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The article's point is not very strong, from personal experience (Finland, experience in Nordic startup "ecosystem"). Like you said, working at a Startup in th
by Jommi 9y ago
The article's point is not very strong, from personal experience (Finland, experience in Nordic startup "ecosystem").
Like you said, working at a Startup in the Nordics is considered risky, which doesn't make sense at all. Like the article underlines, Nordics countries have a insane social safety net, that even if your company fails, you're no where near as fucked as if the same thing happened in the US for example.
Yet, comparatively a very small amount of startups come out from the Nordics. Yes, Sweden has some, but if welfare = more startups were true, Denmark, Norway, Finland should all be top startup countries.
What I actually believe happens, and this is backed by personal experience, is that this safety net actual promotes doing nothing. Nearly all the gains/positives outsiders see of the system are wasted on the actual habitants. Nobody here thinks for a second longer about healthcare being free. It's taken for granted. So no, I don't think this is the reason for Sweden's success.
(Sorry for going on a tangent! Just wanted to write some of my thoughts)
- danek 9y agoCounterpoint: I wouldn’t think of starting a startup in the US but I would seriously consider it in Sweden. Healthcare is one of the issues for me. Maybe it’s not right to say it’s the reason for Sweden’s success but it could be an enabling factor.