According to venture firm Atomico, Stockholm has Europe’s largest collection of billion dollar startups. The firm did a rather rigorous analysis of all the startups launched after 2003 with a valuation of at least US$1bn today, whether by a public listing, acquisition, or private investment. Of 138 startups that have made the ‘billion-dollar’ club worldwide since then, Silicon Valley was home to the largest number, with 53 to its name. But that is old news. The five from Sweden’s capital include the now Microsoft-owned gaming outfit Mojang, payments firm Klarna, the Anglo-Swedish gaming company king.com, Spotify, and Skype, which, having launched in 2003, just scrapes into the list. It’s also interesting to note that second to Silicon Valley was Beijing, home to 17 startups with a $1bn valuation, such as Qihoo 360, lashou.com, Sina Weibo, and Cheetah Mobile. (The list only includes software companies, which leaves Xiaomi out). Read the Full Article and interactive charts.
