Before the summer holiday, a selected group of entrepreneurs visited Sound Hub Denmark for the ambitious SoundTech Accelerator Program’s second camp. One of the participants was 27-year-old Navajith Karkera, who travelled from India to participate.

He will return to Struer again this week.

As a vibrant metropolis for companies, developers, and entrepreneurs – both local and global, all within the field of sound – Sound Hub Denmark has managed to appeal to startups from Asia, the US, and Europe with their SoundTech Accelerator. This year, Navajith Karkera and Jagath Biddappa from India took the longest journey.

The program targets entrepreneurs and start-ups using sound tech or sound design. Being the only one of its kind, the program offers acceleration support for both sound technology and business aspects, in which the participants receive sparring and tools to optimise their business potential. The interest is therefore high to get accepted.

A unique tech and business opportunity

One of the passionate entrepreneurs heading to Struer was 27-year-old Navajith Karkera from Rapture Innovation Labs. Together with his friend and co-founder Jagath Biddappa, he travelled from India to Struer to access the sound experts at Sound Hub Denmark.

Rapture is a ten-person company from Mangaluru, India. The company develops headphones under their brand name SonicLamb, which give users a unique and immersive sound experience. They achieve this by using their patented hybrid driver technology that reproduces the melodies through air conduction and bass using bone and skin conduction.

Thereby, you can feel the music throughout your body,

Navajith explains. The team is currently developing two models.

The co-founders had a clear goal in mind as they arrived in Struer by train late one evening; They wanted help optimising their product but were also seeking insight into how to improve their current business practices and market approach.

The great thing about coming to Sound Hub is that there are people who understand sound and can help us build a better product and improve its performance. For us, it’s mainly the expertise in sound and acoustics that is attractive about joining and we’re also keen to explore the market opportunity in Denmark.

One aspect is the technical side, developing and optimising the experience, and the other is the business and commercial potential. Since we are an audio company, what should we have in mind? How do we become effective in our market approach? How do we test in the market with the right target audience in mind?

It’s all part of the programme. Through the program it has helped us find our values, understand our customers better, and target the right market,

Navajith Karkera enthusiastically emphasises.

In June, the intense, three-day camp focused on how the selected 7 startups could optimise their marketing and business practices.

Similar to the other startups, Rapture obtained more skills and competencies during their stay – all useful tools and ideas to incorporate into their future marketing and business model.

Photo: Participants visiting Bang & Olufsen

First time in Europe

In addition to focusing on their businesses, all participants had the opportunity to experience a bit of Denmark, in particular Struer – the City of Sound. The camp included this time a Puch Maxi ride around Venø – a small island in the vicinity of Sound Hub. The ride allowed for time to visit the island’s oyster farm, Venø Seafood, and Denmark’s smallest church. A joyful ride for everyone, maybe even more for Navajith and Jagath as it was their first trip to Europe, where the long, bright summer evenings and nature left a strong impression.

Photo: Navajith Karkera at his Sound Hub workspace

The startups will return again this week

At Sound Hub Denmark, the team is delighted with the great interest the SoundTech Accelerator Programme has received. It’s the seventh cohort selected since 2019. Navajith and Jagath were made aware of the program by a previous participant recommending them to apply for the sound-focused and tailor-made program.

This week, the participants return to Struer to embark on the program’s last camp. The theme is sustainable business and focuses on how to build a versatile team using a personalised leadership style.

Ending with a pitch event

The camp also includes investor pitch training. The camp ends with a pitch event where the 7 participants from 6 different countries take the stage, hoping to bring home their first investor and maybe even their next business partner. This final event will also include exciting interviews, engaging debates, great food, and plenty of time to network with the country’s leading players in audio technology and business development.

The SOUND Pitch & Buzz event will take place on September 7th and is exclusively for investors.

About the SoundTech Accelerator Program

The SoundTech Accelerator Program is an intensive program for startups, entrepreneurs, product developers and others working in the sound field. The program runs over 5 months and consists of 3 individual camps, spanning 3 days each. During these camps, participants receive feedback and knowledge on value proposition optimisation, targeting, marketing, partnerships, investment plans, management styles, and pitch training.

Even before the SoundTech Accelerator’s official launch, the program had received international interest with applications from 47 international sound-focused start-ups from 22 countries.

