Impact in Action

Ignite Sweden’s annual conference focused on how the entire innovation ecosystem can come together to create real impact.

The program showcased a range of success cases between Mölnlycke Health Care, Vattenfall & Parlametric, WEG & Viking Analytics, HACARUS & Hitachi Energy, Liebherr & 3ngage, ICA & Saveggy, and Coor & Mimbly.

The sixth edition of the Summit also featured a range of keynotes, presentations, fireside chats and panel discussions deep diving into topics such as how to collaborate to achieve a sustainable society, the importance of creating a global impact, why Sweden is a country in which to establish your business, and the state of the Swedish startup scene.

The event also included three workshops around topics including how to engage the entire Swedish public sector to work with startups, the key success factors for corporates collaborating with startups, and from Ignite need assessment to startup scouting.

The speakers that took to the stage to share their knowledge and experiences regarding innovation and collaboration included Adrian V. J. Sossna (HACARUS), Andréa Råsberg (Reach for Change), Carlos Martins (WEG), Danilo Randazzo (Liebherr), Fredrik Sandqvist (Coor), Jae Annie Tay (SGInnovate), Johan Almesjö (HBV), Karin Ebbinghaus (Elonroad), Karin Ruiz (Sting), Marek Hejduk (HEJMAS Agrifibre Technologies), Maria Wieloch (ICA Gruppen), Martina Ahlberg (Vattenfall), Martina Hegestig (LEAD), Patrick Oungre (A2A), Robin Griffiths (Mimbly), Sami Ahsani (Mölnlycke Health Care), Sara Maxence (Saveggy), Sara Nozkova (FLOX Robotics), Stefan Lagerkvist (Viking Analytics), Thomas Krotkiewski (3ngage), Thomas Strandberg (Parlametric), Victor Isaksen (STING Bioeconomy), and Zehra Adil (Magna). The event was moderated by Maria Olofsson (Ignite & Uminova).

Takeaways from the Summit

These are some learnings shared during the many fruitful discussions from the day:

• Understanding how stakeholders work is essential for everyone in the innovation ecosystem.
• Embrace unexpected collaborations to identify and address needs for continuous improvement.
• Innovations driving change may need to disrupt existing systems.
• Working with startups is seen as a shortcut to disrupting innovation with the potential to make a real impact.
• Sweden is at the forefront of sustainability and creating an impact.
• Platforms like the Swedish Climate Startup Map can help your startup gain valuable attraction.
• Adapting your startup solution to clients’ needs is crucial.
• Networking and making relevant connections are essential.
• Startups should aim to be a global company from day one for a broader impact.
• Sharing market insights with startups is encouraged for mutual benefit.
• Collaboration is highlighted as a key value in Swedish culture and a key to success.

The Collaboration Heroes of 2023

The 7th annual Ignite Awards ceremony also took place during the event. The awards aim to recognize organizations shaping the future through their outstanding contributions to startup collaboration. The prize honors startups, corporations, public entities, incubators, and other innovation hubs in 11 different categories.

These are the winners of the Ignite Awards 2023:

Ignite Master of Startups (Public Sector): Uppsalahem AB
Ignite Master of Startups (Private Sector): Stockholm Exergi
Ignite Master of Public Collaboration: rek.ai
Ignite Master of B2B Collaboration: Parlametric
Ignite Sustainability Heroes: Coor & Mimbly
Ignite Rising Star (Public Sector): HBV
Ignite Rising Star (Corporates): Mölnlycke Health Care
Ignite Rising Star (Startups): Endre
Ignite National Partner Hero: LEAD
Ignite Community Engagement Hero: Ideon Innovation
Ignite Global Partner Hero: appliedAI, Hub France IA, Nederlandse AI Coalitie & AI Sweden