Billions of homes are furnished with IKEA designs. Millennials flock to buy the latest designer collaborations in H&M. Skype have become a key player in the communications world, Skanska makes the world’s most eco-friendly buildings, and TetraPak is responsible for the shape of the drink's cartons on our table. We ask ourselves, why pay for iTunes when we could stream with Spotify, whilst becoming addicted to games like candy Crush and Minecraft. All Swedish Innovations. - Why has Sweden become Europe’s hotbed of innovation?
Video Credits: This is Sweden
Its entrepreneurial spirit and innovation-oriented mindset have turned Sweden into one of the most advanced countries in the world, and Stockholm, its capital, has gained the reputation as Europe’s “unicorn factory” as it is home to more $1 billion-plus companies per capita than anywhere outside of Silicon Valley. - Stockholm’s start-up ecosystem at a glance.
Strategic focus by the Swedish government on priority areas have enabled Sweden to be leaders in the areas of biomedical sciences, technology and climate. In line with its long tradition on tackling climate issues, it is one of the leaders in impact investing, ahead of any other European nation and third globally.
Video Credits: My name is Sweden. Sustainable Sweden
Coming on the program for internship here will enable you to be immersed in Stockholm’s vibrant ecosystem where you are able to imbibe the entrepreneurial vibes of many aspiring entrepreneurs, interact with the program’s pool of highly experienced mentors and find out behind the scenes as to what makes this small sized but dynamic entrepreneurial hotspot tick. At the same time, you will also take entrepreneurship-related courses at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology, one of Europe’s leading technical and engineering universities, as well as a key centre of intellectual talent and innovation.
Read more:
“Singapore students NOC program in Stockholm create smart applications using Swedish pine as part of their entrepreneurship course at KTH.”
How Sweden became the Silicon Valley of Europe
Find out more about the students’ experiences:
https://www.instagram.com/nocstockholm/?hl=en
Student Testimonials
Han Xin Yun
NOC Stockholm Alumna (Jan 2021), School of Business, Year 4
Taking the unconventional route to embark on the NOC journey in Stockholm has been nothing short of life changing. Despite the uncertainties, it was a privilege to work and live overseas, where I got to interact with people of different cultures. As the incubation intelligence intern of UBI Global, I had the opportunity to take part in its transition from a research to SaaS startup, which was an invaluable experience. I was given a high level of autonomy, learnt to think in the big picture, and have a curious mindset. The overall NOC experience has broadened my horizons, changed my perspectives, and developed me holistically.
Chng Yong Sheng
NOC Stockholm Alumnus (Jan 2020), Faculty of Engineering, Year 4
Having the opportunity to go on the NOC Stockholm programme is one of best decisions I have made. I was part of Collective Minds Radiology, a collaborative SaaS platform for radiologists. With a flat hierarchy, I was empowered and had the opportunity to explore different aspects of a MedTech start-up. Being in product and business development, I had the opportunity to learn about brand building, start-up funding, and business intelligence. Working in an international team and understanding their cultures is something I would not trade for. The NOC experience equips you with the entrepreneurship experience and skillsets for you to pursue your aspirations, I would definitely pick it again if given the choice!
Zhang Quyi
NOC Stockholm Alumnus (Jul 2019), School of Business, Year 4
Embarking on NOC Stockholm programme is one of the best choices I have made in my life. I had the opportunity to work as a Central Operations Analyst Intern in Voi, one of Europe’s largest e-scooter sharing service, in the year 2019. Working in Voi not only allowed me to understand how a successful start-up works but also allowed me to experience the full Swedish working culture. The entire NOC experience allowed me to grow and develop myself both professionally as well as personally.
Ng Yu Ching Jane
NOC Stockholm Alumna (Jan 2019), Co-Founder of SecondMunch, School of Business
The year spent in Stockholm was the best year of my university life. Being able to experience working in a foreign environment, with people of completely different cultures was truly eye opening and enriching. Apart from being a supply chain intern at Shortcut Labs AB and being amazed by their vibrant entrepreneurship culture, I was drawn to Sweden’s drive and attitude towards environmental sustainability. This inspired me and two other batch mates to work on SecondMunch to tackle food wastage in Singapore.
