Cellevate – one of the winners sharing SEK 2.5 million

SmiLe company Cellevate was one of the winners of Swedbank’s Rivstart contest for entrepreneurs last Friday. A total of 4,321 entries were submitted to the contest. The company will receive SEK 250,000 and guidance on how to commercialize its innovation – a technology that could revolutionize drug development while reducing the number of animal experiments.

Cellevate was one of 15 companies selected for their business ideas from a total of 4,321 submitted projects. The purpose of Swedbank’s Rivstart contest was to find and support entrepreneurs who help make the world a better place. A total of SEK 2.5 million was awarded to the ten companies that presented the best pitch and had the best business idea. The business idea should solve a problem, contribute to a favorable change in the community and have the potential to build a profitable business.

With its unique nanotechnology, Cellevate creates new models for drug development, with potential to streamline the development process for more efficient, less expensive and faster drug development – while reducing the number of animal experiments.

Motivation of the jury: “In this idea, renewal is the guiding principle and they use new technology based on a sustainability perspective to solve the challenge of developing drugs faster in order to help and cure more people, both safely and cost-effectively. Maximilian Ottosson is a worthy winner of Swedbank’s Rivstart.”

"We are thrilled to leave the contest as one of the winners, selected from thousands of entries. As a first-time entrepreneur, life can seem a bit like a roller coaster: some days you have full confidence in the idea, while others you feel like you are in over your head. Winning like this provides a real boost to your self-confidence, especially after reading about the ideas against which we were measured,” says Maximilian Ottosson, CEO of Cellevate.

The jury included Birgitte Bonnesen – CEO of Swedbank, and the chairman of the jury, Jan Eliasson – diplomat, former Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, and former Minister for Foreign Affairs, Johan Rockström – director, Stockholm Resilience Center and professor at Stockholm University, as well as a number of experienced entrepreneurs.

 

Cellevate is a company at SmiLe Incubator, which helps entrepreneurs within life science to commercialize their business ideas and is located in Medicon Village in Lund.

Facts about Cellevate: Cellevate is an innovative biotech company that develops the next generation of cell culture systems. We create highly porous and consistent networks of nanofibers through a patented manufacturing process. Our goal is to provide life science researchers with more realistic in-vitro models, for more relevant data and successful research.

Enhancing life-science through nanotechnology

Contact: Maximilian Ottosson, CEO, +46 (0)736 333390, maximilian.ottosson@cellevate.com, www.cellevate.com

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