7 of them went to a final round from where the jury selected two winners, Aiven from Finland and Polarium Energy Solutions from Sweden. Controlant from Iceland got a special recognition.
“By launching the first-ever Nordic Scaleup Awards we wanted to celebrate founders & leaders of Nordic high-growth companies and provide them recognition and prestige they deserve. These companies demonstrate ‘best-of-class’ business performance, but for us it was important that a modern Nordic scaleup company concentrates on more than just growth at any cost. These companies put also an emphasis on sustainability, diverse and inclusive company culture and transition to a greener economy", says Svein Berg CEO Nordic Innovation.
The Jury’s reasoning for awarding Aiven
Aiven manages cloud data infrastructure, and they are uniquely positioned in the open-source space. The company has a strong track record of giving back to the open-source community. Aiven’s approach to company culture is to preserve its Finnish roots while integrating its international values and mindset and has in place a concreate strategy to achieve this. Aiven has currently over +400 employees from nationalities all across the globe, with a headcount that has grown by more than 100% during the last 12 months.
“This is exciting news for us. We are happy and humbled to be recognized in the Nordic high growth scaleups ecosystem and to celebrate our impact on the Nordic economy and society. We look forward to continuing our presence in the Nordics and fostering relationships with our current clients", says Heikki Nousianeinen CTO, Aiven
What was important to the process of scaling up in your journey?
"In short, focus on People, Product and Projects. I think something key to focus on is in making sure you have the right staff and that they have what they need to achieve their goals, the right tools to bring to life great products. If you add to that an obsession to the customer and focus on the added value you are providing to them, - the customer journey- how they find you and how to provide support to them, success will follow”, says Heikki Nousiainen CTO, Aiven.
The Jury’s reasoning for awarding Polarium Energy Solutions
Polarium has established a market leading position in the global telecom segment and has also expanded into other markets. Polarium has “a people first strategy” which is important for their culture where everyone belongs, and where there is room for different backgrounds, and ideas to thrive. Polarium is dedicated in creating the best preforming energy storage solutions built on battery technology – a solution which can store renewable energy when it is produced and consumed when there is a need for it or when the prices are high. This provides a transition from relying on fossil fuels to renewable energy source. Polarium offers a recycling program to their customers. The company has estimated that they will be able to recycle 95% of their old batteries to battery-grade levels of purity.
“This is a great honour and recognition to everyone at Polarium. Seven years ago, Polarium was just an idea. Today we are a billion-dollar company, with products installed on all continents and 700 employees dedicated to make a difference. And we are just getting started. Energy storage is the missing link in the renewable energy machinery. And we are in the middle of this, providing solutions to accelerate the shift to renewables while reducing our customers energy costs”, says Stefan Jansson CEO, Polarium.
The Jury’s reasoning for awarding Controlant with a Special recognition
Controlant is a global leader in transforming and protecting cold chains in more than 190 countries. Controlant delivers wireless Internet of Things (IOT) data loggers that capture time, temperature, and location data in real time. It takes time to disrupt a traditional industry. Controlant shows it is possible if you are on the right time with the right solution. This is s a solid success story based on covid-19, where Controlant solved the problem and helped to digitalize a hole industry and deliver a sustainable supply chain.
“Being awarded this special recognition is a tribute to the journey of our vision, innovation, and the journey of our people. In the past two years we’ve scaled up very, very rapidly to keep up with demand and to meet new customer requirements. Having the best people has been most important to this process of scaling up. Employees need to hit the ground running, so to speak, just to keep up with the pace. This award is recognition of all their efforts and talents”, says Gisli Herjolfsson CFO, Controlant.
Eligibility criteria was that the company is registered in one of the Nordic countries, have an annual revenue at minimum of 2M€, personnel of at least 10 people and Annual growth figures of at least 20% in the past 3 years.
Jury
- Lena Apler, Founder, Collector AB & Collector Bank
- Anne - Louise Thon Jensen, Partner, and Co-Founder, SDG Invest and Vår Ventures
- Javad Mushtaq, Deputy CEO / Managing Director, EAT Foundation, CEO of MAK, and Managing Partner, WE& Capital
- Svein Berg, CEO, Nordic Innovation
- Pelle Tornell, Founder, ScaleUp Academy
About the Award
Nordic Scaleup Summit and Nordic Scaleup Awards that took part 1st of June 2022 in Stockholm is the premier gathering of leading entrepreneurs, investors, and policymakers from the Nordic countries. We want to recognise Nordic high-growth companies and entrepreneurs that run them, highlight their success stories and impact on our economy and society. The aim is to network, inspire and celebrate.
Nordic Innovation in collaboration with Dagens Industri.