Embetter Weekly #3
Welcome back to another Embetter Weekly. It has finally snowed here in Stockholm, Sweden where I am based, making days a little bit brighter, even with the lack of sun. If you are into tech and innovations and haven’t heard of this country of 10 million people in the northern part of Europe, you have missed out.
Why Sweden could become the world’s leading hub for Social Tech & Business
Just recently Sweden was ranked as the second most innovative country in the world according to the 2016 Global Innovation Index (GII). Stockholm is also considered by some to be the second most prolific tech hub in the world on a per capita basis, behind Silicon Valley. It is where a vast number of unicorns are born, and the capital city is definitely one of the most important startup hubs in Europe. Actually ranked number two globally.
When it comes to Social Tech & Business, Stockholm (and Sweden) could potentially become the world’s leading hub. Why’s that? Well, besides the above mentioned facts, we also have a long tradition of social development and responsibility.
Swedish companies have a long history of active CSR work and Sweden is viewed as a pioneer within the field. In 2013, Sweden topped the RobecoSAM Country Sustainability Ranking, which ranks 59 countries based on 17 environmental, social and governance indicators.
We are also at the forefront of environmental work, coming third in the Global Cleantech Innovation Index 2012, after Denmark and Israel just to name one ranking.
Sweden is also world leading when it comes to gender equality issues. The World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report assesses and compares national gender gaps based on economic, political, education and health criteria. The 2012 report, which can be read at www.weforum.org, ranks Sweden as fourth in the world.
And the list goes on and on… global Human Rights promoter (check!), Anti-Corruption leader (check!), driver of Sustainablity Issues (check!). All this combined with Sweden’s long history of engineering and industry results in a really interesting innovation climate.
And who’s going to lead this? I believe that Norrsken Foundation will be one of the key drivers. They are a newly launched innovation hub set out to be Europe’s biggest in Social Impact, attracting entrepreneurs and startups creating tomorrow’s solutions in Social Tech & Business. All founded and co-funded by Niclas Adalberth, co-founder of Fintech Giant Klarna, also a leading Swedish tech company.
I am really proud of all this, and will share some inspiring stories from the leading entrepreneurs when Embetter is launched later this year.
Are we ready to allow robots for nursing?
Now, to something really different. As artificial intelligence develops in form and function, companion robots are growing in usage as a means of coping with loneliness. But in B.E.N., it becomes clear they are no substitute for human compassion.
The short film, created by British director David Wilson, tackles the issue of solitude with a minimalist aesthetic and a nuanced understanding of how it feels to suddenly find yourself alone (as depicted in the movie by the newly-widowed Claudine).
Charity organization Society of Saint Vincent de Paul commissioned the work, focusing the message on its central tenet of donating time to help those in need versus simply donating money. “I wanted people to walk away with a seed in their mind of volunteering,” Wilson told It’s Nice That, “but also a reminder that those most vulnerable often don’t know how to ask for help.”
I believe that there is some really interesting opportunities in healthcare when it comes to robotics, especially at home, as portrayed in B.E.N. But obviously the tactical aspects of human relationships has to be developed in order for robots to function properly in social interactions.
Is renewable energy really sustainable?
Then to something slightly more controversial, what if renewable energy as we know it is actually not that sustainable?
According to Simon Davidsson from Sweden’s Uppsala University, the increasing uptake of renewable energy generation requires the industry to be put under scrutiny. There is no doubt that the world needs to abandon polluting fossil fuels in order to arrest the climate change. However, the total ecological footprint of renewable energy generation has never been properly explored.
“Renewable energy technology can lead to reduced emission of greenhouse gases, but for a complete analysis we need to make sure the whole production chain is sustainable,” Davidsson said. “For instance, it is not obvious that the production of wind turbines and solar cells is sustainable, that the materials have been sourced in a sustainable way, or that the industries are capable of recycling the technology in the future.” — Simon Davidsson, Uppsala University
Here’s the whole article with Simon Davidsson on E&T (Engineering & Technology). Truly an interesting perspective on the potential risks of building renewable energy solutions.
With love,
RPK
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