Press release

MuchSkills Wins North Star Pitch 2024, Securing a Place in the Startup World Cup Finale

September 30, 2024
MuchSkills Wins North Star Pitch 2024, Securing a Place in the Startup World Cup Finale

The skills management platform beat nine top European startups to claim victory at TechBBQ in Copenhagen. On Oct 4, in San Francisco, it will compete for a $1 million investment prize.

Swedish startup MuchSkills was named the unanimous winner of the North Star Pitch at TechBBQ, the Europe’s premier tech and innovation summit, held in Copenhagen on September 12. This victory propels the skills management analytics SaaS platform directly into the Startup World Cup Grand Finale in San Francisco in October, where it will compete for a $1 million investment prize. MuchSkills outshone nine other finalists, representing some of Europe's most promising startups, to claim the crown.

MuchSkills is a strategic workforce planning solution designed to drive organisational success by aligning employee skills with business needs. It provides organisations with the skills intelligence they need to enhance efficiency, drive innovation, and maintain a competitive edge in a rapidly evolving market.

The North Star Pitch at TechBBQ is a high-profile competition that attracts some of the most innovative and promising startups from Europe. This year, it had 131 applications from 28 countries.

“We're incredibly proud of this win – it’s a testament to the hard work and passion we've invested in building the world’s leading skills mapping solution,” said MuchSkills CEO Daniel Nilsson. “For years, our clients have grappled with the challenge of efficiently mapping workforce skills, and we offer a solution that addresses this long-standing issue. Winning this prize reaffirms our commitment to innovation and our mission to transform how organisations manage and optimise their talent.”

Daniel Nilsson on stage MuchSkills wins North Start pitch
Daniel Nilsson, MuchSkills CEO presents at the North Star Pitch

Established in 2019 by the Swedish design and strategy consulting firm Up Strategy Lab, MuchSkills is a skills-management platform designed to address the lack of clarity surrounding the skills landscape across organisations. By providing detailed insights into current skills and abilities, alongside real-time skill gap analysis, MuchSkills enables organisations to efficiently deploy talent, enhancing overall performance while identifying opportunities for upskilling and reskilling. This workforce optimisation drives better business outcomes while fostering a culture of continuous learning and development, driving organisational growth and agility.

TechBBQ, held annually in Copenhagen, Denmark, is a major two-day tech and startup summit that brings together startups, investors, and speakers from around the world for pitch competitions, keynote talks, and networking. The 2024 event, the summit’s 12th edition, attracted 2,100 startups and over 8,000 attendees.

“The North Star Pitch Competition was created to shine a spotlight on the future of innovation – our remarkable entrepreneurs,” said Joanna Opoka of TechBBQ. “What began as a regional initiative for the Nordics and Baltics has now evolved into a European-wide competition… Entrepreneurs are the driving force behind a better future, and it’s our responsibility at TechBBQ to showcase their potential through the international reach our annual summit provides.”

The Startup World Cup is one of the world’s largest and most prestigious pitch competitions. This year, it is slated to feature prominent speakers such as Robert Herjavec (star of ABC’s Shark Tank), Tim Draper (Founding Partner of Draper Associates & DFJ), Suzanne DiBianca (Chief Impact Officer at Salesforce), Faye Iosotaluno (CEO of Tinder), Daniel Danker (Chief Product Officer at Instacart), and Richard Kerris (VP of Developer Relations at NVIDIA). 

Daniel Nilsson on stage MuchSkills wins North Start pitch
Daniel Nilsson on stage

Nilsson said that he was looking forward to showcasing MuchSkills to some of the industry's best and brightest at San Francisco. “We are absolutely thrilled to be heading to the Startup World Cup finale,” he said. “Competing on a global stage alongside some of the most innovative minds is an incredible opportunity for MuchSkills and we can’t wait to demonstrate the significant impact our platform can have on businesses worldwide.”

Daniel Nilsson and Noel Braganza on stage together with the judges MuchSkills wins North Start pitch
Daniel Nilsson and Noel Braganza on stage together with the judges

In 2023, Japanese startup Aillis, a machine-learning-based AI company that uses pharyngeal images for early and accurate influenza detection, won the Startup World Cup.

More about MuchSkills:

MuchSkills is a skills management and analytics SaaS platform developed by Up Strategy Lab. It offers innovative solutions for human resource management, enabling businesses to build autonomous, high-performing teams, reduce attrition rates, and promote employee growth. The platform facilitates strategic workforce planning through visualised skills data, empowering leaders to make informed decisions based on data-driven insights.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Name: Daniel Nilsson

Email: daniel@muchskills.com

Ph: +46707403684

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