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News • Lappeenranta • Finland • 2012-06-16

Russian companies are actively seeking partners

Russian companies sought for new partners and financing in Lappeenranta during EU-Russia Innovation Forum and EBN Congress this week. Money Talks Forum, which Technopolis organized in connection with the event, is an efficient fundraising and matchmaking event linking companies and investors together.

Matchmaking events are becoming more and more common in the international business. Globally operating investor Nils Granath, Partner at Cartagena Capital, has participated in similar events around the world.

“This event was special because there are many Russian companies present”, said Granath.

Granath arrived to Lappeenranta to see what kind of potential is in the companies present.

“It’s good to get an overview of the companies from the presentations, but what really count are the one-to-one meetings where you can discuss in a more detailed manner”, Granath explains.

Among the over fifty companies were also local entrepreneurs. One of them was Marko Karhunen, CEO of a Lappeenranta-based company Ekogen. His goal was to connect with potential investors as well as clients.

“We are developing a small-scale power plant that uses wood-based fuel as the energy source. We are opening the pilot plant in August and hope to expand our business to Europe and Russia in the future. One-to-one meetings I had were a good starting point for some new negotiations with potential investors”, Karhunen says.

The organizers of EU-Russia Innovation Forum and EBN Congress are more than pleased with the way the participants utilized the possibilities to network.

“We have experienced really positive atmosphere in Lappeenranta during these days. Forum participants had a possibility to meet each other in 24 different workshops and create visions for the future. We believe it created fresh ideas that will carry co-operation further”, says Minna Martikainen, Vice Rector of Lappeenranta University of Technology.

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