From the very beginning, DigitalWell Arena has had a clear ambition: to create better conditions for digital health innovation by bringing together the public sector and entrepreneurs. The public sector has a growing need to develop and implement digital technologies to improve the quality of care and health. At the same time, there are a large number of entrepreneurs working on new technologies, such as AI, advanced apps and smart solutions for collecting and analysing health data.
When the first version of DigitalWell Innovation Support was launched in 2020, it became the starting point for a more systematic support to startups. It helped entrepreneurs build prototypes, conduct real-world tests, protect their ideas and understand public sector needs. In the first year, 50 companies and entrepreneurs accessed various support services.
– The learning curve was as steep for us as for the entrepreneurs. We quickly realised that it would be difficult to tailor each intervention over time – but the result was still fantastic,” says Lina Svensberg, who was responsible for the initiative.
Two million base plate provided strong leverage
With a basic funding of SEK 2 million for DigitalWell’s Innovation Support, the companies that received support managed to raise almost SEK 10 million in investments in their first year. Many of the companies that were at the beginning of their journey are now established and growing companies. Stepler is perhaps the most famous example, whose app to reward physical activity has now spread to ten countries and attracts seven million users.
The strong leverage also paved the way for new ideas – and became the foundation of DigitalWell Ventures, a specialised healthtech incubator and accelerator.
When DigitalWell Ventures launched in 2021, support for start-ups took a new form. Through a structured programme, companies could access expert support, verification and investor networks. In April 2025, the eighth cohort of the accelerator programme ended – and in total, over 70 companies have now gone through the acceleration and incubation programmes.
– By linking our support services to more cohesive programmes for selected companies, we were able to help more companies with similar needs, while continuing to adapt the support to each company’s unique journey,” says Stefan Skoglund, CEO of DigitalWell Ventures.
Has attracted over 155 million in follow-on investment
Overall, the DigitalWell Arena ecosystem has supported over 150 companies – and helped them attract more than SEK 155 million in follow-on investment.
– “The real amount is probably even higher, these are just the investments we know about. And it also does not include the revenue the companies generated from sales to customers,” says Stefan Skoglund.
At the same time as DigitalWell Ventures was established, a clearer focus also grew within DigitalWell Arena: to not only support the companies – but also strengthen the public sector. To avoid role conflicts, the incubator was transferred to the Värmland foundation Inova, while DigitalWell Arena deepened its work on creating joint infrastructure that uses the power of the public sector to stimulate innovation.
– “Our initial efforts to support companies were successful, but this is not enough to bring about systemic change. That’s why we have increasingly focused on developing forms of co-operation and tools that make it easier for the public sector to demand innovation,” says Jonas Matthing, Executive Director of DigitalWell Arena.
Service scaled to 40 new customers
A clear example is Demand Acceleration – a framework for procurement-driven innovation. It involves integrating procurement into the innovation process, where multiple companies can contribute to developing solutions in close dialogue with the public sector.
In 2022, Karlstad Municipality carried out the first procurement under the framework. The result was a VR service to train healthcare professionals in dealing with people with cognitive impairment – developed by the startup Virotea. The service is currently used by over 40 municipalities and healthcare providers.
Since then, three more new digital services have been created with the support of the framework.
– Public procurement has a huge potential to drive innovation. If we could use just a little more of the SEK 900 billion in annual public procurement to demand innovative solutions, it would be a game changer,” says Jonas Matthing.
Another important piece of the new infrastructure is the creation of a national framework for quality assurance of health apps. Currently, each municipality or region has to make its own judgements – leading to slow implementation, unequal access and high development costs for companies.
DigitalWell Arena is now running several initiatives to contribute to common interpretations of quality requirements – benefiting both private and public sector actors.
The focus on collaboration has also had an impact on DigitalWell Ventures, which is now part of the national incubator programme and an important knowledge node on what it takes to succeed in a public market.
– Interaction with the public sector provides an opportunity to build trust. There are several unique elements to consider here that we have built specialised expertise around, which can now be spread to more people,” says Stefan Skoglund.
One entry point – 400 ideas
DigitalWell Innovation Support remains the starting point, and DigitalWell Arena’s common entry point for startups and entrepreneurs. The DigitalWell Innovation Council also plays a central role. In total, the council has made an initial evaluation of over 400 ideas. Representatives from Region Värmland, Karlstad Municipality, Karlstad University, Almi Invest – and DigitalWell Arena – are involved.
– The Innovation Council has become an invaluable gateway into the system. It provides early validation of ideas – but also insight into the innovation landscape for the public sector. It gives a good picture of what DigitalWell Arena is all about: bringing together needs and opportunities,” says Jonas Matthing.