Venture Cup is starting this academic year with a brand new Chief Executive Officer. Adam T?nsberg is 45, from Copenhagen and has a career that spans 25 years. We sat down with him to hear about his visions and plans for Venture Cup?s future.
VC: You?ve been here for about a month now. How are you liking it?
Adam: Venture Cup has this incredible potential. It has a fantastic platform and a unique history. It?s a job where I get to play every key there is and get to meet a whole lot of inspiring people.
Why do you think you were chosen for the job?
I?m a bit older candidate than the previous directors and that means that I bring some experience with me. I have ten year?s experience as a management consultant and six of those were spent as an independent entrepreneur. I?ve tried to build a company up from the ground and I?ve tried selling it. I also have some experience teaching Executive MBA students business planning, entrepreneurship and strategy projects, so I really get around the spectrum, with personal experience, management consulting and teaching.
What do you see as Venture Cup?s greatest challenges?
The biggest challenge is to further expand our position as the leading qualifier for entries in business plan competitions for university students. Competitions that leads to the most successful start-ups, the most successful intrapreneurs in companies and generally a recognition from the Venture industry as the most preferred Venture competition in the world.
Where do you see Venture Cup in ten years?
In ten years, I imagine Venture Cup will be a global competition for the best university students in the world. We?ll do this in cooperation with other large organizations who already do what we do in Scandinavia and around the world. We will have 100.000 students participating and give out prizes worth million?s of dollars.
What is your best advice for a team looking to participate?
Without having participated myself, although I have been at the other end as a teacher and a supervisor in business planning, I?d say that the important thing is to build a team of different people. By that I mean try to integrate different universities, students from different schools, but also look outside of the academic world. Find practicing entrepreneurs who might not have the same education as you but who know how to sell and think in an innovative way. I?d make sure there is a strong communicator on the team to present your case, and you need people on the team who can write sharp business plans as well as people with excellent technical skills. It?s a question of using the full symphony of your skills to prepare a business plan that is well-rounded.
The Venture Cup Idea Competition is in full swing and you find more information HERE!
Get a taste of what it is like to compete in a business plan competition by signing up for Danish Entrepreneurship Award 2012 before oct. 24!
BONUS: Submit your application before the 1st of November and get an advisor on your team!
Venture Cup is a non-profit organization constantly striving to help and inspire young entrepreneurs through access to advisors, workshops, networks and competitions. For the past 12 years we have facilitated the creation and growth of more than a 190 startups and continue to do so every day.
Venture Cup | www.venturecup.dk | Tel +45 3815 3377 | [email protected]