“Where are all the Swedish startups that develop defense technology?”

As usual, it is with great interest that we read Ny Teknik’s 33 list of this year’s startups. Many exciting ideas that will hopefully come to fruition.

But we can’t see a single defense technology start-up! Russia’s aggression against Ukraine has been going on for a decade, with a sharp escalation two years and nine months ago.

Yet the 33-list has no worthwhile entrepreneurship around drone detection and protection, new ways to detect and neutralize mines, innovative apps for telewarfare, and more.

There are obviously many creative engineers in Sweden – but why leave all defense technology innovation to the big companies? Saab and BAE Systems are certainly developing advanced systems that have also proven to be appreciated in Ukraine – even if the government has not yet approved the use of the Jas 39 Gripen.

But established companies are rarely as dynamic and fast-paced as entrepreneur-driven startups. Therefore, there is much more to be done to strengthen Sweden’s defense industrial capacity and Ukraine’s resistance. New innovation companies in Sweden also have a lot to learn from production partners in Ukraine, where they have proven to be surprisingly quick to go from prototype to series production. Therefore, such partnerships also provide unique opportunities to directly test and modify the innovations so that they work under field conditions.

It should therefore be time for a broad call for defense technology startups, preferably in collaboration between the Swedish Armed Forces, Entrepreneurship Forum and New Technology.

Christian Berggrenprofessor emeritus in industrial organization, Linköping University
Solmaz Filiz Karabagprofessor industrial organization and strategy, Linköping University