What Europe can learn from Silicon Valley with Joakim Skog | Builders

In Silicon Valley, failure is often seen as valuable experience. Risk-taking is encouraged, ambitious ideas attract investment, and companies are expected to move fast. But what can Sweden and the Nordics learn from this approach, and what strengths do they already have?In this episode of Builders, our host Lee Haynes speaks with Joakim Skog, Head of Office and Strategy at Vinnova, Sweden’s innovation agency, based in Silicon Valley.They discuss the differences between Swedish and American innovation cultures, why Silicon Valley rewards failure, how governments can support ambitious technological breakthroughs, and what it takes to build a successful innovation ecosystem.They also explore strategic foresight, why predicting the future isn’t the goal, and how organizations can prepare for technological changes they can’t yet fully anticipate.In this episode:• Why Silicon Valley treats failure differently• What Sweden can learn from the US innovation ecosystem• How public funding supports high-risk innovation• Why Sweden needs to make strategic bets on emerging technologies• How strategic foresight helps organizations prepare for the future• How to distinguish meaningful signals of change from passing trendsThis is Part 1 of our conversation with Joakim Skog. In Part 2, we explore emerging technologies, robotics, neurotechnology, and Europe’s position in the global technology race.Subscribe to Builders for conversations with the people shaping the future of technology, engineering, and innovation.Chapters:00:00 Introduction: What can Sweden learn from Silicon Valley?01:08 Why Vinnova is based in Silicon Valley03:33 What makes the US innovation ecosystem different?05:30 Why Silicon Valley rewards failure06:56 Combining the best of Sweden and Silicon Valley10:22 The DARPA model and ambitious moonshots11:44 The role of public funding in innovation15:00 How Sweden chooses which technologies to invest in18:41 Strategic foresight: Can we predict the future?21:45 Which emerging trends are leaders underestimating?24:26 How to separate meaningful signals from noise