That Spotify passed $100 billion in market capitalization is good news for its shareholders, but also an encouraging sign for European tech as a whole.
For Swedish event organization Techarena, it is also a sign that its 2025 motto, ‘Becoming the Best in the World,’ is not too off base. “I think that was possible because of the ecosystem here in Stockholm,” its head of marketing and comms, Maral Kalajian, told Sesamers.
Stockholm is home to Techarena’s flagship event, whose next edition, taking place on February 20-21, 2025, will also be much larger than the previous one, with 12,000 expected attendees in 2025, compared to 7,500 in 2024.
For the organizers, this is an effort to make the event more international and more relevant. “We wanted to push ourselves to make it bigger and reach more people so that they come to Stockholm, they come to Sweden, they come to see the ecosystem here in the Nordics and they come to meet each other,” Maral said.
Despite this jump in size, Techarena was able to keep the same venue: It will once again take place at the Strawberry Arena, the largest stadium in Scandinavia, but Techarena 2025 is planning to make use of “every corner.” Hence Maral’s advice to first-time attendees: “Wear comfortable shoes!”
This new scale is not hubris, though, and neither is its 2025 theme: Struggle will also be part of the conversation, precisely because it is part of the road to excellence.
“Every individual and company has faced moments of doubt or failure. But these moments often shape their success. Our event aimed to give the participants the full spectrum from setbacks to breakthroughs,” Techarena CEO Omid Ekhlasi said in a statement.
Read more about Omid’s journey from journalism to Techarena CEO.
High-profile speakers and more
The “mindset of perseverance” Techarena was to highlight will be represented on stage by skateboarding legend and entrepreneur Tony Hawk. Other star speakers of the next edition include Virgin Group founder Richard Branson and Sanna Marin, the former Prime Minister of Finland — with many more names to be announced.
As expected from a tech conference, there will also be space for newcomers. This year, there will be a full stage dedicated to pitching, where attendees will discover the finalists of Techarena’s startup competition, renamed TOP46 as a nod to the country calling code of Sweden. (If you’re reading this in 2024, you still have time to apply before the Dec 31st deadline!)
In addition to Techarena’s five stages, there will also be more than 100 side events where attendees will get to interact, including a CEO Summit and other themed gatherings. “I’ve heard colleagues say side events are events within the event,” Maral said, “which is true.” Literally: Techarena’s venue is so big that most side events happen there.
Besides its two main days of programming, Techarena arguably starts on February 19, aka “day zero,” with side programming including its Investor Day. And since Stockholm is a very vibrant ecosystem, it is always worth staying longer. If you do, feel free to reach out to Techarena — they may be able to host some #proudsesamers at their offices if you need a place to work from!