Claudia Olsson: Stockholm’s multidisciplinary institutions are key to the city’s success

By: Stockholms Akademiska Forum

Woman with long brown hair and ain purple jacket

Claudia Olsson is a technology expert, business leader, and speaker from Sweden. She is the founder of Stellar Capacity, a global education platform, founder of the Swedish language company Speak Charlie – and has been appointed Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. Claudia has studied International Economics and Business at Stockholm School of Economics as well as Industrial Engineering at KTH Royal Institute of Technology. We asked her to comment on four common statements about Stockholm being a global hub for tech and innovation.

1. Stockholm is a tech start-up hotspot

Spotify, Klarna, King, and iZettle – these are all start-ups that came to life in Stockholm. The city, whose tech landscape is a veritable tour de force of academic and business synergies, boasts an impressive ecosystem of academia and business opportunities – and might ultimately make it the perfect study choice for you.

CLAUDIA: Stockholm benefits from a strong knowledge culture where many leading institutions in their respective fields co-exist and cross-pollinate each other. This has led not only to interdisciplinary cooperation, but also to academic initiatives like Stockholm School of Entrepreneurship. During the past five years, the digital ecosystem in Stockholm has developed rapidly – creating useful platforms for many different kinds of new actors. Also, the fact that Stockholm is home to several unicorns serve as an inspiration for the coming generation of entrepreneurs, showing that the city has the right preconditions for global opportunities.

2. The sustainability of the Swedish society is good for business

Sweden benefits from a stable societal structure, and consistently ranks high in innovation, education, and quality of life indexes, providing a strong base for a tech hub like Stockholm to flourish.

CLAUDIA: Sweden has a globally competitive social contract, which has definitely contributed to the developments we see today. As an international student, the non-hierarchical business atmosphere might surprise you; for Swedes, the guiding principles are more centered on inclusiveness and the results achieved together. English is widely spoken, and more and more workplaces are also offering sponsored Swedish lessons during working hours, which means that you as an international student from day one can get involved and make a difference. Stockholm is benefiting from an influx of international talent in all sectors and is assuming its role as a veritable European hub.

3. The range of institutions in Stockholm is key for the city’s success

The answer to why Stockholm has fostered such a wide range of tech marvels – including music, games, financial services, and life sciences – can be partly explained by the higher education institutions, all of which form an intricate web of cooperation and synergies.

CLAUDIA: The multidisciplinary institutions that Stockholm offers is definitely a key to success. The world’s challenges are more complex today – which requires new and innovative ways of approaching them. The dialogue between institutions in the city and the platforms that have been established for collaboration have created a foundation from where competences in a range of areas can develop and thrive.

4. Beautiful surroundings, high quality of life, and lots of opportunities

So why should you, as a student, stay in Stockholm? Well, besides the obvious beauty and the high quality of life, the tech scene is going strong, and new developments happen continually.

CLAUDIA: There is a positive mindset that underlies Stockholm’s tech and startup scene. That is one of the reasons why the city has great conditions for continuing to be a competitive and leading city globally. Most importantly there is a deliberate strive to continue to be on the forefront, to be one of the world’s most modern capitals – and for that, Stockholm is well on the way.