9 ms·

Best Startups to Work for in Stockholm

79 points by gonsanchezs 8y ago

hsson 8y ago
As a fellow Swede, I was surprised to find so many companies on this list that I've never heard of before. Great read!
vesinisa 8y ago
The entry for company called "Peltarion" has UTF8 rendering issues. The description reads "... AI applications â€“ at scale and at speed â€“ with the ..."
princejonn 8y ago
I'm mostly surprised at finding some very well established companies here. Should Paradox really be in the scope of "startup"? They have existed for 20 years by now...
- aliswe 8y ago
  I think sam altman said that a startup is defined by its rapid growth rate rather than its age. Dunno.
_Microft 8y ago
Nice list but the information and presentation seems a bit lacking. First: it says funded not founded in 2018. I was surprised by the amounts of money and employee numbers until I noticed that I had misread that. It would be nice to know in how many rounds the amount of money was collected, assuming that it is the total amount of funding and not valuation or revenue.
- maaaats 8y ago
  Ah, I also read it as founded. Lots of the companies have been around for some time now. Kry, iZettle, MatHem, Natural Cycles and Lifesum are examples many people have known or used for years now. And wasn't Tibber Norwegian? Hmm
- gonsanchezs 8y ago
  It says funded, because it refers to money raised :)
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]
abhinai 8y ago
I seriously did not know that Stockholm had so many well funded great startups. This is impressive.
rococode 8y ago
I've often read that Stockholm, and Sweden in general, has great work-life balance. This list seems super cool for folks who may be interested in (what I've heard is) a more relaxed lifestyle while keeping some work excitement in their lives from a startup environment. It's really interesting to see how successful Sweden has been in pushing itself as a good home for startups. Also, is the logo on this site messed up? It just says SEEDTAB for me without the LE, like this: https://i.imgur.com/oEN7R2Q.png https://i.imgur.com/oEN7R2Q.png. Kind of an odd bug; even the actual .svg file it links to appears like that for me (https://www.seedtable.com/img/logo.svg https://www.seedtable.com/img/logo.svg). I would've thought it was intentional if not for the sliver of what appears to be an L at the right end.
- _Microft 8y ago
  The work-life balance might be lagom. ;)
- camochameleon 8y ago
  It looks like the SVG has just been exported at a width much narrower than the text. If you inspect the SVG on the second link you posted, you can edit the `width` attribute to something like 200 and see the full text. Normally, when exporting SVGs for the web, you would convert the text to shapes. That way, people don't need a version of the font you've used and you can guarantee it looking the same across browsers.
  - gonsanchezs 8y ago
    will fix
- SeaSeaRider 8y ago
  You heard wrong. Sweden has one if the longest working weeks in the EU. Normal work day starts at 8am. Most stuff that you read about Sweden (ie stuff that gets shared on socisl media) is false.
  - dmitriid 8y ago
z3t4 8y ago
The dollar value seem to have been generated by random
- gonsanchezs 8y ago
  No, Crunchbase public data. I also reach out to all companies suggesting they can fix/clarify any inaccuracies, and update it as soon as they come back to me.
lawn 8y ago
Is there a way to filter or find out which support remote work without manually going through them all?
- gonsanchezs 8y ago
  Unfortunately not for now. But you can check this - https://medium.com/@rdutel/900-startups-hiring-remotely-in-2019-a82fa3f96aa7 https://medium.com/@rdutel/900-startups-hiring-remotely-in-2... Alternatively, you can use =importxml to extract all URLs on my site, and run a VLOOKUP against the Remotive list.
drakonka 8y ago
I am lucky enough to have lived and worked in tech in Stockholm for a little more than six years now. I originally moved here specifically for the game development industry and it is so nice to see it (along with tech companies in general) continue to grow and evolve here. As an employee there is a vast array of employer options and coupled with the work-life balance for me it's pretty much the perfect place to live and work (if one can handle the winter, of course).
- chosenbreed37 8y ago
  Nice. Have you worked anywhere else in Europe? How does it compare to Berlin? Are the salaries comparable with other major European cities? You say work life balance is great but I hear it can be expensive to live there. What's your experience? Is English widely spoken in offices or do people have to learn Swedish in order to work effectively?
  - yakshaving_jgt 8y ago
    It is expensive to live there. If you're a programmer, you will live a far more comfortable life living and working in Poland than you would in Sweden, despite how much Swedes tend to look down their nose at the Polish. I speak from experience. If you're working a low/zero skill job, you would be far better off in Sweden, although the market is extremely competitive. Sweden has a major problem with housing, so you can forget renting an apartment in a major city — you will spend roughly 18 years on a waiting list to be able to rent anything in the centre of Gothenburg. This isn't hyperbole. Just about everyone speaks English. Some younger people actually speak English more correctly than a significant proportion of the English population in England. Unsurprisingly, learning Swedish language and culture helps you blend in. It's not a particularly difficult language anyway.