Ethan Eng Qing Hua
NOC Stockholm Alumnus (Aug 2016), Founder of Kombynation Co., a kombucha nanobrewery bringing healthy, functional fermented drinks to the masses, Faculty of Science
My one year spent in Stockholm as part of NCST23 was nothing short of amazing! From working at Vironova AB where my colleagues were 80% PHD holders, to attending and volunteering at various startup events across the region with my batchmates, it is safe to say this is an experience that would be hard to find anywhere else! Of course, there is also the occasional travelling and road trips but they all served to open our eyes to the many business concepts and views that exist in Europe. The most valuable takeaways however, would be the various business advices by my boss and mentor Göran and also my NCST batch mates turned friends, many of whom I still keep in touch with today, be it to bounce ideas around like we do in Stockholm or just to support each other in whatever ventures we choose to undertake.
Programme Mentors
Björn Möller
Prof. Björn Möller is both an academic at KTH and a serial entrepreneur. At KTH, he is the founder of the Prototype Center and is actively involved in supporting start-ups. He has a strong network of companies and start-ups. He is affiliated with the School of Industrial Engineering and Management, where he teaches courses on product design and leadership. As an entrepreneur, Prof. Möller has founded several start-ups, including ventures in the maintenance of airport ground equipment, design and development of patented technology for polishing aircraft cabin windows, machine maintenance and product prototyping, and web-based 3D print services.
Dr Anna Frostegård
Anna Frostegård is a globally educated, board-certified physician holding MD summa cum laude. She obtained her PhD in Experimental Medicine at Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. Dr. Frostegård served as Assistant Professor at the Unit of Immunology and Chronic Disease at Karolinska Institutet. Anna’s areas of expertise include inflammation & immunology, autoimmunity, cardiovascular, ophthalmology and infection. She has an active career in both science and business. Dr. Frostegård has over 15 years of “first hand” entrepreneurial, strategic and operational leadership in biotech, translating academic inventions into new companies and drug development processes, a true from “bench to patients” experience. Anna has wide experience in building biotech companies, intellectual property portfolios, in- and out-licensing, financing (private and public).
She is the inventor, co-founder and currently the Chief Scientific and Medical Officer in Annexin Pharmaceuticals AB (publ). She carries the key strategic responsibilities for R&D, business development, scientific and clinical due dilligence, international academic-industry collaborations and financing. She is the co-inventor on several granted patents and pending applications related to the therapeutic use of Annexin A5, an endogenous protein with anti-inflammatory properties and holds several awards for scientific communication.
She has co-founded 5 companies within the EU. She serves as a board member in several private life science/biotech companies. She consults on effective interactions between academic inventors and biotechnology industry. She analyses and advises on early/pre-clinical stage investments in biotechnology.
Anna had been living, studying and working in different cultures and environments including USA, Austria, Sweden, Russia and Czech Republic.
Per Björklund
Per Björklund was a founder of Efftel AB, that was acquired by Netnordic in 2018. Since then he is an active angel investor, business coach and board director. After a career at Telia, where he pioneered the commercialization of Voice over IP services and ended up as VP Products for consumer services, he spent the first years of this century in venture capital. In parallel, he has invested in, co-founded, and been a board director of a host of startup and early stage companies. He has a master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from KTH Royal Institute of Technology and an MBA from Stockholm School of Economics.
Han-Suck Song
Han-Suck Song received his master’s degree in Real Estate Economics in 1994 and defended his PhD in 2009, both at KTH Royal Institute of Technology. He has also studied business administration, economics and statistics at the Stockholm University. Between 1994 and 1999, Han-Suck worked at a company (as a founding partner) that offered management and business intelligence consultancy services. In 2000 he co-founded an e-commerce company. Since 2002, Han-Suck has joined KTH and the academic world, focusing on research, teaching and collaboration with the industry. His entrepreneurial interest is reflected in these activities as well as engagements outside KTH.
