As Lionwood.software continues to deepen its operations in Sweden and the Nordic region in general, our team has once again attended the TechArena in Stockholm – a large-scale event of not only regional, but also arguably pan-European importance, known for its role in uniting tech providers, investors, and public organizations for networking and exchange of insights. This year’s TechArena, held on the 11-12 February, became a platform to not just deliver over 300+ presentations, but also the opportunity for 10,000+ participants to find common business vectors and lay the groundwork for future collaborations.
The now-traditional venue for the event, Strawberry Arena, about half an hour commute from Lionwood’s office space in Malmskillnadsgatan, became a bustling hub where the central stage set the tone, but did not overshadow the thousands of conversations between the participants – representing both established companies and ambitious startups.
This was actually in line with much of what was spoken of on the arena – developing European business and tech ecosystems as part of a large geopolitical strategy. The presence and participation of both Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (speaking of competitiveness and resilience on Day 1) and former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson (delivering a keynote infused with geopolitics on Day 2) reinforced this idea even more. Northern Europe has long been interested in technological innovation, and it is now that the global economical trends are becoming less predictable that new niches and corresponding solutions are expected to proliferate with maximum impact.
Speaking of new technologies, naturally, AI was much talked about, as well – both at the booths run by representatives of AI-powered startups, and at the stage. The overall tone of AI-related discussions has, by now, firmly moved from the potential to the realities and detectable impact, like in the presentation delivered by The Guardian’s Anna Bateson on the effects of AI on media and journalism. The other facets of AI influence and use cases were also explored – particularly in cybersecurity.
Sustainability was another big topic, traditionally so for the Nordic region – with a remarkable skill on the part of many companies here to find the intersection of environmentalism and business feasibility. The different areas talked about in this connection ranged from green innovation and climate startups to sustainable supply chains, ESG, responsible investing, and more – which actually resonates a lot with some of the more recent projects Lionwood has been working on, even outside of the Nordic business context. Our team also visited the Naturvårdsverket (Environmental Protection Agency) office to learn more about the Swedish approach to environmental challenges.
Yet, all these topics – supplemented with discussions of leadership, entrepreneurship, venture capital, and corporate governance – were infused with the main essence of the event: extending professional networks for mutual benefit. As summarized by Kent Jellmund of Business Region Göteborg, ultimately “it was all about meeting companies with the potential to establish operations in our region” – and TechArena supplied plenty of opportunities to do so.
Our team is currently in the process of exploring about a dozen of potential collaborations and partnerships across our key domains – logistics, supply chain management, manufacturing – and joining the corresponding clusters to bring our fair share of value to the table.
You can learn more about Lionwood.software’s work in these industries on the website:
Logistics: https://lionwood.software/domains/transportation-logistics/
Supply chain management: https://lionwood.software/domains/supply-chain-management-software/
Manufacturing: https://lionwood.software/domains/manufacturing/