    - sebcat 8y ago
      > Sweden has a major problem with housing, so you can forget renting an apartment in a major city — you will spend roughly 18 years on a waiting list to be able to rent anything in the centre of Gothenburg. This isn't hyperbole. You can forget a first hand contract from the municipal housing agencies. Second hand contracts and/or private landlords still work - but watch out for scams.
imartin2k 8y ago
I apologize for this self-serving comment, but I consider it at least potentially relevant for anyone who reads this thread: I'm publishing a weekly curated newsletter about the Swedish tech scene: http://swedishtechweekly.com http://swedishtechweekly.com Brief and straight to the point. Spend 3 minutes a week and you know everything that's going on in tech Sweden.
- gonsanchezs 8y ago
  subscribing now, thanks.
RavlaAlvar 8y ago
How hard would it be for a non-eu citizen to get a working visa in Sweden?
- imartin2k 8y ago
  It depends a lot on how much the company that you apply to would need you. Of course there is also a factor of luck and dependency on the immigration authorities' processes (particularly now that Brexit is said to occupy a lot of resources). But if you have a skill set which is highly in need, your chances should not be tooo bad. Be aware though that finding a good apartment in Stockholm is extremely hard right now. Although even the craziest rents are way below the SF Bay Area (but of course the pay is, too).
- mselivanov 8y ago
  Demand for programmers is very high. Given that you speak English and have good programming skills getting job in Stockholm is pretty easy. In my current team there're 3 Russians, 3 Brasilians and one Iranian(among non-EU workers). All of them were relocated by the company. The relocation takes up to several months.
- parski 8y ago
  I live and work as a developer in Stockholm. I have registered as an employer and have been able to help people from abroad before by taking the fight with the governmental authority handling immigration. The visa situation is a bit borked right now since the EU was unable to humanely handle the civil war in Syria so staying permanently isn't a given anymore. Right now we have to make do with "for the foreseeable future". Feel free to reach out to me at plata@plomo.se.
  - chosenbreed37 8y ago
    Where do I start if I want to look for jobs there? Are most jobs mainly in Stockholm? Is it different in Gottenburg or Malmo?
    - mariefred 8y ago
crazy_monkey 8y ago
Are there more than 100 start-ups worth working for in Stockholm?
mselivanov 8y ago
Nice list. Though I'm pretty sure iZettle & Truecaller aren't founded in 2018, both were founded much earlier. UPD: finally got it, the companies were funded in 2018, not founded
- yakshaving_jgt 8y ago
  Funded.
  - mselivanov 8y ago
    fixed
lewisflude 8y ago
I guess Spotify aren't really a startup anymore!
- navidfarhadi 8y ago
  I just had an onsite interview at their HQ in Stockholm this morning. The recruiter I spoke with in person mentioned their employee growth percentage in the last couple of years and it was staggering. They absolutely are not a startup anymore.
  - gonsanchezs 8y ago
    Yeah, Spotify is too big to fit the list.
    - dmitriid 8y ago
      How is Paradox Interactive a startup? Founded in 1999, with dozens of games in its portfolio? Same goes for quite a few other companies.
ipoopatwork 8y ago
> Natural Cycles: Enter your temperature into the app. Natural Cycles’ smart algorithm analyzes your data. The app will tell you if it's a red or a green day and whether or not you need to use protection to prevent pregnancy. Recipe for disaster
- bobl 8y ago
  "A Swedish contraception app has been reported to authorities after 37 users got pregnant and had abortions." https://www.thelocal.se/20180112/swedish-contraception-app-reported-after-dozens-fall-pregnant https://www.thelocal.se/20180112/swedish-contraception-app-r...
- troligtvis 8y ago
  Yes, there has been a lot of talk regarding NC actually! https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/aug/31/natural-cycles-tech-contraception-condoms-coil-pill-birth-control https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/aug/31/natura...
navidfarhadi 8y ago
This is a fantastic list. Thank you for sharing. I moved from the SF Bay Area to Stockholm around 6 months ago to do my MS in computer science at KTH and I am still surprised by the amount of tech startups here. At the KTH career fairs I have met with developers from some very interesting startups that are eager to hire EU-based developers.
- edpichler 8y ago
  Did you learn Swedish to do your MS? I am moving to there and thinking on do an MS too.
  - Entalpi 8y ago
    Almost every single M.sc course at KTH is in English.
    - edpichler 8y ago
      Is it free for citizens to study in KTH?
      - mariefred 8y ago
        yes it is (Swedish citizens)
      - navidfarhadi 8y ago
        There is no tuition fee if you are an EU/EEA/Swiss citizen.
  - navidfarhadi 8y ago
    No. Almost every MS program and course at KTH is in English, even for Swedish students. Swedish students who are doing their MS are typically in a 5 year degree program where you do your BS and MS combined. The first 3 years (BS portion) is in Swedish and the last 2 years is in English.
edpichler 8y ago
A question for Sweden specialists: what does Sweden do to attract talent, once other European countries, apparently, pay better compensation, like Germany, Switzerland, The Netherlands (the 30% rule), etc?

