Mark Vasu, Executive Vice President, Greentown Labs delivered interesting facts about the emerging and establishing of the largest and most successful cleantech incubator in the USA. Greentown labs started with four cleantech startups sharing space and in a few years, this became the largest and most successful incubator in the USA. Now the member companies are close to 100, and they all benefit from sharing members resources like prototyping spaces, co-working space, machine shop, investor network, legal services, etc. The incubator welcomes more companies to be a part of the ecosystem – and now even companies from Scandinavia.

- At the very end of last year we signed a memorandum of understanding with Cleantech Scandinavia, says Mark Vasu. We try to help each other to grow the innovation ecosystems in both locations and service a kind of landing pad locations for startups that are interested in both directions. This week is about meeting more startups and see where we can be potential helpful some day when they are interested in the US market. We are also meeting with private and public stakeholders here in Lund. We support Magnus Agerström and the city’s efforts to grow the ecosystem in cleantech here.

Val Livada, research Affiliate, Materials Research Laboratory, MIT, offered an overview of the Boston Innovation System. Val also talked about the cooperation between Boston and Lund.

- This is a global game, not a local. The entrepreneurs understand that their future is not in one particular space, it’s where the market and the customers are and you got to be mobile. Scandinavian entrepreneurs need a presence in the states, for example by having a relationship with a local group who can help to expand the business. We need to step up the conversation and the connection and see what happens. There is a lot of really good stuff in Scandinavia. We got to do more together, also for us to go to Europe. It’s a two way trip and the market in Europe is very interesting, so a hold in Scandinavia makes sense.

Mark Vasa shares the same hope for the collaboration in the future:

- If all goes well it will mean more cross fertilization; just not by ideas but hopefully of startups, investors and things that can accelerate deployment of good solutions in places that recognize the value and want to see that thrive.

Of course, the visit also included visits to Lund's large research facilities, Max IV and ESS.