Carsten Kølbek is Partner in Rainmaking which is organizing Startupbootcamp - an entrepreneurial initiative where each entrepreneur can get DKK 25.000 as seed capital to start a company in three months.

What is the point with Startupbootcamp?

--The purpose of Startupbootcamp is to support and strengthen entrepreneurial teams with good ideas. The target group consists of entrepreneurial people in Northern Europe, and we hope to receive approximately 250 applications from teams. From these, 10 will be selected to enter a three-month program in Copenhagen over the course of the summer 2010. The goal is that the teams will move from idea to prototype or product, which at the end of the program will be presented to a large group of investors.

Who is Rainmaking?

--Rainmaking was founded in 2006 by Martin Bjergegaard, Morten Abildgaard Kristensen, Morten Bjerregaard Nielsen and I. Since then, we have had two exits with the GodtSyn and CityLasik, both related to eye surgery treatments, and both sold to the eye treatment company Memira with Investor Growth Capital as major proprietor. In the beginning of 2010, we opened an office in London, and we are planning to open an office in New York within the next two years.

Why did you initiate Startupbootcamp?

--More and more self-employed business people approached us wanting to do business, and with Startupbootcamp we have found a good way to comply with these approaches. Also, we want to be attractive towards new and edgy entrepreneurs and hopefully contribute to the making of the next Skype. Last but not least, we feel that we have learned a lot about entrepreneurship over the last couple of years, and we would like to give something back as well as pass on this knowledge.

Who’s helping?

-- Approximately 50 top mentors from our network will take part in Startupbootcamp passing along their good advices as well as open some doors to their own networks.

Who have been your “rolemodels” to start Startupbootcamp?

--We have been inspired by Tech Stars, Seedcamp and Y Combinator. We have not found any similar initiatives here in Scandinavia. Although there are plenty of councils, incubators and investors, we have not seen others, who help entrepreneurs with the first and crucial steps in such a hands-on approach.

By Anders Frick, Rapidus