Danish TechBBQ secures grant to connect Nordic investors with African startups

TechBBQ, a Danish non-profit startup and innovation conference organiser, has secured DKK4 million ($620,000) from the Novo Nordisk Foundation to build a permanent desk linking Nordic university startups, investors, and corporations with tech talent in Africa and India.

The three-year grant will fund the Nordic-Africa Innovation Summit and Nordic-India Innovation Summit, which TechBBQ plans to include in its annual conference. The initiative plans to create a platform for investment, commercial partnerships, and tech collaboration between the regions.

The funding comes as Europe seeks closer economic and tech ties with both Africa and India amid growing concerns over competitiveness, access to talent, and the need to diversify strategic partnerships beyond traditional markets.

The programme will give African startups a route into Nordic capital, research institutions, and corporate networks. The Nordic startup ecosystem attracted $7.7 billion in venture capital funding in 2025 and is on track to exceed $9 billion in 2026, according to Dealroom.

The region is also home to more than 100 unicorns and accounts for about 12% of all European venture capital despite representing a small share of the continent’s population.

“This significant backing will help us connect the Nordic ecosystem with India and Africa in a more structured and sustainable way,” TechBBQ’s chief executive Avnit Singh told TechCabal. “There is immense untapped potential in building stronger links between these ecosystems.”

The announcement follows TechBBQ’s participation in Bharat Innovates 2026, an initiative launched by Indian President Narendra Modi and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in Nice, France, to strengthen global innovation and entrepreneurship networks.

Deeptech focus

TechBBQ said the grant would allow it to transition from pilot projects to a permanent platform focused on three areas prioritised by the Novo Nordisk Foundation, including life sciences, deeptech and artificial intelligence (AI), and climate and agricultural technology.

The project will run from August 2026 through December 2028 and will operate alongside TechBBQ’s flagship conference at Copenhagen’s Bella Center.

“The potential for joint development, investment and market access between the Nordics and the global markets in India and Africa has never been stronger,” TechBBQ chief strategy officer Thomas Ebdrup told TechCabal.

The initiative also carries an equitable-access requirement from the Novo Nordisk Foundation, meaning knowledge generated through the programme must be shared openly where possible and resulting innovations should be made available at affordable prices in low- and middle-income countries.