THE SOUNDTECH ACCELERATOR PROGRAM 2023 IS DEVELOPED AND RUN BY SOUND HUB DENMARK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH DANISH CREATIVE INDUSTRIES, AND LEADING GLOBAL KEY PLAYERS WITHIN THE INTERNATIONAL SOUND INDUSTRY.

47 international sound startups from 22 different countries have applied for the SoundTech Accelerator Program initiated by Sound Hub Denmark – the international powerhouse for sound innovation in Denmark.
The interest has been overwhelming.

The applicants come from 22 different countries, mainly Europe, but also the US, Canada, Peru, India, Hong Kong, and Japan. The interest has been immense, as more than 400 startups have acquired material about the program during the last two-and-a-half month’s application period.

The diversity of sound solutions and application areas has also been impressive.

• From revolutionary speaker driver technology to sound assistance for individuals with autism,
• From low-energy voice IP core to sound identification of drones, and
• From electronic music synthesizers to modular earmolds for children
• and many more.

The SoundTech Accelerator Program is the only of its kind dedicated to sound technology and innovation.

The 5-month program is run by soundtech professionals and aims to help soundtech startups to reduce risk, save time and prepare to scale.

Through physical camps in Struer, Denmark, access to world-class sound & audio facilities, and an impressive network combined with deep dives lectures and 1:1 online dialogue, it provides tools and tailored guidance to assist startups to exploit their potential faster, through a focus on their individual challenges.

This unique program offers a balanced focus between product and business – a combination that is not seen in generic accelerator programs.

The interest has overwhelmed the CEO of Sound Hub Denmark, Peter Petersen, who explains:

We know that we have a unique program but are excited by the huge business interest to join, by the geographic spread and by the many diverse innovative applications of sound, which will benefit society and our quality of living.

The selection process is still ongoing. Of the 47 applying startups, 18 have been preselected for interviews and 10 of those will participate in the final selection in mid-April.

About the SoundTech Accelerator Program
The SoundTech Accelerator Program is offered in partnership with Danish Creative Industries (DCI), Accelerace, and realized with support from Bang & Olufsen, The Faerch Foundation, Vald. Birn Holding and the Export and Investment Fund of Denmark (EIFO). Learn more here.

Danish sound technology is truly world-class, and as the sound industry is a major buyer of electronic components, the EOT – Electronics of Tomorrow trade fair is this year expanding with an event area dedicated to sound. The Wave is the name of the area that can be experienced when EOT takes place on 9-11 May 2023 at MCH Messecenter Herning, Denmark.

Sound and electronics are two closely related elements in the modern world, and we surround ourselves with both everywhere. For the same reason, it is obvious that EOT – Electronics of Tomorrow this year dedicates a large event area to sound – an area showcasing both exhibitions, innovative entrepreneurship, examples of sound technology, and a conference featuring specific cases and exciting researchers.

The area has been created in collaboration with Sound Hub Denmark and Danish Sound Cluster, and which, with its ambitious format, is generating great enthusiasm at MCH A/S.

We have observed a great demand for having the sound industry represented at EOT, and we are pleased that with such strong partners, we can ensure a high level of professionalism and innovation in this field. Denmark is at the forefront of sound technology, and it is therefore only natural that the industry is represented at EOT, which focuses on the technology of the future,

says Christina Rosenlund, Project Manager at MCH A/S.

The new event area will be buzzing with sound, acoustics, technology, and innovation, and it has been given the name The Wave, which refers to both sound waves and new trends. All senses will be stimulated in the area, and both established players in the industry and aspiring entrepreneurs on the rise will be present.

Danish Sound Cluster is a membership-based association that bridges the gap between companies, entrepreneurs, and knowledge institutions with the main purpose of supporting the innovation strength of the Danish sound industry and helping to create more growth in the industry. That is why Danish Sound Cluster is very happy to be a partner at EOT’s new event area.

The Wave highlights the Danish sound industry, which with 50,000 employees deserves a completely different level of attention than it is currently receiving. The industry accounts for four percent of Danish exports and has an annual turnover of DKK 70 billion, while at the same time crying out for qualified manpower,

says Torben Vilsgaard, CEO of Danish Sound Cluster, and he continues:

This is why it is very important to create visibility and awareness of the industry and its many attractive jobs. And one of the purposes of The Wave is thus, as far as we are concerned, to clarify what the Danish sound industry is actually capable of. There is a high level of innovation – for instance, the technology used in Danish hearing aids is significantly more advanced than the technology used in many of the tech giants’ products.

