September 28, 2013

Exit proceeds needed to fuel the growth of the Stockholm startup scene

The latest rumor is that King has filed to go public in the US. Going public is a fairly natural step once a company grows big, especially if it has external investors. As King has large operations in Stockholm, the proceeds from an exit could be very good for the Stockholm startup environment. What Stockholm have in terms of, by European standards, larger technology startups (Klarna, Spotify and King being the big three) and a growing growing pool of startup talent, it lacks in early-stage financing (also known as angel or seed-stage investing).

My hope is that employees, and potentially the founders, of the big three and other startups will take some of the gains from shares and share options and invest in the next generation of startups (in addition to building their own). Capital from individuals with operational experience and personal networks is one of the things that are needed to take Stockholm startup environment to the next level.

No comments: