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New initiative to strengthen Sweden's startups and scaleups

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To address the unique needs of Sweden's innovative and fast-growing startups and scaleups, a new collaborative initiative called Sweden Startup Nation has been established. This initiative aims to serve as an independent, national knowledge hub that enhances understanding of startups, scaleups, and their ecosystem through comprehensive data collection, analysis, and accessibility.

The initiative is led by BLING, FUHS (Association of University Holding Companies in Sweden), university innovation offices, Ideon Science Park, 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, for example when it comes to the number of quality patents. However, we could become even better at commercializing and starting more successful growth companies to get this research out into society in a scalable way, where it does real good. By collecting data about companies coming from higher education institutions, we can better understand their challenges and gain insights that will increase the proportion of research-based startups that make it all the way from lab to scaleups," says Niclas Nilsson, department head at LU Innovation at Lund University.

Focus on Data and Knowledge for Better Policy and Initiatives

Sweden Startup Nation's primary goal is to provide ecosystems, decision-makers, 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 goal is to create conditions for more targeted initiatives and more efficient policy development that strengthens Sweden's innovation capacity and competitiveness.

"BLING works to promote diversity and inclusion in Swedish business and the innovation system. We look forward to contributing this 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 about startups and scaleups, building networks with relevant partners within the ecosystem, and attracting funding to ensure long-term sustainability.

"Sweden lacks an independent national organization that continuously collects and presents data on how we as a nation perform regarding startups and scaleups, something we see other countries running successfully. To strengthen our competitiveness, we must 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 and FUHS representative in the project.

In the longer term, the ambition is for Sweden Startup Nation to become an essential knowledge source that strengthens Sweden's ecosystem for startups and scaleups. By improving data-driven initiatives and policies, Sweden Startup Nation can contribute to a more resilient and connected innovation system, which in turn increases Sweden's future global competitiveness.

"Through Sweden Startup Nation, we are creating a unified platform to generate and spread knowledge about startups and scaleups from across the country, as well as insights about what is needed for these to have the best conditions to grow 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 effects," concludes Ulrika Malmqvist, board chair of SISP and CEO of Movexum in Gävle.

 About Sweden Startup Nation

Sweden Startup Nation is initiated by FUHS, Innovation Offices, BLING, and SISP with the goal of establishing an independent national organisation that collects data from the entire innovation ecosystem. Together, these actors represent a broad network of Swedish innovation environments that reach startups and scaleups in all development phases, from lab to scaleup. Sweden Startup Nation's ambition is to improve understanding of startups and scaleups, and strengthen Sweden's conditions to create a more resilient ecosystem for startups and scaleups –  and thereby increase Sweden's future competitiveness.