The jury consists of four experts with backgrounds in business development, investment, entrepreneurship and innovation. The jury members will evaluate the companies nominated for Nordic Scaleup Awards 2026 based on four overall eligibility criteria. They will also look into additional factors such as company culture, global reach, growth and business excellence, and sustainability.
Read more and nominate your company
To be considered for the Nordic Scaleup Awards 2026, the company must:
- Be registered in one of the Nordic countries
- Have an annual revenue at minimum of 2M€
- Have personnel of at least 10 people
- Have an annual growth figures of at least 20% in the past 3 years
The jury:
Hanna Viinikainen, Partner, Juuri Partners
Hanna Viinikainen is Partner at Juuri Partners, a growth investor supporting entrepreneur-driven SMEs. She focuses on partnering with founders to build management teams, international growth strategies, and governance. Juuri’s current investments include Vetapet (a Nordic e-com platform focusing on pet health), Kiho (a B2B SaaS fleet and fieldwork platform), Qoco (Global SaaS solution for aviation industry), 24Pesula (Nordic self service laundromat chain) and Omnigym (Outdoor gyms in Europe).
A successful scaleup needs a clear and differentiated value proposition, supported by a scalable business model and a disciplined approach to execution. Market timing and strong product-market fit are equally critical – even great teams need to be solving a problem whose time has come. Strong, complementary leadership teams, access to smart capital, and the right governance structures and board composition that support long-term value creation are essential foundations. The company must also be willing to professionalise structures and processes as it grows. Finally, the best scaleups combine ambition with resilience – the ability to learn, adapt and keep going through inevitable setbacks.
- Hanna Viinikainen
Emil Sunvisson, CEO, Qred Bank
Emil Sunvisson holds an M.Sc from the Royal Institute of Technology and an MBA from the Stockholm School of Economics. He is a serial entrepreneur and has previously started companies in the gaming industry, financial consulting and telecom. In addition to being an esteemed speaker at conferences and events, he has been a frequent guest on podcasts talking about corporate finance and entrepreneurship. Since its inception in 2015, Qred has been launched in 7 different countries and has been recognized by the Financial Times as one of Europe's fastest growing companies 5 times. Qred is winner of Nordic Scaleup Awards 2024.
Highlighting Nordic scaleups is crucial because it shines a spotlight on the incredible innovation happening in our region. The success stories not only inspire the next generation of founders but also attract vital international investment, showcasing the Nordic countries as a dynamic hub for technological and economic growth.
- Emil Sunvisson
Arne Tonning, Partner, Alliance VC
Arne Tonning is a techie turned VC with a strong focus on value creation through building great companies. Through Alliance VC, he invests in and partners with top startup founders and teams. He has experience from technology research, product and business development, market expansion, management consulting, investing, and M&A, and global experience from Norway, the UK, and Silicon Valley.
Highlighting scaleups is important for multiple reasons. We need founders to be easily recognizable "heroes" more broadly in society, like sports and culture personalities, to strengthen the understanding of scaleups' importance for economic growth/productivity, competitiveness and job creation, to inspire the next generation of founders and to build affinity and support for the growth ecosystem. Furthermore, it is important to recognize deserving founders and companies to support their growth trajectories by increasing their visibility and credibility to customers, potential hires and investors.
- Arne Tonning
Freyr Friðfinnsson, International Projects Lead, KLAK Icelandic Startups
With a Bachelor's degree in Software Engineering from the University of Reykjavik and a Master's degree in Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management from KTH in Stockholm, Freyr has dedicated five years to working with KLAK Icelandic Startups, supporting over 80 startups annually through multiple business accelerators and workshops. Additionally, as partners in Venture Challenge, KLAK assists emerging fund managers with their challenges, driven by their passion for evolving the venture ecosystem in the Nordics. Freyr also serves on the board of Nordic Innovation, contributing to shaping the innovation landscape in the region.
Supporting the growth of Nordic companies is important because they often embed values such as environmental responsibility, social impact, and long-term sustainability into their business models from the start. Enabling these companies to compete at an international level means exporting not just products, but also a value-driven approach to business. Seeing Nordic companies successfully challenge large global players can inspire a broader shift toward more responsible and balanced growth models, where impact and profitability go hand in hand.
- Freyr Friðfinnsson
Anne-Louise Thon-Jensen, Partner and co-founder of SDG Invest and Vår Ventures
Anne-Louise Thon-Jensen is founder and Partner at SDGlead, where she connects people and business opportunities to create impactful and sustainable solutions. She advises companies and investors on sustainability and impact investment, with expertise spanning strategy, ESG and sustainability screening, diversity, responsible supply chains, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. She has more than 25 years of international experience across Africa, Asia, Europe and the United States, working with major projects and clients across industries. She has developed Impact Master Classes, providing investors with hans-on experience through real-life impact investment cases, best practices and expert networks.
It is important to highlight Nordic scaleups as they show that strong growth and responsible business can go together. In my work, I see how Nordic companies combine long-term thinking, transparency, and high ESG standards in a way that deserves global attention. It is important to help them growth because they creates jobs, innovation, and scalable solutions to global challenges. I see it as an investment in both economic strength and social progress.In order for a scaleup to succeed it needs strong leadership, a clear purpose, and access to the right capital and talent. From my experience, the best scaleups balance fast growth with long-term responsibility.
Anne-Louise Thon-Jensen
Nordic Scaleup Awards
Nordic Scaleups Awards takes place for the fourth time in Stockholm on May 28 from 16.00-21.00. The aim of the award is to recognize Nordic high-growth companies and the entrepreneurs that run them and highlight their success stories and impact on the Nordic economy and society.
Nordic Scaleup Awards is organized by Nordic Innovation in cooperation with Nordic Innovation and Epicenter.
Deadline for nominating your company is March 3, 2026.
