FAQs
Here is a list of the most frequently asked questions and our replies.
What does Cleantech Inn Sweden actually do!?
We speed up the development process of selected companies and members through guidance and advisory services, facilitate and influence potential customers and financial backers by encouraging them to purchase products and invest in our members. This includes helping to drive the company forward and promote demand. We have a wide range of offerings and activities. Our close contact with individual members means that we are able to fully understand the needs and thereby tailor the correct investments. This can be summarised as result driven and suited to requirements.
I have an idea, can you help me?
Yes, and even if we don’t help you we can put you on the right track. If you contact us we have a good selection process that helps us determine if we or somebody else is best suited to offer support. We are quite willing to pass on customers to other organisations if they are more qualified to help, these can include incubator companies, Connect, Almi, New Start-Ups Centre or an associate. We can also advise inventors to take a closer look at their invention and decide exactly what they want to do with their idea.
What don’t you do?
We only do things that will speed up the development of cleantech innovations in Sweden. We do not invest in companies and we don’t work with companies that do not want to grow and expand or that do not show a reasonable chance of growing outside of Sweden. We do not work with established companies unless they wish to develop an innovation as a separate business. We do not work with ideas that have not been fully formulated. We do not work with innovations that don’t meet our cleantech definition. We do not work with things that other parties in Sweden can do so much better.
Are you consultants?
Both yes and no, most importantly we don’t charge for our services as we have a responsibility to society to get things off the ground commercially, in other words we make it easier for ideas to develop into a good business that can grow and expand. However we advise, facilitate and guide management consultants for cleantech companies but we never adopt an operative position in a company.
Why should one become a member?
Our members often highlight the advantages of having access to other member companies. Membership is an independent hallmark of quality that underlines a member’s commitment to cleantech. As a member your company becomes visible to potential customers and investors. Members have full access to our network of investors, authorities and business contacts. Our competent staff are the perfect sounding board and counsellors. You are welcome to contact any of our members and ask questions.
How can I become a member?
First you must pass our screening process; we have clear rules and minimum demands with respect to both business and sustainability. The basic requirements are that you have started a Limited Company, are not established on the market and have potential for profitable growth. You must also show that the management is determined to ensure the success of the innovation and that they work in line with our definition of cleantech, by this we mean that you have a solution that can solve a social problem without creating new environmental problems and that can be effective in other parts of the world.
I was refused membership, why?
If for some reason or other you (your company) do not meet our requirements we try to be very clear as to where the shortfall(s) is and what you can do to rectify it. If something can be rectified you are welcome to make a new application when the changes have been made. It might be that we are the wrong partner for you, and if this is the case we will try to suggest alternatives.
Are you an incubator company?
No. We do not have this type of premises nor can we offer a company incubation programme. However, in common with incubator companies we do help with the speedy development of new innovations. A minority of our members are aligned to incubator companies and many have participated in an incubator programme. As a national player we focus on one sector (cleantech) and in this way have a critical mass of member companies. We complement local and regional incubator companies by being a national player in a national forum, by having a cleantech relevant network and offering our members the opportunity to collaborate with other companies and partners.
When will I cease to be a member?
When a company is established in its target market. Every year we review membership to ensure that we agree that membership is beneficial and realising its aims or whether it is time to call is a day. We also check members against our screening criteria to confirm that nothing has happened that will exclude the company as it no longer satisfies our minimum requirements, for example, this could be a change of strategy, staffing or level of activity.
What does it cost to get help?
Once you have passed our screening procedure we offer you full membership; there are no membership fees or ownership shares. On the other hand, if we are to be able to help you we expect you to be an active participant and that you give something back to the group, this can be by attending our half-yearly member meetings. We also need to see you carrying out value-adding activities in your company. The membership of a passive member is cancelled. All these ‘rules’ are created and upheld in order to add credence to our organisation and ensure that membership is a hallmark of quality. In short, these expectations are our membership fee.
Who pays the costs of running your organisation?
Our costs are covered by various public bodies. The largest proportion is supplied by Vinnova, the Innovation Authority. Some funds are supplied by Tillväxtverket [the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth] under the Miljödrivna Marknader framework. And because it is clear that regional companies can be of national importance, some funds are also supplied by Region Skåne and Västra Götalandsregionen. It was Region Skåne that took the initiative and managed the initial (feasibility) studies for Cleantech Inn Sweden. The initial project was titled Sweden Cleantech Incubators.
Have you done a good job so far?
Looking at the forecasted long-term effects we believe we are doing a good job and will continue to do so as long as we can show that Swedish companies that participate in cleantech are growing in numbers and fast, and that our efforts have played an important role. We have been charged with creating sustainable growth with respect to both employment and business opportunities and there are a number of pointers that indicate we are moving in the right direction; the latter include notable increases in member companies’ turnover and knowhow and that they have succeeded in finding the necessary funds and investments. In our follow-up work we employ both hard facts and ‘soft’ interviews that allow us to gain knowledge of our members’ experiences. In our day-to-day work we feel that we have achieved something if we have arranged contacts, helped to start a business or joint venture or even helped a company enjoy an ‘aha’ experience that will help them develop their company on the path to profit and growth. In simple terms – that we have satisfied members.
What are your environmental goals?
We don’t have any specific environmental goals for our organisation or our results. We believe that as long as we have helped develop long-term sustainable development that will allow the market to replace an out-dated system that is not sustainable and that will thereby be environment friendly we have succeeded in our efforts - full stop. On the other hand it is a rewarding feather in our cap if we can show in hard facts that our members’ achievements have made a contribution in paving the way to sustainable development and more importantly that they can enjoy this reward – and it is for the later reason we are here.
What is meant by cleantech?
There are a number of definitions and Cleantech Inn Sweden has chosen to define it as: ‘Solutions that drive sustainable development’. In our opinion this definition best matches the enormous challenges that mankind has set itself, that is to say a long-term sustainable society requires us to rethink what we are doing. It is important that we are clear in our meaning of cleantech. There are many who only pay lip-service to cleantech or only apply it to solutions related to energy and environment related solutions – this means that if we are not careful the term will become just another watered down concept of no real relevance.
What is a ‘long-term sustainable society’?
The Bruntland Commission describes a long-term sustainable society as: ‘Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’. One way of achieving this is to follow a few basic principles from a scientific perspective. To learn more about this visit our animation Earthwise.
