HackNation Comes to Flemingsberg: Strengthening the Connection Between Stockholm and Silicon Valley
A global innovation network with roots in MIT and Silicon Valley is coming to Flemingsberg. On October 3-4, students, researchers, entrepreneurs and developers will gather at Innovation Station to build solutions alongside participants from more than 65 countries. The initiative is led by the GameTech initiative Press Start and the life science initiative Life Science Cluster Flemingsberg, with the ambition of creating new bridges between Stockholm, Silicon Valley and some of the world’s leading innovation ecosystems.
“What if students and researchers in Stockholm had the same opportunities as students at some of the world’s leading universities? What if they could form teams with people connected to Stanford, MIT and Harvard, build solutions together and compete on the same global stage?”
That thought stayed with Leslie Alfredsson, Head of Press Start, after taking part in HackNation while studying at Stanford University.
What impressed her most was not the competition itself, but how quickly people from different backgrounds could come together around shared challenges and start building. Students, researchers, engineers and founders from different universities met, formed teams and moved from idea to action in just a matter of hours.
“I remember thinking: why shouldn’t students and researchers in Stockholm have the same opportunity? What would happen if we could create a place where people with different skills come together, build together and gain access to an international network of innovators?” says Leslie Alfredsson, Head of Press Start.
Now that idea is becoming reality
On October 3-4, HackNation will take place at Innovation Station in Flemingsberg. For 24 hours, Flemingsberg will become part of a global network where participants from more than 65 countries collaborate on real-world challenges and develop new solutions together.
For Flemingsberg, this is about building bridges.
Between Stockholm and Silicon Valley. Between research and entrepreneurship. Between students, researchers and companies. And not least between GameTech and Life Science.
Where Different Worlds Meet
Flemingsberg is one of Sweden’s most knowledge-intensive environments, bringing together higher education, world-leading research, healthcare and business in one place. It is home to Karolinska Institutet, Södertörn University, KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Karolinska University Hospital, alongside a growing ecosystem of companies in both technology and life science.
At the same time, two major growth and innovation initiatives are underway in the area: the GameTech initiative Press Start and the life science initiative Life Science Cluster Flemingsberg. At the intersection of these fields, new opportunities are emerging.
“What makes Flemingsberg particularly exciting is the opportunity to explore how game technology can be applied in areas such as health, education, AI and advanced simulation. Through HackNation, we bring together people with different perspectives and expertise who can create solutions that otherwise might never have existed,” concludes Leslie Alfredsson.
A Global Network Lands in Flemingsberg
HackNation has its roots in innovation communities connected to MIT and brings together participants and networks with ties to universities such as MIT, Stanford and Harvard. By bringing the event to Innovation Station, students, researchers and entrepreneurs in Stockholm will have the opportunity to build alongside a global network, while showcasing Flemingsberg as a place where research, life science, GameTech and innovation come together.
About Press Start
Press Start is a GameTech initiative run by Flemingsberg Science Foundation and Södertörn University. The initiative aims to strengthen the growth and establishment of small and medium-sized GameTech companies in the Stockholm region through increased collaboration, business development, internationalisation and the development of testing and co-creation environments. Press Start is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), Huddinge Municipality and the project’s collaborating partners.
About Life Science Cluster Flemingsberg
Life Science Cluster Flemingsberg is an initiative that strengthens collaboration between industry, academia and healthcare to create better conditions for innovation, establishment and growth within life science in Flemingsberg and the Stockholm region. Life Science Cluster Flemingsberg is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), Region Stockholm, Huddinge Municipality, Botkyrka Municipality and Hemsö.
Quick Facts About HackNation
- A 24-hour global innovation event.
- Takes place simultaneously in more than 15 hubs worldwide and online.
- Participants from more than 65 countries.
- An international network of more than 7,000 people across research, technology and entrepreneurship.
- More than 2,000 participants took part simultaneously in the previous edition.
- Built around real-world challenges from companies and organisations, with the potential to continue beyond the event.