79 points by gonsanchezs 8y ago

As a fellow Swede, I was surprised to find so many companies on this list that I've never heard of before. Great read!

The entry for company called "Peltarion" has UTF8 rendering issues. The description reads "... AI applications â€“ at scale and at speed â€“ with the ..."

princejonn 8y ago

I'm mostly surprised at finding some very well established companies here. Should Paradox really be in the scope of "startup"? They have existed for 20 years by now...

aliswe 8y ago
I think sam altman said that a startup is defined by its rapid growth rate rather than its age. Dunno.

_Microft 8y ago

Nice list but the information and presentation seems a bit lacking. First: it says funded not founded in 2018. I was surprised by the amounts of money and employee numbers until I noticed that I had misread that. It would be nice to know in how many rounds the amount of money was collected, assuming that it is the total amount of funding and not valuation or revenue.

maaaats 8y ago
Ah, I also read it as founded. Lots of the companies have been around for some time now. Kry, iZettle, MatHem, Natural Cycles and Lifesum are examples many people have known or used for years now. And wasn't Tibber Norwegian? Hmm
gonsanchezs 8y ago
It says funded, because it refers to money raised :)

deleted 8y ago

[deleted]

abhinai 8y ago

I seriously did not know that Stockholm had so many well funded great startups. This is impressive.

rococode 8y ago

I've often read that Stockholm, and Sweden in general, has great work-life balance. This list seems super cool for folks who may be interested in (what I've heard is) a more relaxed lifestyle while keeping some work excitement in their lives from a startup environment. It's really interesting to see how successful Sweden has been in pushing itself as a good home for startups. Also, is the logo on this site messed up? It just says SEEDTAB for me without the LE, like this: https://i.imgur.com/oEN7R2Q.png https://i.imgur.com/oEN7R2Q.png. Kind of an odd bug; even the actual .svg file it links to appears like that for me (https://www.seedtable.com/img/logo.svg https://www.seedtable.com/img/logo.svg). I would've thought it was intentional if not for the sliver of what appears to be an L at the right end.

