The Seed Forum concept was created at the Campus Kjeller Science Park in Norway in 2002 and it has since then grown rapidly. The process is currently a global process including born global companies from most companies in Northern Europe, from South-East Asia and from the USA. A first local Seed Forum process was conducted by the Seed Forum Norway Foundation in Kongsberg in Norway in 2004, and local Seed Forum processes are now conducted in most of the regions in Norway. The local concept in Norway has become a powerful tool within regional development where the Seed Forum Norway Foundation also has an important role with initiatives to create local Business Angels Networks. The first local process in Sweden was conducted in Karlstad in 2006, and the local concept in Sweden is also rapidly growing.

Seed Forum is after 8 years of existence currently bringing more than 200 born global companies with more than 300 investor presentations to more than 40 investor matchmaking forums in 26 countries. The process has created a tremendous activity and many investor leads has been created by the companies participating in the investor matchmaking forums. The companies are also gaining theoretical and practical competence and learning’s from participating in the pitch training and in the investor matchmaking forums.

The born global trend also means that start-up companies are seeking equity investment from investors in other countries much earlier than before, and many companies are also presenting in Seed Forums in other countries as a part of their strategy for internationalization. As investors in other countries by their investments and networks are bringing born global companies into new markets, this is also creating a situation for Seed Forum as a "blue ocean" opportunity for internationalization of companies.

The Seed Forum concept is developed as a best practice and as an entrepreneurial initiative, and the Seed Forum concept has created a tremendous interest and growth during the 8 first years of existence. The Seed Forum process may currently be recognized as an “export process” from Norwegian / Scandinavian innovation to many other countries.

HISTORIC HIGHLIGHTS
Spring 2002	1st Seed Forum London with companies from the Campus Kjeller Science Park in Norway
Autumn 2002	2nd Seed Forum London with companies from the Oslo area
Spring 2003	3rd Seed Forum London with companies from all Norway
Spring 2003	Seed Forum Norway Entrepreneurs network is established
Spring 2003	Seed Forum Norway Foundation is established
Spring 2003	1st Seed Forum Oslo in cooperation with Venture Lab
Spring 2004	1st Seed Forum Moscow
Spring 2004	1st local Seed Forum in Kongsberg in Norway
Spring 2004	First local Seed Forum in Oslo
Spring 2004	First Seed Forum “Innlandet” at Gjøvik
Spring 2004	Seed Forum International Foundation is established in London
Autumn 2004	1st Seed Forum New York City
Autumn 2004	Seed Forum Iceland Foundation is established
1st of January 2005	Seed Forum International Foundation taking responsibility for all international Seed Forum processes
1st of January 2005	Seed Forum Norway Foundation moves to new premises in the IT Fornebu Science Park in Oslo
Spring 2005	1st Seed Forum Reykjavik
Spring 2005	First Seed Forum Bodø
Autumn 2005	Seed Forum Norway Entrepreneurs network is transferred into the Seed Forum International Entrepreneurs network working out of London
Autumn 2005	The President of Iceland gives the opening remarks at the 2nd Seed Forum Reykjavik
Autumn 2005	The President of Iceland participates in Seed Forum New York City
Autumn 2005	Seed Forum London is hosted for the first time in The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
Autumn 2005	The Lord Major of the City of London is mentioning Seed Forum as a major collaboration between Norway and the UK during his welcoming speech to the King & Queen of Norway in the official dinner in Guildhall
Spring 2006	First Seed Forum Trondheim
Spring 2006	Conclusion of collaboration between the Seed Forum Norway Foundation and Innovation Norway regarding all local processes in Norway
Spring 2006	Seed Forum London is organized in Mansion House and the Lord Mayor of the City of London gives the opening remarks
Spring 2006	1st Seed Forum Helsinki
Spring 2006	1st Seed Forum Tallinn
Spring 2006	1st Seed Forum Shanghai
June 2006	The President of Iceland introduces the Seed Forum concept at Bessastadir in Iceland to the President of Nippon Keidanden – the Japanese Federation of Industries
Autumn 2006	1st Seed Forum Warsaw                                                                               The Vice Minister of Economy of Poland, Mr. Andrzey, Kaczmarek, gives the opening remarks.
Autumn 2006	1st Seed Forum Minneapolis
Autumn 2006	1st Seed Forum Beijing
Autumn 2006	1st Seed Forum San Francisco (Palo Alto in Silicon Valley)
Spring 2007	Previous Sherriff of the City of London, Mr. Geoffrey Bond, gives the opening remarks of Seed Forum London
Spring 2007	A national collaboration agreement for Norway is concluded between the Seed Forum Norway Foundation and the DnBNOR
Spring 2007	1st Seed Forum Copenhagen – Seed Forum is hereby a complete Nordic process with forums in all Nordic capitals
Autumn 2007	Previous Sherriff of the City of London: Mr. Nick Anstee, gives the opening remarks at Seed Forum London
Autumn 2008	1st Seed Forum Hamburg
Autumn 2008	Previous Lord Mayor of the City of London, Sir John Stuttard, gives the opening remarks at Seed Forum London
Autumn 2008	The Mayor of Tallinn, Mr. Toomas Vitsoot, is the host of the Seed Forum Tallinn evening reception in the Medieval City Hall in Tallinn
February 2008	Seed Forum Estonia Foundation is established
February 2008	Seed Forum Poland Foundation is established
March 2008	Seed Forum Latvia Foundation is established
Spring 2008	Innovation Norway completes a national evaluation of Seed Forum in Norway with very positive results
Spring 2008	First Seed Forum pitch training in Kyiv
Spring 2008	Seed Forum London is hosted for the first time at the London Stock Exchange  Previous Lord Mayor of the City of London, Sir John Stuttard, gives the opening remarks
Spring 2008	1st Seed Forum Riga
Spring 2008	1st Seed Forum Kyiv
Spring 2008	1st Seed Forum Madrid
Spring 2009	First Seed Forum pitch training in Copenhagen
Spring 2009	First Seed Forum pitch training in Stockholm
Spring 2009	First Seed Forum pitch training in Riga
Spring 2009	First Seed Forum pitch training in Tallinn
Spring 2009	First Seed Forum pitch training in Reykjavik
Spring 2009	First Seed Forum Ålesund
Spring 2009	Seed Forum Norway Foundation is the coordinator of the official visit to Norway of the President of the State Agency of Ukraine for Innovations and Investments, Mr. Victor Ivchenko
Autumn 2009	The Norwegian Minister for Trade and Industry, Mr. Trond Giske, gives the opening remarks at Seed Forum Oslo (Vekstforum)
Autumn 2009	The Chairman of the Singapore Venture Capital Association, Mr. Eugene Wong, gives the opening remarks at Seed Forum Singapore
Autumn 2009	The Vice Mayor of the City of Kyiv, Mrs.  Ludmilla Denitsiok, gives the opening remarks at Seed forum Kyiv
Autumn 2009	First Seed Forum pitch training at the first Commercialization Reactor in Riga
Spring 2010	Seed Forum Lithuania Foundation is established
Spring 2010	The Ukrainian Vice Minister of Education, Mr. Victor Ivchenko, opens Seed Forum in Kyiv
Spring 2010	First Seed Forum pitch training in Vilnius
Spring 2010	Seed Forum Oslo and Seed Forum Trondheim co-organized with the DnB NOR Innovation Award
Spring 2010	First Seed Forum in Vilnius