This year’s winner of the Gothenburg Company Award, the bioconvergence company CELLINK enables the reconstruction of human tissue thanks to 3D bioprinters. CELLINK has made several acquisitions and taken a major step into the bioconvergence market and is now awarded for its entrepreneurial journey and innovative solutions which create the future of medicine.

“As an international company that started its journey in Gothenburg, I am very proud to receive the Gothenburg Company Award”, says Erik Gatenholm, CEO, and co-founder of CELLINK.

When Erik Gatenholm moved to Gothenburg from the U.S.A in 2014, he wanted to make a change and make the medicine industry available to more people in the future. Erik’s father, Paul Gatenholm, a researcher in bioprinting, had developed a pioneering bio ink consisting of algae and cellulose. CELLINK’s journey started when Erik, Héctor Martínez and Gusten Danielsson bought the intellectual property rights from his father and combined the ink with a locally developed, cost-effective 3D bioprinter. Their motivation was not only to create a company but also to challenge old structures in the industry and test new ways of working within Life Science.

“We are constantly challenging the industry through our innovative and strong offerings in bioconvergence. We are driven by curiosity and a desire to change by combining and taking advantage of technologies to solve the most difficult challenges in Life Science. Together with my 800 colleagues, we work with our customers and collaborators to create the future of medicine, says Erik Gatenholm.

Starting from its office in Gothenburg, the company rapidly expanded to the U.S.A, Erik’s home market and the most important market for the company. Today, CELLINK’s products are found in over 2,000 labs in more than 65 countries, and the company has the majority of the 20 largest pharmaceutical groups as their customers.

”The entrepreneurial journey has been extremely rapid, and above all we are impressed by CELLINK’s pioneering and innovative research that has taken life-changing steps forward in the Life Science industry and created a world-leading company which puts the Gothenburg region on the map”, says Kristin Mari Riera project manager at the Trade and Industry Group at Göteborg & Co.

Facts about the Gothenburg Company Award:

• Every year, the Trade and Industry Group at Göteborg & Co grants the Gothenburg Company Award to successful companies that are run and developed in the Gothenburg region.

• The award consists of SEK 25,000 and a silver figurine.

• Since its establishment in 1994, the Gothenburg Company Award has been received by approximately 60 companies.