INNOVATE™ Stockholm

Innovations of the World

INNOVATE™ Stockholm

Celebrating the Pinnacle of Innovation in Sweden’s Capital

At INNOVATE®, our mission is to showcase and connect the top 100 innovation success stories from the most exciting cities around the world. Today, we are thrilled to introduce our newest project, INNOVATE Stockholm™, a high-quality coffee table book that will spotlight the innovative spirit and entrepreneurial energy of Stockholm, Sweden.

Stockholm is renowned for its cutting-edge advancements and creative solutions that have left an indelible mark on the global innovation landscape. From its thriving tech ecosystem to its sustainable urban planning initiatives, Stockholm exemplifies a city that is not only keeping pace with the future but actively shaping it.

Our Mission The mission of INNOVATE Stockholm™ is clear: to celebrate and connect the top 100 innovation success stories from this dynamic city. By bringing these stories to the forefront, we aim to inspire, inform, and connect like-minded individuals and organizations who are passionate about driving change and fostering innovation.

What to Expect INNOVATE Stockholm™ will feature a diverse array of stories across various sectors, including technology, healthcare, education, sustainability, and more. Each story will delve into the unique journey of the innovators, highlighting their challenges, achievements, and the impact they have made both locally and globally.

The book will not only serve as a source of inspiration but also as a valuable networking tool, connecting readers with the movers and shakers of Stockholm’s innovation scene. Whether you are an entrepreneur, investor, policymaker, or simply an enthusiast of innovation, INNOVATE Stockholm™ promises to offer insights and connections that can help propel your own endeavors.

Why Stockholm? Stockholm’s reputation as an innovation hub is well-deserved. The city is home to numerous successful startups, groundbreaking research institutions, and forward-thinking policies that support a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem. It is a place where creativity meets practicality, and where innovative ideas are not only conceived but also brought to life.

From globally recognized companies like Spotify and Klarna to pioneering research in sustainable technologies, Stockholm continues to push the boundaries of what is possible. INNOVATE Stockholm™ will capture these stories and more, providing a comprehensive look at the city’s innovation landscape.

Join Us on This Journey We invite you to join us on this exciting journey as we prepare to launch INNOVATE Stockholm™. Stay tuned for updates on the book’s progress, sneak peeks of featured stories, and information on the launch event. Together, let’s celebrate the incredible innovation and entrepreneurship that Stockholm has to offer.

For more information about our mission and other INNOVATE® projects around the world, visit our website.

Let’s celebrate Stockholm, a city where innovation knows no bounds.

Featured Thought Leaders

Featured Thought Leaders

Featured Innovators

Featured Innovators

WIB CAPITAL

BUILDING A NEW FRONT DOOR TO INVESTMENT; DESIGNED TO REDUCE BIAS

Early-stage investing is often described as data-driven. In practice, first impressions still decide what gets a meeting and what gets ignored. WiB Capital is building a digital front door to investment that helps startups become investor-ready using AI, while reducing identity-based bias by letting the business case speak first. The...

WINDMOTORS

TURNING ROADS INTO RENEWABLE POWER: WINDMOTORS’ VISION FOR SUSTAINABLE INFRASTRUCTURE

WindMotors, a Stockholm-based startup, is pioneering an innovative approach to renewable energy by transforming roadways into sources of clean power. Their mission is to integrate compact wind turbines into road infrastructure, capturing energy from passing vehicles and natural wind currents to generate electricity. The company’s modular system combines aerodynamic turbines...

HEARTRUNNER

THE POWER OF VOLUNTEERS: COLLECTIVE ACTION WHEN EVERY MINUTE COUNTS

Heartrunner Sweden is a small and expanding company founded in Stockholm, driven by the conviction that volunteers have the power to make a difference. With this core belief, they have pioneered technology for time-critical emergencies, alerting volunteer responders to provide swift cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA) before...

FLOX

THE WILDLIFE INTELLIGENCE COMPANY

FROM A SWEDISH RESEARCH LAB TO A GLOBAL MISSION FOR HUMAN-WILDLIFE COEXISTENCE Flox is redefining how humans and wildlife share the planet. Founded in 2020 as a spin-off from the AI research lab at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, the company has built the world’s first adaptive system...

