News, The Coring Company | 327 applied – entrepreneur Frida (32) from Rana is one of eleven to receive a top talent grant: – More than impressive

Today, Sparebank 1 Nord-Norge announced which 29 talents in the north will receive talent grants from their Samfunnsløftet. Two of the winners are from Mo i Rana. The founder behind The Coring Company, Frida Klæbo Vonstad (32) receives a so-called top talent grant of NOK 150,000, while biathlete Kasper Kalkenberg (18) receives a development grant of NOK 50,000.

Vonstad has been named one of Norway’s leading tech women and also came second in She Loves Tech, where she competed against entrepreneurs from all over the world. Now she also receives a top talent grant from Samfunnsløftet. Among 327 applicants, she was one of eleven who received this scholarship.

– Frida has been named one of Norway’s leading women in technology – and with good reason, writes the jury, referring to Vonstad and The Coring Company’s solution where artificial intelligence is used for a more efficient extraction of minerals from mines.

– The recipe for a top talent

– The technology means that smaller masses have to be transported to landfill, which in turn will lead to lower CO₂ emissions. Furthermore, she and the company have a clear focus on the social aspect of sustainability and how the solution can trigger an increased focus on miners’ conditions in other countries, writes the jury, adding:

– To be only 32 years old, to have a PhD in Geotechnical Engineering from University College London / Oxford University, and to have developed a product with growth potential that can solve a major problem globally, is more than impressive. Frida is the recipe for a top talent and an entrepreneur with local affiliation and global ambitions for a company with a focus on both people and the environment.

In her application, the entrepreneur states that she wants to be a greater voice for women in business in general and mining in particular.

– To encourage other young girls to take the step into the industry, as she herself writes.

Did you notice that Frida Klæbo Vonstad was a guest on the Rana Blad podcast Ke de går? It can be heard on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and in the Untold app.

– This is the fifth year we have had the pleasure of awarding talent grants in Northern Norway, and we are more and more impressed with each passing year, says jury leader for the entrepreneur category Ingvild Brox Kielland in a press release from Sparebank 1 Northern Norway.

– There is no doubt that we are able to cultivate and promote talents in Northern Norway! Every year we get more and more applicants, and the jury has an increasingly difficult task of selecting recipients, says jury leader for the sports category, Erik Yndestad, in the same press release.

Will be the best in the world

And in sports too, a robbery reached its peak. Kasper Kalkenberg, who represents Skonseng UL, is described in the jury’s reasoning as one of Norway’s greatest talents in biathlon. You have cover for that when you refer to an athlete who has a total of seven NM gold and two NM silver individually.

– Kasper has long been seen as a great talent in his field, and can show startlingly good results throughout his youth, the jury’s reasoning states.

In his application, Kalkenberg stated that he wants to inspire his younger club members, and show that it is possible to become an international top runner even if you come from a small place.

– My long-term goal is to become the world’s best biathlete, he stated.