BackingMinds has invested €1.1 million in Techarena, the Nordic innovation platform that brings founders, investors and business leaders together through events, programmes and media.

Techarena was founded in 2014 by Omid Ekhlasi. It runs formats such as Techarena Challenge, TOP46 and Time to Raise, and reaches startups and scaleups from more than 120 countries. Revenue has grown 600% over the past three years, and more than 18,000 people took part in its events and programmes in the last twelve months.

The new capital will fund international growth. Techarena plans to expand its events and programmes and to launch initiatives across Europe aimed at strengthening the continent’s capacity for innovation.

BackingMinds has followed Techarena for more than ten years. Founder Susanne Najafi says the company is well placed at a critical moment for European innovation, and that the two share an ambition to make capital and networks more accessible to entrepreneurs.