Tonight I’m really excited because tomorrow is the opening day for Innovative Sweden at Stanford University.
The week-long event is sponsored by the Swedish Institute, which is a public agency that promotes Sweden around the world. And that is exactly the purpose of Innovative Sweden, which is a worldwide tour to generate interest in Sweden. The first stop is Stanford University before it travels on to Toronto, Washington DC, Rio de Janeiro and other parts of the world.
Traveling around the world and increasing awareness around Sweden will help the Swedish Institute to reach its goal: the creation of “mutual relationships with other countries around the world, whether the issue is culture, politics, trade, or development cooperation.”
Its website also reveals that the Swedish Institute:
• Puts Sweden on the map by using strategic communication,
• Creates intercultural relations through meetings, exchanges and the building of networks,
• Focuses on culture, society, education and science,
• Has some 90 members of staff in Stockholm and Paris,
• Receives annual government funding of approx. SEK 300 million.
Innovative Sweden emphasizes all the great inventions that have come from Sweden (the safety belt, the zipper, tetra pak, the pace maker… the list is long) and the fact that we Swedes still are world leaders of innovation in a variety of fields.
Innovative Sweden offers an event focused on the fields of Information and Communication Technology, Clean Technology, Gaming and Life Science and is filled with exciting speakers such as Rikard Steiber, Global Marketing Director – Mobile & Social Advertising, Google and Barbro Osher, General Consul of Sweden in San Francisco.
Twenty Swedish companies and startups, such as Solvatten and OrganoClick, are showcased in the exhibition and many of them will pitch for VCs tomorrow.
Stay tuned!
- Anna
Don’t forget to follow my tweets @herringbonefm. #InnovativeSweden
Watch an introduction video from Innovative Sweden.
