Stockholm Tech Fest 2017
In its 4th year running, Stockholm Tech Fest 2017 is gaining exponential popularity with every new addition of start-ups, investors, and reporters. It’s not just any other Tech Fest. It’s Stockholm, the capital of the Scandinavian kingdom of significant technological triumphs. The city which witnessed the birth of many unicorns. The community with a welcoming passion to entrepreneurs with a dream for worldwide impact. The technological hub with such an incredible energy, people say it’s the next Silicon Valley.
But is it really?
City of Heart
An interview with Unity CEO David Helgason sheds light that one difference is the intensity of aggressiveness. That maybe, Silicon Valley has a greater sense of cut-throat aggressiveness as compared to Stockholm. Such intensity is more natural there, especially in the middle management. This will be something that will be difficult to replicate into the Nordics lifestyle. Despite so, the Nordic networks have been progressing really well in developing new technologies for the future. Perhaps we are different, but that does not mean we are less.
Gaming Industry to work towards being ‘Human’
A huge part of our future, as signposted by Magnus Nordin, the technical director at Electronic Arts, is how gaming will be drastically different. One of the examples that I am most impressed by is the rate of deep learning that our machines have attained. Leveraging on neural networks, we have our programs mastering how to win games, beating the best human player out there. However, a huge component of this virality is still lacking – the ubiquitous human touch. To create a game that can change the world does not only require the latest technology but also how it can relate back to the players – us. As an EA Games fan since I was 8 years old, this makes me even more excited to what we can achieve in the future.
A Cyber Sense of Security
The next intriguing concept was from Mårten Mickos, the CEO of Hacker One. As our world transcends into virtual cloud systems, we must defend ourselves in the realm of cyber security by being able to detect our vulnerabilities before someone else does. This is increasingly pertinent in this era of agile development when systems can collapse within a day. Such ideas are in line with Johan Tjärnberg, the CEO of Bambora, who stated that cloud systems are indeed the future, and the public need to adapt to this trend.
Marriage between Science and Food Tech
A new addition to Stockholm Tech Fest 2017, we also witnessed a marriage between science and food technology. Milk without cows, anyone? Toni Petersson, CEO of Oatley, is preaching about the transformation of fiber-rich oats into nutritious liquid food, adapted to humans. Their concept stemmed from making it easy for people to eat and drink without fussing over the world’s limited resources. Apart from Oatly, other smart food solution advocates such as Klas Balkow (CEO of Axfood), Karl Andersson (CEO of Matsmart) and Johan Jörgensen of Sweden Food Tech are also looking into other R&D opportunities.
In a Nutshell: Stockholm Tech Fest 2017
These are some of the novel technology waves cruising right now. Alongside with familiar trends of seamless cashless payments, meaningful lives, and sustainable development. There were over 5,000 investors and entrepreneurs congregating at Stockholm Tech Fest 2017. We certainly hope that this get-together will invigorate, inspire and incite more novel ideas to come.
Any applications that caught your eye at Stockholm Tech Fest 2017? We are really interested. Let us know here!
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