Collaboration at the Heart of Ignite Sweden Summit 2026

This year’s edition explored the journey toward innovation through startup collaboration. Throughout the afternoon, participants followed stories from startups, corporates, public organizations, and ecosystem partners, highlighting both the opportunities and the challenges that arise when working with startups across different sectors and contexts, and the learnings that come with them.

The program featured collaboration cases, keynotes, expert panels, roundtable discussions, and —for the first time ever— a live matchmaking session on stage between the energy company Skellefteå Kraft and the startup Mabel AI.

One of the highlights of the day was the announcement of Ignite’s launch in Norway, as a first step in Ignite’s Nordic expansion. 

Key Takeaways from the Stage

The Summit served as a melting pot of ideas, leaving participants with concrete and actionable insights on how to build successful startup collaborations.

Speakers who took to the stage to share their perspectives on innovation and collaboration included Andréa Råsberg (Reach for Change), Andreas Göthberg (Business Region Göteborg), Camilla Jägerving Isaksson (Umeå Municipality), Conny Reidefors (Skellefteå Kraft), Frida Hedström (Movexum), Gustav Gorecki (David & Goliath Ventures), Håkan Axelsson (Ignite Sweden), Johan Weidolf Nyström (Librixer), Katarina Bennich (SISP – Swedish Incubators & Science Parks), Kati Pärn (Startup Estonia), Katharina Paoli (Nudgd), Malin Frithiofsson (Daya Ventures), Moa Borland (Emulate), Niklas Sikström (Ignite Sweden), Olivia Nestius (Graphmatech), and Sara Hamlin (Ignite Sweden).

Among the key takeaways shared throughout the day were:

• Stepping outside the office to engage with peers across the ecosystem creates space for new perspectives and ways of thinking.
• Informal, everyday conversations can be the starting point for startup collaborations.
• Treat innovation as a business priority, not a side project, with clear ownership, mandate, and resources.
• Budget creates commitment — without a budget, collaboration risks remaining theoretical.
• The strongest collaborations are built on mutual commitment to solving problems that truly matter.
• Dare to start small, but with a clear ambition and defined next steps if the collaboration succeeds.
• Involve the right internal stakeholders early, as this significantly improves decision-making and meeting quality.
• Cross-industry and cross-border collaboration enables scale, turning local solutions into systemic impact.

The Collaboration Heroes of 2025

The Summit also hosted the 9th annual Ignite Awards, celebrating organizations that have driven impactful startup collaborations during 2025. The awards recognize excellence across the innovation ecosystem, including startups, corporates, public organizations, and incubators.

These are the winners of the Ignite Awards 2025:

Ignite Rising Star: NorrSpect
Ignite Master of Startups: Södra
Ignite Master of Collaboration: Emulate
Ignite National Partner Hero: Borås INK
Ignite Global Partner Hero: David & Goliath Ventures
Ignite Heroes of the Year: Nordic GovTech Alliance

Tech Visits in Gothenburg

Ignite Sweden Summit 2026 also featured a series of tech visits, giving participants the opportunity to explore leading innovation environments in Gothenburg firsthand.

One visit took place at Chalmers University of Technology, where attendees gained insight into one of Europe’s most advanced quantum technology environments and explored how quantum computing is moving from research to real-world industrial applications.

Participants also visited Health Innovation City in Mölndal, learning about the district’s innovation approach and the roles of key actors such as Mölnlycke Health Care, AstraZeneca, BioVenture Hub, and GoCo Health Innovation City.

Another visit offered a broader perspective on Gothenburg’s life science and innovation ecosystem, with presentations from Sahlgrenska Science Park, Chalmers Ventures, and Akademiska Hus.

Side Events Around Energy and Defense Tech

After Ignite Sweden Summit 2026, two side events extended the conversation into energy and defense innovation.

The energy workshop addressed the need for a holistic and flexible energy system, highlighting the importance of bridging the gap between energy producers and users, developing long-term infrastructure in an uncertain context, and aligning ambitious transition goals with the everyday realities of the energy system. Discussions also explored e-mobility, emerging business models for charging, and the role of AI in optimizing future energy systems, balancing strong potential with the need for clarity, trust, and realistic use cases.

In the defense track, co-hosted with the incubator LEAD, FMV – the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration presented the project “From Innovation to Battlefield.” The session offered insights into how FMV collaborates with industry to develop, test, and procure innovative solutions that strengthen Sweden’s defense capabilities, with a particular focus on innovation processes and collaboration models.

Photo credits: Natalie Greppi & Ignite Sweden