New initiative to strengthen Sweden’s startups and scaleups
To address the unique needs of Sweden’s innovative and fast-growing startups and scaleups, a new collaboration will establish Sweden Startup Nation. The initiative aims to become an independent, national knowledge hub that enhances understanding of startups, scaleups, and their ecosystem by collecting, analyzing, and making data about the target group accessible. With improved knowledge of the target group’s unique needs, the goal is to support national policy development and strengthen Sweden’s ability to create a more resilient ecosystem for startups and scaleups – thereby boosting Sweden’s future competitiveness
The initiative is led by BLING, FUHS (Association of University Holding Companies in Sweden), the universities’ innovation offices, and SISP (Swedish Incubators & Science Parks), which together represent over 100 Swedish research and innovation environments across the country.
“In Sweden, we have world-leading research in several areas, and we top various rankings, such as the number of high-quality patents. However, we could become even better at commercializing and creating more successful growth companies to scale this research in society where it can make a real impact. By gathering data on companies emerging from universities, we can better understand their challenges and gain insights that will increase the proportion of research-based startups transitioning from labs to scaleups,” says Niclas Nilsson, Director of Innovation at LU Innovation at Lund University.
Focus on data and knowledge for better policies and initiatives
The main goal of Sweden Startup Nation is to provide ecosystems, policymakers, and authorities with in-depth data and insights about startups and scaleups. This will be achieved through both quantitative and qualitative data collection, analysis, and dissemination. The aim is to create conditions for more targeted initiatives and more effective policy development to strengthen Sweden’s innovation capacity and competitiveness.
“BLING works to promote diversity and inclusion in the Swedish business and innovation system. We look forward to contributing this perspective to Sweden Startup Nation. Consolidated data will give us better tools to highlight and support startups from underrepresented groups,” says Deqa Abukar, co-founder and CEO of BLING.
A long-term goal for Sweden’s competitiveness
During the first year, plans include establishing Sweden Startup Nation as an independent organization, developing a strategy for collecting and analyzing data on startups and scaleups, building networks with relevant ecosystem partners, and attracting funding to secure long-term sustainability.
“Sweden lacks an independent national organization that continuously collects and presents data on how we perform as a nation regarding startups and scaleups—something we see other countries successfully driving. To strengthen our competitiveness, we need to work more data-driven, and by connecting data with insights from the innovation ecosystem, we can improve how we support startups and scaleups during their critical growth journeys,” says Lisa Ericsson, CEO of KTH Holding AB and FUHS representative in the project.
In the long term, the ambition is for Sweden Startup Nation to become a natural knowledge hub that strengthens Sweden’s startup and scaleup ecosystem. By improving data-driven initiatives and policies, Sweden Startup Nation can contribute to a more resilient and interconnected innovation system, thereby increasing Sweden’s global competitiveness.
“Through Sweden Startup Nation, we are creating a consolidated platform to generate and share knowledge about startups and scaleups across the country, as well as insights into what is needed for them to thrive in Sweden. This will not only benefit entrepreneurs but also strengthen Sweden’s position as a leading innovation nation. We also welcome other actors with similar goals to get in touch to explore collaboration opportunities and together create even greater impact,” concludes Ulrika Malmqvist, Chairperson of SISP and CEO of Movexum in Gävle.
About Sweden Startup Nation
Sweden Startup Nation is initiated by FUHS, the Innovation Offices, BLING, and SISP, with the goal of establishing an independent national organization that collects data from the entire innovation ecosystem. Together, these actors represent a broad network of Swedish innovation environments that reach startups and scaleups at all development stages, from lab to scaleup. Sweden Startup Nation’s ambition is to improve the understanding of startups and scaleups and strengthen Sweden’s ability to create a more resilient ecosystem for startups and scaleups—thereby increasing Sweden’s future competitiveness.
For more information, please contact:
Deqa Abukar, CEO BLING: deqa@blingstartup.se, +46 72 251 66 47
Lisa Ericsson, CEO KTH Holding (FUHS): lisa.ericsson@kthholding.se, +46 73 315 26 62
Niclas Nilsson, Head of LU Innovation (Universities’ Innovation Offices): niclas.nilsson@innovation.lu.se, +46 46 222 15 51
Anders Nilsson, CEO Ideon Science Park: anders.nilsson@ideonsciencepark.se, +46 70 140 53 08
Ulrika Malmqvist, Chairperson SISP: ulrika@movexum.se, +46 70 750 22 56