During Singapore's state visit to Sweden, leaders from technology and investment came together to discuss what drives innovation and how companies from smaller markets can compete globally. The occasion also marked a significant milestone for the Scaleup Europe Fund, managed by EQT, with Singapore's Temasek joining as an investor.

Sweden and Singapore may be geographically small, but both have built internationally connected ecosystems that consistently produce companies with global ambitions.

That shared perspective was at the centre of a high-level discussion held during Singapore's state visit to Sweden, in the presence of His Majesty King Carl XVI Gustaf, Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Daniel and Singapore's President Tharman Shanmugaratnam.

Victor Englesson, Partner at EQT and Co-Head of the Scaleup Europe Fund, joined representatives from Spotify, Lovable and Legora to explore the conditions that allow innovation to thrive, from entrepreneurial culture and access to capital to the role of technology and human talent.

The discussion brought together different generations of Swedish technology companies, reflecting the country's ability to build globally competitive businesses across industries and technological shifts.

Turning innovation into global leadership

Europe has no shortage of ambitious founders, world-class research or breakthrough technologies. From artificial intelligence and robotics to life sciences and advanced industrial systems, European companies are increasingly competing at the forefront of global innovation.

But turning technological breakthroughs into enduring global businesses requires more than great ideas.

It requires access to substantial long-term capital, international customers, talent, partnerships and the experience needed to expand across markets.

These were central themes of the panel, which explored how strong innovation ecosystems can help ambitious companies move from early success to international leadership.

For Europe, addressing the scale-up financing gap is an important part of that equation.

A milestone for European technology

Against this backdrop, Victor announced that Temasek, Singapore's global investment company, has invested in the Scaleup Europe Fund, managed by EQT.

The investment reflects growing international institutional interest in Europe's technology ecosystem and the opportunity to build global technology leaders from Europe.

"This investment demonstrates that Europe's next generation of global technology leaders represents an opportunity not only for European investors, but for long-term institutional capital from around the world," said Victor Englesson. "Europe's technology ambitions are global. The capital supporting them should be too."

Temasek's participation connects one of Asia's major institutional investors with a European fund established to help address the continent's scale-up financing gap.

Beyond financing, international investment can help strengthen connections between European innovation and global markets, bringing perspectives, relationships and experience from across the world.

Small countries, global opportunity

The state visit highlighted the shared strengths of Sweden and Singapore: internationally oriented economies, strong innovation ecosystems and a track record of building connections beyond their domestic markets.

For founders, the lesson is clear. Building globally competitive companies requires an ambition that extends beyond national borders from the outset.

For investors, it reinforces the opportunity to connect promising European technologies with the capital and international networks needed to scale.

And for Europe, Temasek's investment marks another step towards building a stronger, more globally connected technology ecosystem.

This is a marketing communication. Please refer to the information document of the Scaleup Europe Fund before making any final investment decisions.

Cred AXL media AB / Business Sweden