K-MÄRKT

THE RESTAURANT REBELS RETHINKING SUSTAINABILITY

Since its founding in 2014 in Stockholm’s historic Garnisonen building, K-märkt has been rewriting the rulebook for what a modern, sustainable food company can be. From its very first day, the brand has challenged the industry with one radical idea: great food at scale can – and must – coexist...

KAROLINSKA INSTITUTET

FROM DISCOVERY TO IMPACT: HOW KAROLINSKA INSTITUTET INNOVATIONS TRANSFORMS LIFE SCIENCE

Innovation is essential for advancing healthcare and ensuring better patient outcomes. However, bringing deeptech Life Science innovations to market is a long and complex journey—one that requires not just groundbreaking research but also substantial investments, regulatory navigation, and perseverance. At KI Innovations, we support researchers and entrepreneurs in transforming scientific...

THE PARK

GROWING TOGETHER

More than 20 years ago Mikael Ahlström found a large, character-filled space in central Stockholm that was far bigger than he needed for his own companies. Instead of scaling down, he invited friends, collaborators, and other entrepreneurs to join him to share the rent. The results were immediate: projects multiplied,...

UNICEF

POSSIBILITY-DRIVEN, PROBLEM-LED, ACCELERATING PROGRESS FOR THIS AND COMING GENERATIONS OF CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE

Headquartered in Stockholm and backed by the Government of Sweden, the UNICEF Office of Innovation (OOI) brings together communities, public and private sector partners and collaborators across 190 countries to turn frontier technology and innovative approaches into scalable solutions for global social impact. THE PROBLEM WORTH SOLVING Nearly 5 million...

FROM MEMORY TO MASTERPIECE

MARIA WESTERBERG’S T-SHIRT CHAIR WEAVES STORIES INTO SUSTAINABLE DESIGN

Swedish designer Maria Westerberg has long been a pioneer in upcycling and sustainable design, but it was a single chair — woven from worn-out T-shirts — that propelled her into the global spotlight. Known as the “Queen of ReMake design,” Westerberg blends narrative, memory, and sustainability in a way that...

Hack for Earth Foundation

Unleashing Citizen-Driven Innovation with the Power of Hackathons

Hack for Earth began as an ambitious experiment to reinvent the hackathon tool, but it has since evolved into a global movement redefining innovation and democracy for the 21st century. At its core is the concept of citizen-driven innovation, which empowers citizens all over the world to co-create solutions for...

STARTUP PEOPLE

WIDENING THE GATE FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF FOUNDERS

When Stockholm’s startup scene began to thrive in the early 2010s, it was known for producing unicorns – but also for its fragmentation. Founders often worked in isolation, disconnected from the support, partners, and investors that could help them endure the long, difficult middle miles between idea and success. SUP...

Stockholm Stad

Stockholm is Building Tomorrow's Innovation Leaders

Stockholm has firmly established itself as one of the world’s most dynamic innovation and technology hubs. Known for its thriving startup ecosystem, cutting-edge research, and a strong culture of collaboration, the Swedish capital consistently ranks among the top cities for entrepreneurship and technological advancement. With a highly educated workforce, a...

SIME

WHY INNOVATION STARTS WITH PEOPLE, NOT PRESSURE

In a world defined by rapid technological change, constant disruption, and ever-higher performance demands, Ola Ahlvarsson has spent nearly three decades championing a quietly radical idea: that true innovation doesn’t start with pressure or tools—it starts with people. Widely regarded as one of the Nordic region’s most influential thought leaders...

AAX BIOTECH

PIONEERING THE NEXT WAVE OF PRECISION ANTIBODY THERAPEUTICS

In the heart of Sweden’s thriving life sciences ecosystem, a young biotechnology company is redefining how the world understands and engineers therapeutic antibodies. Founded by researchers from the prestigious Karolinska Institutet, AAX Biotech is on a mission to transform antibody-based medicine—turning scientific breakthroughs into next-generation therapies for some of the...

SSE BUSINESS LAB

CREATING THE CONDITIONS FOR UNICORNS

SSE Business Lab is the startup incubator of the Stockholm School of Economics (SSE), one of Europe’s top business schools. Since its founding in 2001, the incubator has supported more than 300 startups, including some of Sweden’s most recognized success stories such as Klarna, Voi, Instabee (formerly Budbee), and Legora....

