​Sebastian Siemiatkowski inducted into Swedish Startup Hall of Fame

Tonight the startup community gathered for the Swedish Startup Gala at SUP46 in Stockholm as the fifth person was inducted into Swedish Startup Hall of Fame. The SUP46 award commemorates people who, through their actions and personality, have made an exceptional contribution to the Swedish Startup-scene. Several startups and one investor was also awarded for their work.

Previous years Daniel Ek, founder of Spotify, Niklas Zennström, founder of Skype and Atomico, Jane Walerud, angel investor and the founder of King and Sweet Capital, Sebastian Knutsson have been inducted into Swedish Startup Hall of Fame. These have been part of the jury choosing the new inductee.

The motivation for inducting Sebastian Siemiatkowski read:

“Through a unique combination of vision, hunger for success and tenacity this person has built a successful business from the ground-up. A true role model and a real startup-hero, inspiring the next generation of entrepreneurs whether they are currently students or employees.

With their company’s continuous evolvement, success and recent launch in the US this person is leading by example, proving that a startup based in Stockholm can grow, scale and become a global game-changer. For that we have the honour of inducting Sebastian Siemiatkowski, co-founder of Klarna, into the Swedish Startup Hall of Fame.”

– Sebastian Siemiatkowski personalizes the determined entrepreneur who seeks and finds a globally scalable niche. He has been able to establish a serious challenger to both banks and traditional payment methods in a short period of time. Klarna is one of Sweden's foremost examples of startup successes and Sebastian is a role model for Swedish startups and now has a permanent place in the Swedish Startup Hall of Fame, says Daniel Sonesson, CEO of SUP46.

– I was very happy to learn that SUP46 decided to make me their 2017 inductee of Swedish Startup Hall of Fame, and proud to share this honour with leaders like Niklas Zennström, Jane Walerud, Sebastian Knutsson and Daniel Ek. They have all contributed immensely in building Stockholm to the global leader in tech it is today. Swedish startups dare to think big and be brave. They continuously challenge both themselves and therefore their competitors in the search of true innovation, excellence and success. SUP46 is a great initiative to facilitate a natural meeting point that encourages entrepreneurs to support and learn from each other, and meet potential investors, says Sebastian Siemiatkowski.

During the evening four more winners were also awarded. A jury of 11 investors has chosen these. The Startup Community has voted for the Pay-it-Forward Investor.

Startup Team of the Year: Adfenix
This company has shown that you can build good startups outside of Stockholm and have customers from all over Europe. During the last year they grew from 15 to over 70 employees and recently closed a funding round of €5M. Congratulations Adfenix.

Startup Launch of the Year: Fast Travel Games
Founded in 2016, this team consists of several high-profile industry veterans from the gaming industry. Experienced business angels have already invested time and money in this startup and very soon they will launch their first game in VR. Startup Launch of the year goes to Fast Travel Games.

Startup Expansion of the Year: KRY
This company has made a big impact during the last year by launching in several European countries, growing the team immensely and showing strong user growth. Additionally, they raised a Series-B round of €20M from prominent European investors and are looking to enter even more markets during 2018. Congratulations KRY.

Pay-it-Forward Investor of the Year: Erik Byrenius
For always being generous with their time and providing feedback and intros. This investor is always open to share his knowledge with other entrepreneurs and get involved with helping the whole eco-system evolve and become better. Not to mention providing all investment docs a startup needs - for free. Thank you for everything you do, both for individuals and the whole startup scene, Pay-it-Forward Investor 2017 Erik Byrenius.

For more information:
Elin Hammarberg, PR & Communications Manager: elin@sup46.com, +46734443446

About Klarna
Klarna is one of Europe’s leading payments providers and a newly-licensed bank, which wants to revolutionise the payment experience for shoppers and merchants alike. Founded in Stockholm, Sweden, in 2005, we give online consumers the option to pay now, pay later or over time - offering a simple, safe and smoooth checkout experience. In 2014 we joined forces with SOFORT and formed Klarna Group. Klarna now works with 70,000 merchants to offer solutions to more than 60 million of users in Europe and North America. Klarna has 1,700 employees and is active in 18 countries.

About SUP46 (Start-Up People of Sweden)
Startup hub SUP46 was founded in 2013 to gather the startup community. Through the world class ecosystem of investors, advisors and partners members are offered a competitive advantage. Located in the heart of Stockholm, it is home to more than 60 startups and a natural meeting place for the startup community.

Only the most exciting and innovative companies, mainly within Internet, mobile, media, gaming and IoT, are accepted as members. During 2016, $48M was invested in current members and two thirds of the founders had previously driven a scalable company. 93% of all startups that have been accepted to SUP46 since the start are still active.