The Stockholm Proptech Scene
Contents
Geographical Influences on Stockholm Real Estate
I only spent 4 days in Stockholm, but the first impressions exuded extremely strong vibes of what the real estate and proptech scenes are like here. I was immediately enraptured by the calm and balanced atmosphere. Perhaps it was because I had come from NYC, where there’s constant tension. And prior to that, Reykjavik, Iceland, where the weather dictates how your day goes.
Upon deeper reflection, I realized that the architecture, city planning , and community are responsible for that calm and balance- it’s by design. There’s a pervasive sense of stewardship for the city’s architectural heritage.
Stockholm Culture and Behavior
Many of its buildings are over 3 centuries old. Details like rounded corners, level cornices across blocks, and abundant green spaces give the city a consistent visual identity. This identity has been well preserved because since 1874, building heights have been capped at 65 feet except for public structures. The citizens have actively prohibited the development of skyscrapers, and developer profits have not been allowed to corrupt the city’s character.
Aside from some church steeples and university buildings, the entire city serves as a visual reminder that everybody is on a level playing field. Nobody is above the public good.
How Culture Affects Stockholm Real Estate
Couple that with high taxes and some of the most comprehensive social programs in the world, and you get one of the lowest Gini coefficients in the world. All of this combines to create a strong sense of community that gave me the calm and balanced vibe throughout my stay.
Sweden’s Proptech Scene
And this may be what facilitates Sweden’s incredible level of #innovation. Stockholm is consistently one of the most innovative cities in the EU and the world, and their list of global brands speaks for themselves. I was surprised to only discover last week that some of these brands are Swedish: Ikea, Volvo, H&M, Absolut Vodka, Ericsson, Electrolux, Saab, Skype, Spotify, Symantec, Husqvarna, Skanska, Klarna, Fjällräven, Astra Zeneca, Scania
Here are all the proptech companies in my directory that have a presence in Sweden. Also, it was great meeting Markus Magnell from PropTech Sweden in person! (Thank you Roger Tofft for facilitating). Look forward to exploring the proptech ecosystem here more! And of course I had to have Swedish meatballs.
Derek is the founder of The Proptech Scout, as well as an NYC landlord and real estate developer. In a former career, he bootstrapped and exited an e-commerce business while side hustling as a strategy consultant.
