They could be this year's most influential people in tech

Today, the five finalists who have a chance to become this year's most influential in tech are presented at Tech Awards Sweden on March 22. The finalists are; Deqa Abukar, Erik Slottner, Marcus Murray, Pernilla Ramslöv and Stina Ehrensvärd.

TechSverige and Foundry previously published Tech50 - Sweden's hottest list of the most important people in tech. The list recognizes and celebrates those who contribute greatly to the development and visibility of tech and the possibilities of digitalization through their efforts. Five finalists have been selected and have the chance to take home the award. At the Tech Awards Sweden in Stockholm on March 22, the person on the list who has made the biggest impact over the past year will be presented.

Here are this year's finalists:

Deqa Abukar, CEO Bling Capital
Co-founder of Bling Startup, which works to democratize entrepreneurship, and of the Shift competition for suburban entrepreneurs. Winner of a long list of major awards and has helped start over 250 companies. Now also a venture capitalist with the same important focus: to lift the underrepresented and find entrepreneurs where no one else is looking.

Erik Slottner, Minister for Civil Affairs, KD
Digitization is not part of the ministerial title, but it is part of the portfolio, where heavy issues in electronic communication and digitization are combined with issues of state administration. It is still early in his term of office, but hopes and expectations for his contribution to Sweden's and Europe's digitization in the future are high. A key player with the chance to make a real impact.

Marcus Murray, founder of Truesec
With twenty years of experience in information and cyber security, he is often seen in the media in connection with attacks, but he is also the one customers call when the worst has happened. With exemplary openness, he shares insights and fresh knowledge about cyber threats to Swedish companies and organizations in a clear and educational way. And makes Sweden safer.

Pernilla Ramslöv, CEO Nox Consulting and founder CIOCO2
The consulting CEO who initiated CIOCO2, which brings together both the industry and IT decision-makers around the vital issue of sustainability. In her role as CEO, she has long worked to attract more women to the IT industry and to highlight soft values in entrepreneurship. With CIOCO2, that strong commitment has been extended to sustainability, a much-anticipated initiative that has been widely praised.

Stina Ehrensvärd, Chief Evangelist Yubico
Co-founder and longtime CEO of Yubico, whose hardware keys have brought the world's IT users a big step closer to a more secure future without passwords. With tech giants as both partners and customers, Yubikey is now a de facto standard for two-factor authentication, and Yubico has broken the billion-dollar barrier in turnover. Now leaving the CEO chair for an educational role as Chief Evangelist.

The Tech50 list can be found here