TECHARENA

WHERE INNOVATION BEGINS WITH HUMAN CONNECTION

Techarena is a Nordic-born platform for innovation and entrepreneurship that brings together thousands of founders, investors, business leaders, and policymakers every year. Through high-impact events, accelerator programs, and media channels, Techarena creates opportunities for cross-border collaboration and sustainable growth. From Local Competition to Global Platform What began in 2014 as...

BLCKR

SHIELDING THE DIGITAL WORLD FROM THE THREATS SOFTWARE CAN’T STOP

In an era where cyberattacks dominate headlines and signal based threats evolve beyond detection, one company is quietly defining the future of physical cybersecurity. Founded in Sweden by CEO Fredrik Nyström, BLCKR has emerged as a B2B force specializing in advanced signal-blocking and EMP/HEMP resistant solutions safeguarding digital infrastructure in...

HOUSE OF INNOVATION

STOCKHOLM SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS

THE HOUSE OF INNOVATION (HOI) AT THE STOCKHOLM SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS (SSE) IS AN INTERDISCIPLINARY INNOVATION ENVIRONMENT COMBINING RESEARCH, EDUCATION, OUTREACH, AND VENTURING. BUILDING ON THE RICH HISTORY OF THE STOCKHOLM SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS, THE RESEARCH HOUSE AIMS TO TAKE THE SCHOOL’S BEST-IN-CLASS INTERACTION WITH BUSINESS AND SOCIETY INTO THE...

CAPIO

CHANGE AS A RESPONSE TO HEALTHCARE CHALLENGES

Swedish healthcare is in the midst of profound change. An ageing population, rising demand for care, and persistent staff shortages mean that resources must be used differently. For the system to remain sustainable, both new organisational models and more efficient ways of working are needed. Capio, one of Sweden’s largest...

CAY COLLECTIVE

REDEFINING THE CREATIVE MARKET

In a world where creative talent often struggles to meet commerce, Cay Collective is shaping a new path. Founded in 2023 by Johanna Gauffin and Natalie Navia, the Stockholm-based platform serves as a marketplace for independent artists, fashion designers, and lifestyle creators offering more than just a digital storefront. Cay...

NEXT AGENTS

DRIVING SUSTAINABILITY AND INNOVATION IN STOCKHOLM

Stockholm is globally recognized as a hub for innovation, particularly in sustainability, and Next Agents plays a pivotal role in advancing this ecosystem. Sustainability-driven innovation lies at the heart of Next Agents’ mission to empower businesses to create solutions that benefit people, the planet, and profitability. Central to this approach...

POTATO IMPROVER

ENGINEERING RESILIENCE IN THE AGE OF CLIMATE CHANGE

In a world of rapidly rising temperatures and unstable growing conditions, Potato Improver is reshaping the future of agriculture by empowering one of the world’s most essential food crops—potatoes—to thrive in heat-stressed environments. Founded with a singular mission to safeguard global food security, this Swedish biotech startup has developed a...

TECHSVERIGE

A DRIVING FORCE FOR SWEDEN’S TECH INDUSTRY

TechSverige is the industry and employer association representing companies across Sweden’s tech, IT, and telecom sectors. With approximately 1,400 member companies—ranging from startups to multinational enterprises—and close to 100,000 employees, TechSverige plays a central role in building the conditions for a competitive and innovative tech industry. As both an industry...

KTH INNOVATION

POWERING SWEDISH INNOVATION

KTH Innovation is one of Europe’s leading startup hubs, offering innovation support to students and researchers at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, a top technical university. Since its inception in 2007, KTH Innovation has built an internationally recognized innovation support system, helping students and researchers transform groundbreaking ideas into thriving...

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The Publisher

Lyllian Abrahamsson

Lyllian Abrahamsson is a seasoned professional in the fashion and hospitality industries, with a rich international background and extensive experience working with both established brands and start-ups. Originally from Botswana, Lyllian pursued higher education in business at the prestigious Queensland University of Technology in Australia. After graduation, she moved to London, where she honed her... click to read more

The Publisher

Lyllian Abrahamsson

Lyllian Abrahamsson is a seasoned professional in the fashion and hospitality industries, with a rich international background and extensive experience working with both established brands and start-ups. Originally from Botswana, Lyllian pursued higher education in business at the prestigious Queensland University of Technology in Australia. After graduation, she moved to London, where she honed her... click to read more

Other Ecosystems