The tech industry has become increasingly important for the Swedish economy.

A new report from the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth shows that the Swedish tech industry is only continuing to grow, and Swedish tech companies are highly valued in Europe in relation to the country's size.  

Alongside classic giants such as Ericsson, a new wave of newly started tech companies, startups, has emerged in the last 10-15 years.

According to the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth, there are currently 5,000 tech startups in Sweden.

"Pop up unicorns sponging in the woods"

The most successful, startup companies valued at over a billion dollars are called "unicorns", unicorn companies.

Well-known examples are music innovations such as Spotify, finchech giants such as Klarna and gaming companies such as King.  

- A unicorn is a fairy tale animal, it is incredibly difficult to see.

That's how it was for a long time with unicorn companies, it was difficult to reach this dream limit of 1 billion dollars.

But now unicorn companies are popping up a bit like mushrooms in the woods, says financial journalist Erik Wisterberg at Ekonomibyrån. 

According to Erik Wisterberg, a major reason why some tech entrepreneurs are successful is access to the right network.

"They have vomited at the same parties"

- Many of the networks come from the schools they attend.

There is a well-known venture capitalist who said that they have vomited at the same parties and I think that describes quite well what it looks like, says investor Indra Sharma in Ekonomibyrån.  

More men than women start companies, especially in tech.

But the imbalance is not just about male networks ruling.  

- When you look at the women who are in the industry, there is a very skewed distribution between how capital is invested and it is with people like me, how we experience and assess these people, says Indra Sharma.

Women and men are asked different questions

Mark Conely, professor of entrepreneurship at the Stockholm School of Economics, believes that the gap stems from the questions that venture capitalists ask entrepreneurs when they sell their business ideas. 

- Female founders are largely asked questions that focus on what pitfalls there are, what can go wrong.

Their male counterparts are instead asked questions that focus on opportunities, how big the company can become, says Mark Conely.

Different questions generate different answers.

According to Conely and his research colleagues, the various issues result in significant differences in the risk capital raised.

- Men and women pitch in the same way, and answer in the same way when they get the same questions.

The problem is that they do not get it.

At the same time, there are bootcamps where female entrepreneurs must learn how to raise venture capital.

But it does not depend on the female entrepreneurs, it is the investors who must step up.