_Microft 8y ago
The work-life balance might be lagom. ;)
camochameleon 8y ago
It looks like the SVG has just been exported at a width much narrower than the text. If you inspect the SVG on the second link you posted, you can edit the `width` attribute to something like 200 and see the full text. Normally, when exporting SVGs for the web, you would convert the text to shapes. That way, people don't need a version of the font you've used and you can guarantee it looking the same across browsers.
- gonsanchezs 8y ago
  will fix
SeaSeaRider 8y ago
You heard wrong. Sweden has one if the longest working weeks in the EU. Normal work day starts at 8am. Most stuff that you read about Sweden (ie stuff that gets shared on socisl media) is false.
- dmitriid 8y ago

z3t4 8y ago

The dollar value seem to have been generated by random

gonsanchezs 8y ago
No, Crunchbase public data. I also reach out to all companies suggesting they can fix/clarify any inaccuracies, and update it as soon as they come back to me.

lawn 8y ago

Is there a way to filter or find out which support remote work without manually going through them all?

gonsanchezs 8y ago
Unfortunately not for now. But you can check this - https://medium.com/@rdutel/900-startups-hiring-remotely-in-2019-a82fa3f96aa7 https://medium.com/@rdutel/900-startups-hiring-remotely-in-2... Alternatively, you can use =importxml to extract all URLs on my site, and run a VLOOKUP against the Remotive list.

drakonka 8y ago

I am lucky enough to have lived and worked in tech in Stockholm for a little more than six years now. I originally moved here specifically for the game development industry and it is so nice to see it (along with tech companies in general) continue to grow and evolve here. As an employee there is a vast array of employer options and coupled with the work-life balance for me it's pretty much the perfect place to live and work (if one can handle the winter, of course).

chosenbreed37 8y ago
Nice. Have you worked anywhere else in Europe? How does it compare to Berlin? Are the salaries comparable with other major European cities? You say work life balance is great but I hear it can be expensive to live there. What's your experience? Is English widely spoken in offices or do people have to learn Swedish in order to work effectively?
- yakshaving_jgt 8y ago
  It is expensive to live there. If you're a programmer, you will live a far more comfortable life living and working in Poland than you would in Sweden, despite how much Swedes tend to look down their nose at the Polish. I speak from experience. If you're working a low/zero skill job, you would be far better off in Sweden, although the market is extremely competitive. Sweden has a major problem with housing, so you can forget renting an apartment in a major city — you will spend roughly 18 years on a waiting list to be able to rent anything in the centre of Gothenburg. This isn't hyperbole. Just about everyone speaks English. Some younger people actually speak English more correctly than a significant proportion of the English population in England. Unsurprisingly, learning Swedish language and culture helps you blend in. It's not a particularly difficult language anyway.
  - sebcat 8y ago
    > Sweden has a major problem with housing, so you can forget renting an apartment in a major city — you will spend roughly 18 years on a waiting list to be able to rent anything in the centre of Gothenburg. This isn't hyperbole. You can forget a first hand contract from the municipal housing agencies. Second hand contracts and/or private landlords still work - but watch out for scams.

imartin2k 8y ago

I apologize for this self-serving comment, but I consider it at least potentially relevant for anyone who reads this thread: I'm publishing a weekly curated newsletter about the Swedish tech scene: http://swedishtechweekly.com http://swedishtechweekly.com Brief and straight to the point. Spend 3 minutes a week and you know everything that's going on in tech Sweden.

gonsanchezs 8y ago
subscribing now, thanks.

