Bringing the World to Sweden: How to Build a Global Innovation Hub w/ Omid Ekhla

We’re kicking off the year 2026 with our first Startup Grind fireside chat: and a conversation focused on Sweden’s growing role in the global innovation ecosystem.

Sweden has long been known for strong startups and technical excellence. But how do you turn a successful local ecosystem into a global innovation hub that attracts founders, investors, corporations, and talent from around the world?

In this fireside chat, Omid Ekhlasi, CEO & Founder of Techarena, joins Startup Grind Nordics to share firsthand insights from building one of Scandinavia’s most influential innovation platforms.

From international partnerships and ecosystem-building to scaling events and communities globally, Omid will unpack what it takes to “bring the world to Sweden” — and why platforms matter in shaping the future of innovation.

We’ll explore:
🌍 What makes an ecosystem globally competitive
🤝 How to attract international founders, investors, and partners
🚀 The role of events and platforms in global innovation
🏙️ Lessons from scaling Techarena into a world-class tech gathering
💡 What’s next for Sweden on the global innovation map

Whether you’re a founder, investor, policymaker, or ecosystem builder, this conversation offers valuable insights into how Sweden can harness global innovation to create local impact.

The session will be moderated by Naimul Abd – Regional Director Nordics at Startup Grind, CEO at Connect East, SweBAN, Nutty Ventures, and BRIM, and Nordics lead for Founder Institute and Founders Live.

Agenda

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Speaker

Omid Ekhlasi - Techarena (CEO and Founder)

Before founding Techarena, Omid worked at Serendipity Innovations, a venture capital firm where he built deep expertise in startup growth and innovation. He is also a co-founder of Voxo, a tech company specializing in voice analytics.
Under Omid’s leadership, Techarena has grown from a small startup competition into Scandinavia’s largest business and tech event, attracting thousands of f…

Hosted By

Naimul Abd, Regional Director Nordics Startup Grind

Naimul Abd is a leading Nordic Ecosystem Builder and coaches more than 500 entrepreneurs per year. A finalist in Nordic Startup Awards 2023, he is Regional Director Nordics for global startup ecosystems including Founder Institute, Startup Grind, and Founders Live. He has headed several EU funded acceleration programs, transformed advisory services, events, and partnerships at a government funded social impact organization, and moderated leading startup events like Stockholm Entrepreneurs Day, Nordic Startup Festival, and Nordic Pitch Battle. Naimul is also a serial entrepreneur and an angel investor with a portfolio of impact startups. He has previously worked in the corporate sector as a strategic marketing & insights consultant for more than 20 multinational brands including Nestlé, Coca Cola, Honda, Tetra Pak. He has also tripled the topline of a fashion retailer as their marketing head and held leadership positions at advertising and research agencies. Naimul holds M.Sc. in Marketing and M.Sc. in Entrepreneurship from Sweden and, in his free time, he makes music and loves to write. His favorite quote? “The best way to predict the future is to create it,” by Peter Drucker.

Peggie K. Ovesen, Partnerships Lead

I’m passionate about the startup journey and driven to build solutions that are good for both people and the planet. With a background in tech and business, I’ve led product development in deeptech startups across fashion, fitness, and entertainment.

My experience spans from marketing and sales at the multinational brand Nestlé to launching MVPs for early-stage startups — giving me a well-rounded perspective on building purposeful, scalable solutions.

I believe in the power of collaboration and in creating products where innovation and impact grow through shared purpose.

Outside of work, I’m a wine enthusiast , enjoys playing tennis, meditation, hiking, and weightlifting. I am always embracing new challenges that fuel personal and professional growth. Message to all- “alone we go fast, but together we go far.”

Startup Grind is a global startup community designed to educate, inspire, and connect entrepreneurs. We host monthly events in more than 600 cities and 125+ countries featuring successful local founders, innovators, educators and investors who share personal stories and lessons learned on the road to building great companies. Our monthly fireside chat interviews, startup mixers and annual conferences provide ample opportunities to connect with amazing startups and the people behind them, tap into a strong support network, form meaningful connections and gain inspiration for the startup journey ahead. For more information visit StartupGrind.com or follow us on twitter @StartupGrind.

Complete your event RSVP here: https://www.startupgrind.com/events/details/startup-grind-stockholm-presents-bringing-the-world-to-sweden-how-to-build-a-global-innovation-hub-w-omid-ekhlasi/.