Grand slam for Sting in the Nordic Startup Awards
During this year’s virtual Nordic Startup Awards gala on Thursday night, Sting won the prestigious categories “Best Accelerator/Incubator” and “People’s Choice”, and Sting’s Henna Keränen won the award for “Ecosystem Hero of the Year”.
Nordic Startup Awards is a qualifying competition in the Global Startup Awards, which was founded in Denmark in 2012. The purpose of the competition is to inspire, stimulate and draw attention to entrepreneurship throughout the Nordic region, and at the same time create a community among startup enthusiasts, entrepreneurs and mentors.
Last night, Sting won the award for Best Accelerator/Incubator Program and "People’s Choice", which is awarded to the individual or company that received the most votes overall during the entire national and regional round.
– We are so grateful for the jury that have seen our ability and for everyone who voted for us. Winning People’s Choice means the most in a way because it shows that many people think we are making a real difference by helping accelerate new promising startups. We are very happy about the great support and proud of all the companies we have the honour to work with. Tonight, we have received a real boost for our team to continue to contribute to the Sting companies’ successes.
Pär Hedberg, founder and CEO of Sting
Henna Keränen, head of partnership and community at Sting, received the award for "Ecosystem Hero of the Year". The award is given to a person who is known for her passion for entrepreneurship and ability as well as willingness to help startups and entrepreneurs grow.
– The startup ecosystem in the Nordics is the best imaginable in the world. It combines our tech-savvy entrepreneurs, our global mindset and the Nordic values - well-being, equality and supportive networks. I, and we at Sting, will do our best to support Nordic startups also in the future.
Henna Keränen, head of partnership and community at Sting
Sting is Europe’s most comprehensive support system for startups. With a solid track record for 19 years, the accelerator has been an important part of Stockholm’s and Sweden's startup community. Sting has supported hundreds of promising tech startups and played an active role in creating several important components in Stockholm’s startup ecosystem: an accelerator, an incubator, several co-working spaces, Sweden’s largest recruitment service for startups and the investment companies Luminar Ventures and Propel Capital.
Sting has supported over 300 startups, of which 69 percent continue to develop and grow today. Combined, the Sting companies have a turnover of more than € 283 million, of which 64 percent comes from international sales. They have created 2,750 jobs and raised about € 603 million in private capital. Nine are listed on the stock exchange and the total value of the companies in December 2019 was approximately € 2 billion.
Now the next step is the Global Startup Awards, which annually selects and pays tribute to the people and organizations in their respective regions who have shown outstanding achievements in business and service to society. The final of the Global Startup Awards will be held on January 27, 2021.