Netural Coaches Winning JKU Team at the Global Scaling Challenge
Students from Linz's Johannes Kepler University emerged from the online growth strategy competition Global Scaling Challenge with not one, but four awards, including the main prize “Global Winner”, beating teams from top Asian, American and British universities - and Netural lends a hand.
They did not land the millions that are at stake in the popular TV show SharkTank, just 5,000 Euros in prize money, but they gained enormous prestige for their team and their university. Students of the master program Leading Innovative Organizations at Johannes Kepler University entered the digitally held Global Scaling Challenge, developing innovative growth strategies for startups in the life science sector - and prevailed against strong competition. Netural is particularly pleased because we are active supporters and sponsors of the “Leading Innovative Organizations” course - and because Netural CEO Albert Ortig has coached the winning team as a mentor.
Supported with his digital know-how in developing the award-winning sales models and product ideas: Netural CEO Albert Ortig.
Thirteen universities on three continents sent seventeen teams into a digitally held competition with a twofold purpose: to motivate students all over the world to overcome their pandemic-induced isolation, to network, to compete and to learn from one another - and on the other hand to confront the next generation of business leaders with “real world problems”. Much like in the “Shark Tank” show, a top-notch jury of venture capital investors, entrepreneurs and researchers judged the concepts entered by the participating teams.
The Challenge involved developing growth strategies for three real-life business cases in the life science sector. One related to automated wildlife management, another to the use of robots for cleaning and disinfection, and a third to an accelerated blood sample sequencing process.The competitors had one short week to develop USP, market entry, growth and financing strategies and to wrap them up in a convincing presentation. Professor Matthias Fink, JKU, Professor Hans Landström, University of Lund, and Albert Ortig coached the Austrian participants as mentors.
The JKU team scored with holistic, responsible growth strategies which pursue economic, social and ecological objectives in a mutually beneficial manner. The team members attend the English-language compact master´s course “Leading Innovative Organizations”, which takes small groups of selected students under the guidance of a strong research faculty to a full master’s degree in just one year, inviting participants on, e.g. educational leave. Congratulating the winning team, Albert Ortig said: “Nothing makes sponsors happier than a victory. Well done, thank you - it is a pleasure to support the Leading Innovative Organizations program."
