The Hg Foundation partners with F1RST to support disadvantaged students in Sweden into tech careers

London, United Kingdom, 15 May 2025 – The Hg Foundation, a grant-giving charity focused on improving tech education and skills, has partnered with F1RST, a Swedish non-profit supporting young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to fund a new tech careers programme within their expanding provision.

The Hg Foundation’s grant of £630,000 will enable F1RST to integrate tech-focussed workshops into its existing school interventions and launch a dedicated tech programme for university students, reaching over 1,000 young people in the next three years. Alongside this, the funding will increase F1RST’s data and monitoring capacity, enabling it to better measure and understand its impact, and provide expert feedback to refine its delivery model.

F1RST was set up to address the significant barriers to social mobility in Sweden for students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds and ethnic minority groups, among others. For example, students with graduate parents are three times more likely to go to university than those without, and students with foreign backgrounds are two and half times more likely not to complete upper secondary education than those born in Sweden.

F1RST addresses these challenges by providing targeted support through workshops, mentoring, and work experience. Its programmes aim to build students’ professional networks; showcase a range of competitive educational and employment pathways; and empower students with the skills needed to succeed in study and work. The organisation was founded in 2022 as a partnership between the Stockholm School of Economics and the Daniel Sachs Foundation, and became an independent non-profit in 2024.

This new funding comes at a critical time for Sweden’s tech sector. According to a 2024 report by TechSverige, the country faces a shortage of 70,000 people with the right tech skills. Without swift and inclusive action, this gap is expected to continue growing, threatening innovation and competitiveness across industries. The partnership directly targets this challenge by unlocking talent from underrepresented communities for the tech sector which might otherwise be overlooked.

Sabinor Haas Lönnroth, Executive Director of F1RST, said:

“The tech industry is facing a critical need for more talent with diverse perspectives and skills. We are thrilled to partner with The Hg Foundation to ensure that students from underrepresented backgrounds in Sweden can envision themselves in the future of tech — and for the industry to find the talent it so urgently needs. This support will enable us to expand our reach, develop targeted programming, and equip our students with the confidence, skills, and networks they need to succeed in a rapidly changing job market. Together, we are not just opening doors — we are redefining who gets to walk through them.”

Isabella Gillström, Vice President at Hg, who is supporting the partnership, said:

“I am proud that The Hg Foundation provides us with the opportunity to assist remarkable organizations like F1RST. This is an exciting organisation with great promise, whose mission deeply resonates with The Hg Foundation’s objectives. As a volunteer mentor on the programme, I have seen firsthand how valuable the support that F1RST provides is for their young people. This partnership will allow F1RST to profile career pathways in tech to their community of students, and we look forward to seeing the programme’s growth and success.”

About The Hg Foundation:

The Hg Foundation’s vision is that the tech workforce of the future harnesses the talents of all, regardless of background. It supports education and employment programmes across the UK, USA, and Europe, aiming to demonstrate measurable, long-term, scalable impact. To date, it has committed $40m to programmes reaching over 70,000 individuals from under-represented backgrounds. The Foundation’s work is funded by Hg – a leading investor in European and transatlantic software and services businesses. The Hg Foundation is registered Charity no. 1189216.

Find out more at thehgfoundation.com/

About F1RST:

F1RST is a Swedish non-profit organization working to level the playing field for young people from underrepresented and disadvantaged backgrounds — and to expand the country’s talent pool. Through mentorship, workshops, industry exposure, and partnerships with leading universities and employers, F1RST supports students in navigating pathways to higher education and meaningful careers. Originally launched in 2022 as a collaboration between the Stockholm School of Economics and the Daniel Sachs Foundation, F1RST became an independent foundation in 2024. With a growing national presence, F1RST now reaches hundreds of students annually across Sweden and aims to foster a generation of inclusive leaders equipped to thrive — and drive change — in the professional world.

Find out more at f1rst.se