Building a company from the ground up – A race in multiple stages
In the coming posts, I’ll be sharing the journey of ECO Datacenter – a story about the power of combining entrepreneurship with strategic foresight. It’s also a reminder that building a company happens in distinct phases, each requiring different skills and mindsets. It’s like a relay race – every leg needs its own runner.
How it all began:
Nearly ten years ago, ECO Datacenter was founded by three driven entrepreneurs: Jan Fahlén, Jan Lundqvist, and Börje Granlid. They came from different backgrounds but shared a bold vision: to create a state-of-the-art, sustainable data center – with minimal climate impact.
It was an audacious move. For three private individuals to launch a company in such an exceptionally capital-intensive industry says a lot about their ambition and character. They went all in – investing their own and their friends’ savings – laying the foundation for something they hoped could become truly significant.
Visionary from day one:
They saw something early on that few others did: the demand for data storage and computing power was about to skyrocket. They leveraged Sweden’s access to fossil-free electricity, used wood instead of concrete in construction, developed innovative energy recovery solutions, and designed the facility to support increasingly power-hungry server racks.
They combined sharp macro insight with an uncompromising focus on sustainability and technical innovation – and dared to think long term in a world often ruled by short-term metrics.
Looking ahead:
ECO Datacenter’s journey is full of lessons. It’s a story about courage, endurance, and the importance of aligning the right capabilities with the right phase of growth. But it also reveals the real challenge: balancing long-term strategy with the realities of day-to-day business.
The picture is from the beginning of the construction. Note the wooden frame of the building.