’s annual business matchmaking event and conference.
“There will be many delegates from the U.S., including a delegation of venture capitalist sent by the Department of Commerce. They are looking for Swedish partners, and know that we can deliver. This is an important recognition for SACC-USA,” says Gunilla Girardo.
Urban Lundberg, chairman and president of SACC-USA and Ambassador Jonas Hafström met with Bob McDonald, governor of Virginia SACC-USA on September 14th. They invited Virginia to send a trade mission to Sweden and to Edays. SACC-USA is also working with Michigan, Minnesota, Rockford, Illinois and Savannah, Georgia. Doug Domenech, Secretary of Natural Resources, State of Virginia, will talk about “Bringing Swedish Green Tech to the U.S.”
Gunilla Girardo says that renewable energy and sustainable buildings are high on the American interest. She expects at least 150 visitors from the U.S.. The interest on the Swedish side is also strong, she says.
The program will include the business matchmaking process, but feature boot camps about selling, funding and legal issues.
The program will address big broad issues as well as more narrowly targeted, reaching from the global financial crisis to the state of the Swedish automotive industry and sustainable transport systems. Speakers include Jan Åke Jonsson, CEO, Saab Automobile, Victor Muller, CEO of Spyker Cars, Gregory Carson, a principal at Ocean Bridge Capital, Doreen Mogavero, co-founder of Mogavero, Lee & Co at the New York Stock Exchange and Cecilia Skingsley, analysis manager at Swedbank.
The dynamic role of immigrants for entrepreneurship in Sweden will be highlighted in a panel called “Global Mobility for Global Business; New Swedish Entrepreneurship by 70,000 Swedish Immigrants.” The panel will be moderated by Maroun Aoun, president of IFS (an association for immigrant entrepreneurs in Sweden), Andreas Hatzigeorgiou, project manager at the Sweden’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Sara Wallin, president of Almi Väst, an state agency that provides financial support for small enterprises.
There will also be four industry specific programs during the Edays conference and matchmaking event:
- Waste Recycling & Biofuels production
- Energy Efficient Buildings & Sustainable Community Planning
- Sustainable Transport Systems
- Venture, Innovation & Entrepreneurship
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