Sound Hub Denmark: Sound to excite and unfold at EOT

Sound Hub Denmark, the world’s first international sound technology and innovation environment for companies and entrepreneurs, has also a clear agenda for the purpose of The Wave exposure.

We aim to make sound relevant in industries other than the usual ones by inspiring the industries that need sound in their products – and those that don’t yet realise that they have a need. In addition, we aim to spread awareness of how strong Denmark is in the field of sound,

states Peter Petersen, CEO of Sound Hub Denmark, and continues:

Our overall goal is to attract talent and knowledge jobs to Denmark, and we see EOT as a good opportunity to unfold sound and stimulate an even greater utilisation of the country’s position of strength in sound. This can be done through more cross-sector partnerships, the use of world-class facilities, and ultimately a physical presence here in Denmark. Innovation, talent development, and entrepreneurship, as well as learning communities, are at the forefront of our minds.

It is the ambition that with The Wave, EOT will be the permanent meeting place for the sound industry in the future. A place where people can meet, find inspiration, acquire knowledge, see what’s new on the market, and meet the rest of the electronics industry.

About EOT – Electronic of Tomorrow
EOT – Electronics of Tomorrow will take place on 9-11 May 2023 at MCH Messecenter, Herning, Denmark. Check the program and register for FREE with the Sound Hub Denmark code on EOT-expo.com. Come and meet us  – code: SHD-EOT23 gives you FREE access all 3 days.

Sound Hub Denmark establishes partnership with Danish Creative Industries (DCI) to generate better scaling possibilities for sound technology startups.

Denmark should be the world’s best place to develop and operate businesses using sound technology.
This is the ambition behind a new partnership between Sound Hub Denmark and Danish Creative Industries, which is now establishing an ambitious and innovative accelerator program for international sound technology startups named: SoundTech Accelerator.

Denmark is already a world leader in sound, and we can become even better according to the partners behind the accelerator program.
Sound Hub Denmark’s CEO Peter Petersen states the following about the ambition for the accelerator:

The Danish sound industry, which already employs 52,000 people and accounts for more than 4 percent of Danish exports, must be lifted even higher to remain the world’s best country for sound innovation.

Technological development has led to growth and a greater dispersion of the use of sound technology across industries, e.g., within the health sector. The two partners believe that more creative and innovative solutions are needed to make full use of the business potential.

The SoundTech Accelerator Program aims at international and creative startups, where sound is a part of the solution or challenge and who want to fully exploit their business potential. The program provides tools and tailored guidance to meet the individual startup’s challenges and equips them to utilize their potential faster. The program has a balanced focus on assistance with both product and business maturity.

Founder of Danish Creative Industries, Kristian Riis states about the program;

The importance of creating strong companies focusing on sound is huge for all people. As a musician and entrepreneur, I see not only the SoundTech Accelerator as the key to more successful businesses but also in terms of better lives with a higher quality of life.

The partnership brings together a wide range of experience in attracting, helping, and building viable startups. With a shared attitude of being stronger together, both parties want to share their knowledge with startups so they can grow and develop their full potential and strength, and hereby equip these companies of the future in the best possible way.

Sound Hub Denmark supports sound companies through a wide range of attractive offers, which include access to a sound-specific co-working environment, tailored help and advice, a network of world-renowned sound companies and experts, advanced workshops and test facilities, etc.

Danish Creative Industries is a platform that brings together creative Danish industries and investors. DCI works to promote knowledge, networking, and access to capital for creative businesses that want to take their business to the next level.

The SoundTech Accelerator Program is realized with support from Bang & Olufsen, Accelerace, The Faerch Foundation, and Vald. Birn Holding. Additional sponsors and partners will be announced on an ongoing basis.

About Danish Creative Industries
DCI is a platform that unites creative Danish industries. They work to promote knowledge, networks, and access to capital for creative companies. Since DCI’s public launch in November 2021, with the event series DCI GO!, DCI has visited several Danish cities with a focus on bringing creatives, investors, and industry organizations together. DCI works to fulfill the potential by supporting ecosystems where creative companies have easy access to advice, knowledge, networks, advocacy, and funding, while the public organisations, investors, and industry associations have access to the greatest talents. The creative industries can learn from each other and develop by being inspired by those who do it the best.