AI-matchmaking make SMEs more productive.
A new matchmaking program is connecting Danish SMEs with cutting-edge AI startups, which can boost their productivity and save them valuable time and costs by helping them find the exact digital solution that works for their business. If the initiative is successful, the ambition is to expand the collaboration model to many other areas where SMEs and startups can benefit from working together.
The new program, called AI Match, aims to solve one of the most pressing challenges for Danish SMEs: how to increase productivity under growing pressure from digitalization, documentation requirements, and the green transition — all with fewer resources. The program is a collaboration between the Industriens Fond and Accelerace, and is supported by the foundation with DKK 2.1 million. It is part of the foundation’s broader current initiative, valued at more than DKK 250 million, to strengthen the competitiveness of Danish businesses through improved use of technology.
The support for AI Match is a pilot project, aiming to test a new collaboration model between SMEs and startups in a Danish context.
“It’s about turning innovation into results, and with this project, we remove the friction and make collaboration between SMEs and AI startups significantly easier — to the benefit of both parties. If it’s a success, we’ll look at whether the model can be scaled more broadly to also include collaborations between SMEs and startups in many other business areas,” says Director, Charlotte Kjeldsen Krarup, of The Danish Industry Foundation.
After a brief one-hour onboarding session, participating companies receive a curated list of relevant startups, tailored to their specific challenges. Accelerace then facilitates the process of exploring and launching a pilot project and offers ongoing practical support, tools, and guidance.
New AI technologies offer powerful tools to automate workflows, but the number of AI startups SMEs can potentially collaborate with is so large that many SMEs find it difficult to get an overview of the possibilities.
“The AI ecosystem is huge and growing rapidly, and the search for the right solution is both time-consuming and expensive — if you even know where to look. That’s exactly what we aim to solve with AI Match. The program builds a direct bridge — and it’s built to be fast, focused, and resource-efficient. Exactly what these pressured SMEs need right now,” says Claus Kristensen, partner at Accelerace.
The goal of the AI Match program is to create at least five pilot projects, and subsequently expand the model to other areas.
If you are a SME looking for AI-innovation, you can learn more here, but if you are an AI-startup looking for corporate partnerships, just go here.