Wall Of Fame
THINGS’ Wall of Fame is a small group of carefully selected entrepreneurs in the deeptech sector. Each year, we elect one exceptional person who, through many years of hard work and a great deal of stubbornness, has built a successful business based on pioneering innovative technologies.
We initiated this tradition to celebrate the people behind the success stories, the individual who often has spent their days and nights, weekends and non-existing vacations, arriving late for family dinners year out and year in – until they are suddenly recognized as an “overnight success”. We want to celebrate their grit, their conviction to stick to their idea – and change it if necessary – to pursue their idea.
And we know, building a successful company is not a “lone ranger” type of game – along the way, they all have a number of close friends, colleagues, investors and others that has been crucial in supporting them along the ride. They are often a key to making it happen, each and everyone of them carrying a piece of the puzzle that adds up to the big picture, and helping our heros survive through the ups and downs of the journey.
By now, our Wall of Fame has grown to a highly impressive group of masterminds, all of them inspirational role models for the deeptech community, and we are proud to be able to share them with you:
Winners
2023
Stefan Jansson, Polarium
Stefan is a domain specialist who got a great idea in 2014, teamed up with very experienced investors and founded Polarium in 2015. They rapidly developed their first products, and crossed the chasm through a mobile industry focus, and expanded to other markets from there.
Their excellence in execution is astonishing, and this fast-growing Swedish unicorn had an annual growth of ~150 percent between 2016-2021, generated net sales of SEK 1.1B and a profit of SEK 83M in 2021. The company is ranked as one of Europe’s fastest growing companies both in 2021 and 2022 by Financial Times, and today have over 650 employees, manufacturing plants in Mexico, Vietnam and South Africa, and customers around the world.
2024
Pär Hedberg, Sting
Pär Hedberg is a visionary mastermind who initiated Sting more than 20 years ago, continuously proactively evolved it further, playing a major role in developing Stockholm’s and Sweden’s startup scenes into what it is today. A strong statement of Sting’s outstanding role was the crowning as a global leader in their field a few years ago.
During his 20+ years as CEO, Sting “raised” more than 400 startups, currently employing over 3,000 persons, with a combined revenue of 0,5 B EUR and a valuation of an amazing 2,5 B EUR!
2022
Ulrika Nordén, IRNova
IRnova is a spinout from the research institute Acreo (now RISE) and Ulrika Norden was part of the core team before the company was founded in 2007. Ulrika, together with the other co-founders, took on a big challenge to develop a true deep tech company.
IRnova is developing and manufacturing optical gas imaging detectors and is a world pioneer and sole European manufacturer of revolutionary T2SL detectors and small-pitch high-resolution QWIP. The company has faced several major challenges during the years, in company setup, financing, and the market situation. With endurance and grit, Ulrika and her team have finally succeeded and established IRnova as a world-leading supplier in a space dominated by strong international actors.
2021
Björn Jernström, Ferroamp
Björn founded Ferroamp 2010, based on a now patented innovation that improves the use of a three-phase supply, and developed it into an advanced energy and power optimization solution for homes, real estate and industry.
Ferroamp has received numerous awards such as 2018 Global Cleantech 100, and was listed at Nasdaq First North Growth Market in 2019. Dubbed as one of the fastest growing companies in Europe by Financial Times, with a 2020 turnover of 88 MSEK and a 1 BSEK market cap, Ferroamp makes their – and our – future look brighter.
2020
Thomas Öström, Climeon
Thomas Öström has made the impossible possible by converting waste heat and geothermal energy into clean electricity. By combining deep technical and business understanding the company solved issues that in theory should work, but turned out to be very difficult in practice.
Despite a difficult industry, Thomas has been able to enthuse both customers and investors and managed to develop the company into a viable business. In 2020, the company has reached a turnover of 117 MSEK, 100 employees and a valuation of 3 BSEK.
2017
Nicolas Hassbjer, HMS
With a passion for electronics and embedded software, Nicolas Hassbjer founded HMS in 1988 as a result of a student project at Halmstad Högskola.
HMS was an early pioneer of Internet of Things, and is today a world leader in industrial communication. HMS have over the years achieved rapid annual growth, and closed 2016 with close to 1 billion SEK in revenue and almost 500 employees. With professional management, continuous innovation and a successful IPO, HMS have developed into a success within the Internet of Things area.
2018
Stina Ehrensvärd, Yubico
With a vision to make internet security both user friendly and secure, Stina Ehrensvärd and her husband started Yubico in 2007. Yubico have since become a new standard for secure computer login to computers, mobiles, private networks and services.
Today, Yubico has an impressive customer list of the biggest international digital corporates with revenue forecast of €50 million in 2018. With a strong vision, healthy stubbornness, innovative technology and complementary founder skills, Yubico has become the true world leader in user friendly and secure internet login technology.
2019
Sven Lindström, Midsummer
Sven Lindström and his co-founders have taken a well-proven production technology from the CD industry and in an innovative way applied it in a new growing industry. They developed a world-unique thin film solar production equipment.
The development took several years and meanwhile the market for solar production equipment collapsed. With a great amount of stubbornness and unwavering endurance, Sven and his team have finally succeeded and sold several machine lines and in 2018 successfully listed the company on Nasdaq First North.
2016
John Elvesjö, Tobii
John Elvesjö is an innovator and entrepreneur with a passion for the core technologies of sensors, optics, digital design and algorithms.
Tobii, one of the companies John has founded, is today the global leader in eye tracking. Tobii has pioneered research in many fields and enables communication for tens of thousands of people with special needs. The Group has achieved rapid annual growth since it was founded in 2001. With professional management, continuous innovation and a successful IPO, Tobii have developed into a success story.
2015
Martin Gren, Axis Communication
Axis was the first company in the world to launch a network camera in 1996, initiating the shift from analog to digital technology.
Today Axis is the global market leader in network video, driving the industry by continually launching innovative network products based on an open platform – delivering high value to customers through a global partner network. Solid management, continuous innovation and a world-class indirect sales organisation has made this company started by students in Lund a true success story.