Team Laika, winning team of ActInSpace 2020 Sweden.Laika was announced winning team when Swedish contest of international space hackathon ActInSpace 2020 was implemented virtually this weekend.
Hosted by ESA BIC Sweden through Arctic Business Incubator and Innovatum, the competition focused on how space technology can be used in developing new ideas.
– It was a great experience meeting new people, making friends and learning from each other. Also, the opportunity to get in touch with technical and business coaches and use their expertise, while meeting with other teams and hearing their solutions and thoughts, altogether created a dynamic atmosphere for all of us, says Paniz Zegordi, captain of the winning team and MSc student in Management at Stockholm Business School.
Team Laika – other team members being Sahana Shastry, Likitha Thuimmaraju Girijadevi, Karthik Narayanappa and Hendrik Dreger – presented an on-orbit satellite servicing solution that landed them first place in this qualification round for the international finals, held online due to the pandemic.
ActinSpace Sweden gathered 30 participants divided into seven teams that worked from all over the country, having over 50 challenges to choose from. They were offered in three main categories: “Be a newspace player”, “Everyday life business” and “Space for Earth and humanity”. All challenges focused on space technologies, data, patents and infrastructures to be utilized for developing new ideas for use on Earth and/or in space.
The participating teams had 24 hours to come up with their solutions before pitching them to the jury and were supported by coaches from Arctic Business, Innovatum, LTU and LTU Business who provided feedback on their work.
Team Laika will receive 10 000 SEK in cash and a seat in one of the ESA BIC Sweden locations. The winning team will also be invited to the international final that will be held in the beginning of 2021. Due to the pandemic the date and format of the international final will be decided and announced later this year.
Motivation of the ActInSpace 2020 jury
"Team Laika showed great enthusiasm and energy as well as positive team dynamics focusing on a very promising market – on-orbit satellite servicing – giving a convincing pitch based on available technologies, potential upcoming innovations, suitable partners and potential customers to extend the mission duration of satellites and reducing space debris towards more sustainable space activities.”
ActInSpace 2020 Sweden jury
René Laufer, Professor in Space Technology at LTU
Monica Hedberg, Uppsala Innovation Centre and ESA BIC Sweden
Tobias Roos, Innovation Lead Swedish Space Corporation
Emil Svanberg, Business Development Manager, LTU Business and RIT
Jens Lundström, CEO Arctic Business Incubator and ESA BIC Sweden
About ActInSpace®
ActInSpace is an international innovation contest inspiring young women and men worldwide to meet challenges based on space technologies, data, patents and infrastructures to launch start-ups into all areas of our daily lives. Designed for students but open to everyone, the objective is to foster entrepreneurship, encourage start-up creation and promote the use of space technologies and space acquired data to change citizen’s lives, to boost employment and to protect our planet. More about ActInSpace Sweden.
Arctic Business hjälper entreprenörer utveckla extraordinära idéer med växande affärer nationellt och internationellt från norra Sverige. Sedan 2005 har Arctic Business jobbat med över 120 bolag som idag värderas till över 2 miljarder kronor och finns idag med personal i Luleå, Piteå och Skellefteå på respektive science park. Verksamheten ägs av LTU Holding, Norrlandsfonden, Region Norrbotten, Luleå Kommun och Skellefteå Industrihus AB.
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