An Evening Celebrating Värmland’s Remarkable Innovators and Entrepreneurs

At yesterday’s event, “Good Vibes & Great Ideas”, the region’s innovators and entrepreneurs were celebrated. The evening was fully dedicated to shining a spotlight on those who, with fresh thinking and creative ideas in innovation and change, contribute to continued regional growth.

A few individuals were highlighted during an awards ceremony: Sandra Boström from Rekoroben, Martin Larsson and Tobias Norén Hallin from Habbie, and Lars Sandberg and Ulrika Evermark from Blue Ocean Closures—all nominated by representatives from Värmland’s business community.

“A fantastic initiative! Highlighting regional innovators means so much to us. For Habbie, it means more healthcare providers will take notice of our service. Having others recognize the benefits and see the potential for our innovation to truly contribute to the shift toward quality, close-to-home care is incredibly valuable. We’re truly grateful,” say Martin Larsson and Tobias Norén Hallin.

Nearly 100 people attended the evening—a vibrant mix of representatives from local government, businesses, students, entrepreneurs, and innovators. Together, they created exactly the kind of good vibes the event promised.

During the awards ceremony, attendees got an inside look at the brilliant ideas and bold thinking that drive the winners’ passions—and why their work matters for the community as a whole.

“Clothing production is a major contributor to climate change, environmental damage, and even public health. That’s why Rekoroben’s mission is to make secondhand shopping more accessible. We need to shift our consumption patterns toward more sustainable and circular practices—for the climate, the environment, and our health,” says Sandra Boström, adding, “I want it to be easy and fun, and to feel fresh and inspiring to shop secondhand!”

“Our ‘Why’ is to reduce plastic and carbon emissions, and I want to give you some perspective,” says Lars Sandberg, who, together with Ulrika Evermark, has developed a fiber-based screw cap for liquid packaging. “Around 2.5 billion plastic caps are produced every year. Only about 5% are used for cartons. If each cap weighs one gram, that’s roughly 35,000 tons of plastic.”

The purpose of the event and the evening was to create an opportunity for networking and, as mentioned, to celebrate the people behind these amazing ideas. But why does it feel especially important?

“When it comes to entrepreneurship and innovation, so much focus is on the business idea or the company itself—rarely on the people behind these amazing solutions, the ones who actually make things happen. That’s what we want to change,” says Helena Bornstedt, Head of People & Culture at Ninetech.

The evening’s awards, designed by Värmland artist Greger Herrström, were presented by Ulrika K. Jansson, Municipal Director of Karlstad; Sandra Sundbäck, CEO of Paper Province; and Niklas Hellberg, Chairman of CombinedX and one of Ninetech’s founders.