Sanna Venetvaara, Head of the Nordic Innovation Hub, says that the decision to invest in a Nordic Innovation Hub is also indicative of how Takeda – one of the 10 largest pharmaceutical companies in the world – views the future.
“What we’re doing at the Hub constitutes a big part of where the company is going next,” she believes. A major part of the Hub’s agenda is taking emerging digital & AI solutions and making sure that they genuinely benefit the wellbeing of the patient.
Hannes Toivanen, Strategic Partnerships Lead at the Hub, explains that Takeda could have established an innovation hub anywhere in the world, but the Nordic innovation environment and the buzzing health tech scene convinced the company’s leadership.
“I feel that the best thing about the local ecosystem is the attitude. There is genuine desire in the startup field to tackle big problems, using the best technology and solutions on a global scale,” Toivanen assesses. “This mindset was a big reason behind establishing the hub here.”
Sure, there are also things like cutting-edge hi-tech, access to patient data systems and solid healthcare infrastructure – but for Toivanen, it all starts and ends with the right attitude.
“Without it, you don’t stand a chance.”
In the Nordics, there is genuine desire in the startup field to tackle big problems, using the best technology and solutions on a global scale.