The startup scene in Europe is growing, but gaining an understanding of which incubators and hubs are the best at supporting their companies has been difficult – until now. To remedy this, the Financial Times has collaborated with data collection company Statista and created a leaderboard of Europe’s top startup incubators. 

More than 2,000 startup hubs in Europe were analyzed in order to create the ranking, and only 125 of them made the list. Among the seven ranked Swedish incubators, SSE Business Lab takes first place. 

“What makes this ranking so valuable is that entrepreneurship is given proper attention, that its societal value is noted,” says Andreas Johansson, CEO of SSE Business Lab. ”This is proof that the top-ranked research and education from SSE is creating tangible value through the successful business we have helped to create.”  

When creating their new ranking, the Financial Times and Statista looked at what former entrepreneurs said about the support they have received, which successful companies each incubator has produced, and gathered expert opinions of people like well-known investors. Overall, SSE Business Lab is ranked 26 out of the 125 hubs on the list.  

Best track record in Europe 

When it comes to producing successful companies, SSE Business Lab is considered the very best: the incubator gets first place in the “Best track record” category. According to the ranking, the incubator has the most successful portfolio of companies among all of Europe’s startup hubs. SSE Business Lab has been the springboard of companies like Klarna, Instabee, and Voi, in addition to publicly traded companies like Fastator.  

Lars Strannegård, president of SSE, believes that entrepreneurship has always been important to the School. 

“The Stockholm School of Economics has a proud history of nurturing company builders – after all, the School itself was founded by entrepreneurs. I’m delighted that there are now rankings that take entrepreneurship into consideration and that our work is being recognized,” he says.

Lars Strannegård and Andreas Johansson in the newly inaugurated Schumpeter Room.

Well-known for their focus on diversity and sustainability 

In recent years, SSE Business Lab has gone through an exciting development phase, made possible by long-term support from financiers like the Erling Persson Foundation. In addition to their impressive track-record of companies, the incubator has been recognized for its commitment to gender equality and sustainability.  

“Our work is based on the conviction that sustainable entrepreneurship can have a massive positive effects on society. Long-term financial support, together with rankings like this, signal that we’re going in the right direction,” says Andreas Johansson. 

SSE’s incubator recently expanded its efforts into sustainability by introducing sustainability coaching as a mandatory part of its support. SSE Business Lab also has a requirement for diversity in its admissions process, which has led to the incubator having far better equality figures than the industry average.

About SSE Business Lab

SSE Business Lab is the startup incubator of the Stockholm School of Economics. The incubator is an integrated part of the School, working to encourage entrepreneurship among students, alumni and faculty. Through coaching, mentorship, workshops, and access to a first-class network of investors, SSE Business Lab helps startups develop their ideas, accelerate their growth, and create impact. The incubator provides access to a wide variety of partner offers from organizations like Microsoft for Startups, Scrive, PE Accounting, and Grosshandelssocieteten as part of Stockholms Borgerskap. Since its inception in 2001, SSE Business Lab has supported over 290 companies – among them well-known successes like Klarna, Budbee and Voi Technology.

About the Stockholm School of Economics

The Stockholm School of Economics is rated as a top business school in the Nordic and Baltic countries and enjoys a strong international reputation. World-class research forms the foundation of our educational offering, which includes bachelor, master, PhD, MBA, and Executive Education programs. Our programs are developed in close cooperation with the business and research communities, providing graduates substantial potential to attain leading positions in companies and other organizations. 

The School is accredited by EQUIS, certifying that all of its principal activities – teaching as well as research – maintain the highest international standards. The Stockholm School of Economics is also the only Swedish member institution of CEMS and PIM, which are collaborations between top business schools worldwide, contributing to the level of quality for which our school is known. 

Press contact

William Hagströmer
Marketing Manager, SSE Business Lab
Email: william.hagstromer@hhs.se
Phone: +46 79 102 48 35