In February of 2000, Newsweek ran a cover stating: "Stockholm: Hot IPOs and Cool Clubs in Europe's Internet Capital". This was at the apex of the dot-com boom.

In February of 2000, Newsweek ran a cover stating: "Stockholm: Hot IPOs and Cool Clubs in Europe's Internet Capital". This was at the apex of the dot-com boom. Swedish economy was boosted by the success of Ericsson and the explosion of mobile phone connectivity around the world. One of the articles from that issue is here: https://www.newsweek.com/shining-stockholm-162345 https://www.newsweek.com/shining-stockholm-162345 Quote: "How did Sweden get so young, hot--and competitive? Deep technological roots and some recent bright blossoms have helped. Communication has long been crucial in Sweden, with a small population (today 8.9 million people, barely more than Greater London) spread across an often-inhospitable land mass a little larger than California. Swedes loved the telephone when it was new (Stockholm in 1900 had more phones than London or Berlin), and they took to wireless phones and the Internet with equal enthusiasm. Education and a commercial mind-set are factors too. Because of their relative isolation, Swedes look abroad for ideas and opportunities. For generations they have learned English, now the language of the Internet--and they've done so in a lavishly funded state education system that also places a high value on science and engineering." This is the same period as the "staff PC" programs were running, where you got tax-deductions for personal computers as is stated in the reuters article (".. government policy to put a computer in every home"). So while these seeds were sown here, they had not yet born fruit to cause the the Newsweek cover of that era. If Sweden is the Silicon Valley of Europe, which I personally doubt, it is at least something that has been in the making for 40 years or more.