Ecosummit launches in Stockholm on 12 September 2017 at Nasdaq

We are very happy to launch Ecosummit in beautiful Stockholm next week at Nasdaq. Having already produced unicorns like Spotify, Skype or King, the smart green city likes to call itself the “capital of Scandinavia.” This is rather a symbol of business than political ambition as Mayor Karin Wanngård will explain during her welcome speech about the future of Stockholm and their strategy for attracting all kinds of technology startups, investors and corporates. To help you discover new investment and business opportunities, Ecosummit Stockholm showcases 31 local and 12 foreign startups from Finland, Denmark, Norway, Latvia, UK, Netherlands, Belgium and Germany.

The most important Swedish investor is Investor AB. The Swedish industry holding of the Wallenberg family manages its investments in ABB, SEB, Ericsson, Electrolux, Wärtsilä, Nasdaq and other listed corporates from its headquarters in Arsenalsgatan 8C. Investor also manages the private equity firm EQT whose €505M VC fund EQT Ventures financed the smart energy startup Watty. Watty will pitch at ECO17 Stockholm and is also backed by our long-term partner Swedish Energy Agency and early stage investor Cleantech Invest.

Going public and buying shares are very popular in Sweden and 6 listed startups (Clean Motion, Powercell, Simris Alg, ChromoGenics, Greater than and SaltX) and one VC (Cleantech Invest) will share their IPO experience on stage and Ecosummit TV. Listing a startup at Nasdaq First North costs 8-10% of the raised capital and it sounds like a better idea than crowdfunding as the listing process is very professional, the company is audited and shares can be traded. The good news is that listed startups continue to raise capital from (corporate) VCs and family offices post-IPO with the help of directed share issues (private placements). The evolution of the share price not only depends on revenue growth but also on how well the listed company communicates with its shareholders. While their revenues are still quite low (a few million euros), today’s market caps of Powercell and SaltX are surprisingly high (both €186M). That’s why SaltX also sits on our closing panel about smart green unicorns made in Sweden.

We would be even more happy if you also join our first Ecosummit in Stockholm. Check out our participants, get your tickets and get to know the Swedish startup scene from the inside. We look forward to hosting you.