Hamza and Ecobloom Win Swedish Entrepreneurship Prize!

A little over a week ago, our CEO Hamza Qadoumi brought home another title… 

Sweden’s Young Entrepreneur & Role Model 2019!

The award is a huge honor in Sweden, with the award ceremony happening in the same venue where the Nobel laureates are celebrated, and with the prince of Sweden present! The award is sponsored by Företagarna, Wasabi Web, and SJ, and is a great way for us to get the word out about Ecobloom. The committee also selected space expert and blogger Assiye Süer to receive the same award as Hamza, and gave prizes to other categories of entrepreneurs as well.

I (Kirsten) sat down with Hamza to ask him what the ceremony was like, and what the award means for Ecobloom. Here’s what I found out!

The Ceremony

Like I said earlier, the award ceremony was, as the Swedes put it, “toppklass.” It’s really not too many times in your life you rub elbows with a prince and go home with a giant check. So what was it like to be around all this glitz and glamour? 

Well, pretty royally awesome. About meeting the prince (again) Hamza said, “I asked if he remembered me, upon which he replied: ‘Yes! I remember your smile’ Hah! He continued ‘I wonder where we’ll meet next.’” Dramatic pause…

And speaking of smiles, the part of the ceremony that brought the biggest smile to Hamza’s face was getting to share it all with his mom, Alia. Despite being nervous for her son, Alia was really excited to participate in such a special occasion. About his mom, Hamza said, “She’s my biggest hero and role model, so for me, this was by far the best part of the entire ceremony!” Loving the family connection here, Hamza!

Why Ecobloom?

Even though it’s Hamza’s name on that *giant* check, this award is recognizing Ecobloom as well, which led to the question of why the judges decided to choose Ecobloom over the rest of the competition. Hamza believes that it is largely the positive impact that Ecobloom hopes to create in the world, saying, “The whole business model is around sustainability and social impact, something extremely crucial in days like these.” And of course it’s not just about having a worthwhile mission, but also all the hard work the team has put in over the last couple years to make the mission a reality. 

Going forward, this award will help Ecobloom to carry out its vision even further. Largely by generating press and exposure, and also by validating for us that a purpose that we’re invested in is something that the rest of the world wants as well. “It’s somewhat of a receipt that what we’re doing is good, right and appreciated” said Hamza, and that “to share this milestone with the team is even better. Because they’re part of this journey! An accomplishment for all of us.” Yay, team spirit!

Onwards and Upwards

Well, now that this award ceremony is over, our future to-do list is quite straightforward.

1. Come up with a reason to meet the prince again.
2. Try to cash the giant check at our next afterwork.
3. Keep fulfilling our mission to make growing accessible and sustainable for everyone in the world.

And lest we forget, a huge thank you to all of you who voted for Hamza in this process, and enabled Ecobloom to gain more exposure from yet another big stage. It means the world that we have you as our supporters, and we’ll keep working to validate all the trust you’ve put in us. So, thanks!

P.s. Read about the other time Hamza met the prince, here!