Startup Sweden – Supporting the Swedish innovators

Startup Sweden was created in 2016 to support Swedish startups on a national level. It is a program initiated by, and run within, the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth (Tillväxtverket). The Agency provides entrepreneur-centered support from the earliest stages to scaleups. Its activities and initiatives focus on the entrepreneurs' need – providing them with knowledge, network and tools to succeed.

By following the link Here you can listen to the Program Manager, Arash Sangari, speaking in the 'Digital Influencers' podcast about Sweden as a 'factory of entrepreneurs', the structure of the Agency’s early-stage and scaleup programs, and what to consider when expanding to new markets. Please note that the interview is in Swedish.

Entrepreneur-centered support

Since its foundation, the Agency has been very successful in helping national startup and scaleup busineness. For illustration, during 2020 the Agency

• arranged 2190 private meetings for entrepreneurs - with investors (48%), potential customers or partners (48%) and media (4%)
• directly helped a total of 729 Swedish startups, ranging from early-stage to scaleups looking to expand to new markets.

Market Access Programs

Have you decided to enter USA, UK or Germany with your tech scaleup? The Agency’s Market Access program is the fast-track you need for a more effective expansion.

The content of each program is tailor built according to the specific market and the needs of the participating companies. During the first phase, the beneficiaries will be provided with market-specifics on areas such as sales, marketing and legal. They will meet with local coaches and experts while extending both your knowledge and network. The second phase is what sets the Agency apart from other accelerators: together with its local partners, the Agency makes sure that its beneficiaries will meet with clients and other key partners to make sure that their scaleup will make the most effective market entry possible.

Access SWEDEN Bootcamp

The Agency offers a five-days intensive bootcamp that will provide the beneficiaries with the most relevant knowledge, network and tools to make sure that they can take the next essential steps with their startup. The week includes one full day pitch training, sessions on business development, funding law, and how to raise a seed round *and* pitching to some of Sweden's top investors as well as matchmaking with media. As always, free of charge and no equity taken.

Source: Startup Sweden, 2023