Winner of the Anders Walls Award

SACCNY is excited to announce Willem Sundblad—CEO and Co-Founder of Oden Technologies—as the winner of The Anders Wall Award for Exceptional Entrepreneurship at Innovate46.

After pitching on stage at Nasdaq MarketSite with two other impressive nominees for the Anders Wall Award for Exceptional Entrepreneurship—Christopher Ahlberg, Co-Founder & CEO of Recorded Future, and Lisa Lindstöm, CEO of Doberman—Willem Sundblad, CEO and Co-Founder of Oden Technologies, took home the coveted title and a $25,000 cash grant to expand his company’s operations.

Running an Industrial Internet of Things company, Sundblad was most recently named one of Forbes 30 Under 30 for his work with transforming the manufacturing industry.

His company, Oden Technologies, offers powerful tools for manufacturers to digitize, analyze, and optimize production for more efficient and sustainable production, eliminating waste.
”This is an amazing honor,” says Sundblad. ”The previous winners are all fantastic Swedish entrepreneurs and it is humbling to be part of the circle. The award definitely brings validation and credibility to the founding team—it is a testament to the amazing staff and the technology they are building.”

Hoping to grow his team from 32 employees today to at least 80 next year, Sundblad reckons this award will help realize the company’s expansion goals.

For those wondering about the secrets to Sundblad’s success, here are the areas and criteria he excelled in according to this year’s jury: beyond his ability and capacity to create and lead a successful business, Sundblad was recognized for being an exemplary ambassador for entrepreneurship; having identified and created a product, technology or service that generates increased customer satisfaction; and having a business that is likely to succeed and scale on the U.S. market.

As for achieving global success, Sundblad believes that it requires winning the U.S. market first. After all, ”it allows companies to build operational and financial strength that can really take you to become a category winner,” he explains.

However, this is easier said than done. Urging people not to ”underestimate cultural differences in doing business,” Sundblad advises Europeans entering the U.S. market, to be humble, learn from others and get help. Make the most of good connections and platforms, such as SACCNY’s new initiative—Gateway, ”as it can help you find the right business partners and provide a place like home.”