Professor Björn Berggren
Björn Berggren received his master’s degree in Business Studies in 1997 and successfully defended his Ph.D. Thesis in 2002 at Uppsala University. Since then he has taught entrepreneurship and business development at the leading Swedish universities, and since 2004 he is employed at The Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. Together with other founding members Björn Berggren has founded a number of ventures over the years including AUK Protection and DePalma Workwear. His major research focus is entrepreneurial finance and local and regional development. Besides teaching and research, Björn has also worked as a consultant in organisational development both in Sweden and internationally.
Professor Anders Hult
Fiber and Polymer Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology
Dr Anders Hult received his master's degree in Chemical Engineering in 1978 and his PhD in Polymer Technology in 1982 from the Swedish Royal Institute of Technology, KTH . He joined the Department of Polymer Technology at KTH as research associate (1984-1986) and associate professor (1986). Shortly after in 1988, he attained full professor status. Between 1999 and 2004, Dr Hult served as Dean of the School of Chemistry , Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology at KTH. Dr Hult has also been active in various professional and research boards and institutions and is currently the chairman of the Coating Science and Technology Centre in Stockholm . He has published over 200 papers and has successfully filed 9 patents.
Hanna Raftell
Hanna Raftell has 25 years in international banking, finance and fintech.
Her experiences range from working for some of the largest companies in the world to start ups, including her own start up, and scales ups. She has a strong operational background including, sales, business development and product development, also at C-level. She has a proven track record from both B2B and B2C product & business models.
Hanna has wide-ranging experiences from the global capital and financial markets. Including public and private markets. She has also worked in a regulated environment larger part of her career.
Furthermore, Hanna has successfully moved into more technologically advanced roles and has a proven track record in both hiring and managing tech teams.
Hanna has held numerous mentor and coaching roles and is a certified business and executive coach.
Hanna was part of the team seeing a successful exit to Moody’s Analytics, while managing the Asia business development and sales team.
She was head of Nordics Equity Sales for nearly a decade at Citigroup in London. And more recently she was the CEO of a fintech startup in the Nordics. Today Hanna is an advisor and serves on a number of boards.
Michael Malkoch
Dr. Michael Malkoch earned his PhD in 2003 at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH). Between 2003 and 2005, Dr Malkoch joined Stanford University, IBM Almaden Research Center and the Materials Research Laboratory in Santa Barbara (UCSB) as a postdoctoral fellow. He is currently Professor in Functional Organic Nanomaterials at the Division of Coating Technology, KTH. Dr Malkoch holds several distinguish awards from the Swedish Research Council and Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation. His research focus on developing novel material concepts suited medical and biomedical application. Michael is also a self-made entrepreneur with track record in translating research to innovative products for exploitation in life science sector. His expertise grasps many fundamental aspects needed when building and running new innovative start-ups. Dr. Malkoch entrepreneurial know-how includes but not limited to:
1. Founding companies and transforming technologies to commercial products in the realm of Life Science
2. Organisational responsibility as CTO and CEO
3. Board member and Chairman of the Board
4. B2C and B2B experiences including striking deals with Medtech, Biotech and Bigpharma
5. Secure investments and navigating start-ups through IPO process
Fredrik Gröndahl
Dr. Fredrik Gröndahl is associate professor at the Institute for Sustainable Development, Environmental Science and Technology (SEED) at KTH, director of “Blu Food - Center for Future Seafood” (www.bluefood.se) at KTH and former station manager of the Kristineberg Center at the University of Gothenburg, which is one of the world's oldest marine research stations. His research is directed towards the sustainable use of marine biomass such as the cultivation of algae/seaweed. Fredrik Gröndahl is also one of six founders of Sweden's largest seaweed cultivation company "Nordic Seafarm", which is a result of the national algae research that Fredrik Gröndahl was one of the initiators of via the “Seafarm project” (www.seafarm.se) that was a Swedish strategical project for a biobased economy based on the utilization of seaweed biomass for food, feed, materials, fertilizers and energy.