International relationship building with

Norway

“Study trip to establish long term cooperation of Nor-Hun institutional stakeholders to adopt innovative women business development methods”

Supported: by EEA Norwegian fund HU01-0032-PIERO-A1-2017

Project Promoter: Kultunio Foundation

Kultunio Foundation focuses on environment protection, energy saving, fair competition and most recently on increasing the number of female entrepreneurs and investors.

Donor Partner: Hungarian-Norwegian Chamber of Commerce

The Hungarian-Norwegian Chamber of Commerce has been creating a sustainable economic and social future. Our meetings are planned by the well-connected Hungarian Ambassador to Norway, Anna Siko and her team.

Business and Professional Women Budapest Association

The BPW Budapest Association was founded in 2005, as one of the largest international women organization’s, BPW International’s (https://www.bpw-international.org/) first member in Hungary. BPW International has representation right at the United Nations and the United Nations EU.

SEED Foundation

The Foundation’s mission is to promote the sustainable economy and equal opportunities by developing an ethical, conscious and effective entrepreneurial attitude.

The Foundation for Small Enterprise Economic Development (SEED) was founded in 1990 by entrepreneurial representative groups, higher education institutions, financial institutions and ministries.

Women/Business/Angels Association

The innovator among the partners of Kultunio in HU01-0032-PIERO-A1-2017 project.

It is Women/Business/Angels’ strong belief that having more women collaborating with men would contribute more to building a stronger, globally competitive, innovative part of the Hungarian and CEE economies beyond 2020.

Project goals

The overall objective of the Project was to study Norwegian best practices of cooperation among different institutions taking part in the acceleration and assistance of innovative women entrepreneurs. The project aimed to examine and analyse the existing cooperation models in depth in order to facilitate the adoption of the most sustainable ones in Hungary. The planned two visits of leaders – who are active in female enterprise development – was planned to exchange experiences of the key institutions and would start the development of a long-term partnership between the two countries around women in business. The goal was to strengthen gender equality and participation in business in Hungary with lessons learned in Norway while strengthening understanding about the Hungarian side. The project focused on the main points of enterprise development: Innovation, training and incubation; access to and accumulation of finance; therefore included relevant institutions to increase the female contribution to entrepreneurship.

Activities carried out

Study trip to Oslo

(12-16 February 2018)

A delegation of the 4 Hungarian Project partners visited 12 Norwegian organizations selected by the Donor Partner to exchange experiences in order to enter cooperating in the contribution to the ecosystems and female enterprise development. The meetings were all organized by our Donor Partner, the Hungarian-Norwegian Chamber of Commerce.

Norwegian organizations visited during the trip to Oslo:

SHEInvests

Lead by: Heidi Aven: CEO

Sheinvest supports women with micro businesses to scale to sustainable and impactful SMEs, because they believe that this is where real and long-term social and economic impact can be made.

Nordic Impact/Expgroup

Lead by: Anders H. Lier, Executive Chairman

Katapult accelerator was founded by A. H. L. with the aim of making profit but doing good in meantime. He is an impact investor believing that the key drivers of the future will be: motivated by impact the global goals better business better World.

OsloTech

Lead by: Thea Martine Aalen Wiig

The Company established in 1984 has been primarily focusing on the development and to support of technological entrepreneurship of Oslo regional center.

Startuplab

Lead by: Heidi Hopstock

Oslotech founded StartupLab in 2012 as a tehnical umbrella organization for covering and supporting digital developments.

Innovation Norway

Lead by: Siv Isabel

Innovation Norway is the Norwegian Government’s most important instrument for innovation and development of Norwegian enterprises and industry. They support companies in developing their competitive advantage and to enhance innovation. Innovation Norway provides competence, advisory services, promotional and network services.

Seed Forum

Lead by: Steinar Hoel Korsmo, President and CEO

Seed Forum is a global organization with the permission to facilitate access to finance, co-working spaces, accelerators and other programs to boost global innovation. Seed Forum is represented by NGOs and representatives in many countries around the world. Seed Forum is often referred to as the world’s biggest investor network.

NORBAN

Lead by: Truls Bergy, Chairman of the Board

A forum for Norway’s leading business angel actors. Membership is reserved for skilled resource persons who invest capital, knowledge, time and network in unlisted businesses. Currently, it consists of 150 members.

NHO – The Female Future Program

Lead by: Kari Minge, Head of the programme

NHO (Norwegian Employers’ Confederation) “is the main representative organisation for Norwegian employers with companies ranging from small family-owned businesses to multi-national companies” with about 600000 people employed in them.

BPW Follo

Lead by: Anna Valhorsen, president

Follonettverk was established in 1995 and was Norway’s first professional network for female entrepreneurs. On November 2012, the network, as the only one in Norway was accepted as a member of Business and Professional Women International, an international network of female entrepreneurs and professional business women.

Kvinner i Business (Women in business)

Lead by: Marit H. Silseth

Kvinner i Business was established in 2011, and consists of the women in Asker and Baerum Municipality. The network’s purpose is to provide members with inspiration, business opportunities, professional support and expertise to develop in business.

Vulkan

Vulkan is the name of the former industrial area on the western bank of Akerselva river in Oslo. Since 2004 the area has been transformed and revitalized by Aspelin Ramm and Anton B Nilsen property developers, based on the plan by LPO architects, and is a full scale example of sustainable urban development.

Angel Challenge AS

Lead by: Matthew Smith, Investment programme director

By activating more angel investors, making the investments more visible, and making more start-ups investable, Angel Challenge aims to create a stronger startup scene and lay the stepping stones for new successful entrepreneurial stories from their community.