RavlaAlvar 8y ago

How hard would it be for a non-eu citizen to get a working visa in Sweden?

imartin2k 8y ago
It depends a lot on how much the company that you apply to would need you. Of course there is also a factor of luck and dependency on the immigration authorities' processes (particularly now that Brexit is said to occupy a lot of resources). But if you have a skill set which is highly in need, your chances should not be tooo bad. Be aware though that finding a good apartment in Stockholm is extremely hard right now. Although even the craziest rents are way below the SF Bay Area (but of course the pay is, too).
mselivanov 8y ago
Demand for programmers is very high. Given that you speak English and have good programming skills getting job in Stockholm is pretty easy. In my current team there're 3 Russians, 3 Brasilians and one Iranian(among non-EU workers). All of them were relocated by the company. The relocation takes up to several months.
parski 8y ago
I live and work as a developer in Stockholm. I have registered as an employer and have been able to help people from abroad before by taking the fight with the governmental authority handling immigration. The visa situation is a bit borked right now since the EU was unable to humanely handle the civil war in Syria so staying permanently isn't a given anymore. Right now we have to make do with "for the foreseeable future". Feel free to reach out to me at plata@plomo.se.
- chosenbreed37 8y ago
  Where do I start if I want to look for jobs there? Are most jobs mainly in Stockholm? Is it different in Gottenburg or Malmo?
  - mariefred 8y ago

crazy_monkey 8y ago

Are there more than 100 start-ups worth working for in Stockholm?

mselivanov 8y ago

Nice list. Though I'm pretty sure iZettle & Truecaller aren't founded in 2018, both were founded much earlier. UPD: finally got it, the companies were funded in 2018, not founded

yakshaving_jgt 8y ago
Funded.
- mselivanov 8y ago
  fixed

lewisflude 8y ago

I guess Spotify aren't really a startup anymore!

navidfarhadi 8y ago
I just had an onsite interview at their HQ in Stockholm this morning. The recruiter I spoke with in person mentioned their employee growth percentage in the last couple of years and it was staggering. They absolutely are not a startup anymore.
- gonsanchezs 8y ago
  Yeah, Spotify is too big to fit the list.
  - dmitriid 8y ago
    How is Paradox Interactive a startup? Founded in 1999, with dozens of games in its portfolio? Same goes for quite a few other companies.

ipoopatwork 8y ago

> Natural Cycles: Enter your temperature into the app. Natural Cycles’ smart algorithm analyzes your data. The app will tell you if it's a red or a green day and whether or not you need to use protection to prevent pregnancy. Recipe for disaster

bobl 8y ago
"A Swedish contraception app has been reported to authorities after 37 users got pregnant and had abortions." https://www.thelocal.se/20180112/swedish-contraception-app-reported-after-dozens-fall-pregnant https://www.thelocal.se/20180112/swedish-contraception-app-r...
troligtvis 8y ago
Yes, there has been a lot of talk regarding NC actually! https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/aug/31/natural-cycles-tech-contraception-condoms-coil-pill-birth-control https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/aug/31/natura...

navidfarhadi 8y ago

This is a fantastic list. Thank you for sharing. I moved from the SF Bay Area to Stockholm around 6 months ago to do my MS in computer science at KTH and I am still surprised by the amount of tech startups here. At the KTH career fairs I have met with developers from some very interesting startups that are eager to hire EU-based developers.

edpichler 8y ago
Did you learn Swedish to do your MS? I am moving to there and thinking on do an MS too.
- Entalpi 8y ago
  Almost every single M.sc course at KTH is in English.
  - edpichler 8y ago
    Is it free for citizens to study in KTH?
    - mariefred 8y ago
      yes it is (Swedish citizens)
    - navidfarhadi 8y ago
      There is no tuition fee if you are an EU/EEA/Swiss citizen.
- navidfarhadi 8y ago
  No. Almost every MS program and course at KTH is in English, even for Swedish students. Swedish students who are doing their MS are typically in a 5 year degree program where you do your BS and MS combined. The first 3 years (BS portion) is in Swedish and the last 2 years is in English.

edpichler 8y ago

A question for Sweden specialists: what does Sweden do to attract talent, once other European countries, apparently, pay better compensation, like Germany, Switzerland, The Netherlands (the 30% rule), etc?