During the Almedalen week gathered the Sweden Startup Nation brought together actors from academia, business, the public sector and the startup scene for a sharp conversation about what it takes for more research-intensive companies to become scalable - here in Sweden, not in Silicon Valley. From lack of capital and tough regulations to the ability to attract and retain international talent - there is much we can and must do better.

Milo Radulovic, founder of the global job coaching platform MARLEQ, wanted to build his company in Sweden - but was hindered by red tape and a lack of support for international entrepreneurs. Despite strong innovation environments, he was forced to choose Estonia, where the process was fast, digital and open.

He calls for a Swedish start-up visa, easier routes into the ecosystem and more accessible funding. Sweden's strengths are there - but without reforms, the country risks falling behind.

David Sonnek, CEO of Navigare Ventures, warns that Swedish deeptech start-ups risk moving abroad because Sweden is often not their first customer. Despite strong research and competent innovation support, there is no government demand for new technologies. Public procurement rarely promotes innovation, and Swedish industry is characterized by short-termism and technological scepticism.

Sonnek calls for more role models among researchers turned entrepreneurs, as well as a national narrative that strengthens Sweden's attractiveness for investment in cutting-edge technologies.

Boel Rydenå Swartling has been investing in sustainable technologies for over a decade and is a strong voice for the investor community in the climate transition. In this interview, she warns that Europe risks losing the next generation of industrial companies - not because it lacks ideas, but because it lacks systems to bring innovation to market. She calls for a new approach to commercialization, with a focus on capital, public procurement and long-term thinking.

On June 5, the Sweden Startup Nation gathered actors from the entire innovation ecosystem, including startups, scaleups, investors, authorities, ministries, parliament, public sector and established business, for a lunch seminar at KTH Innovation where Europe's newstrategy for startups and scaleups was in focus.

The strategy aims to make the EU the best place in the world to start and grow businesses - but what does it take to make it a reality in Sweden?

𝗠𝗲𝗱𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗸𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲 𝗶 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗸𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗻:
- Vasco Pereira da Silva, Allied ForStartups
- AnnaBergstrand, Vinnova
- Olivia Nestius,Graphmatech
- Jan Dinkelspiel, GREEN14
- Johan Attby, Norrsken VC
- Lisa Ericsson, KTH Innovation and KTH Ventures AB (moderator)

𝗣𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗻 𝗹𝘆𝗳𝘁𝗲 𝗯𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗮𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗼𝘃𝗲𝘁 𝗮𝘃:
✔️ A true single European market
✔️ Capital at the right stage - especially for deeptech
✔️ Public procurement as an enabler, not a barrier
✔️ A new mindset on risk, scale-up and pace

"Strategy is an important framework - but it's implementation that matters!"
Now it is up to all of us. Join the European dialogue, contribute to implementation - and shape the future innovation climate.

From elite British football to cutting-edge cleantech Liam Hardey is CEO and co-founder of Cellfion - one of Sweden's most promising deeptech companies.

When Sweden Startup Nation met him for an interview, he talked about the journey from research lab to pilot production, the search for the right kind of capital and why the future of Swedish growth companies risks being written elsewhere.

"We want to see a future here in Sweden - but other countries are quick with both dialog and financial incentives."

Liam's call to decision-makers is clear: Sweden must get better at supporting companies in the transition to industrial scale - and that requires closer collaboration between government and startups.

Read the full interview and get his perspective on what it takes for Sweden to become the world's best startup nation.

Sweden has one of the world's most research-intensive innovation systems - but today's tax rules are not adapted to knowledge-intensive startups. In two recent consultation responses, SISP and FUHS show how regulations such as the R&D deduction and the expert tax miss the mark, and propose concrete reforms: a special startup filter, simplified application paths and a more reality-based approach in government assessments. The goal is a tax system that reflects the reality of today's start-up environment - not yesterday's big company logic.

Vahid Sohrabpour and Arash Fayyazi founded Saveggy to reduce food waste and plastic consumption. Their solution has grown out of Swedish research and international collaboration.

The message in the Riksdag was clear. Sweden is at risk of falling behind - political action is now needed to scale critical innovation from research to the global market.

Henrik Båge, co-founder of Phoenix Biopower, talks in an interview with Sweden Startup Nation Nation about the company's bankruptcy after developing a technology for efficient electricity production from biomass. Although the technology worked, a lack of long-term funding and structural barriers in the Swedish startup ecosystem led to the company's downfall. Båge is now calling for reforms to better support deeptech innovations.

In this interview, Isabella Palmgren, co-founder and CEO of Mimbly, shares the journey from a thesis at Chalmers to the launch of Mimbox - an innovative solution that recycles up to 70% of wash water and filters out microplastics. Despite challenges with funding and product development, Mimbly has installed over 150 units in Europe and saved millions of liters of water. Palmgren highlights the need for faster support processes and fairer capital flows for hardware companies, as well as Sweden's potential to lead in sustainable innovation.