![\"Abhijith](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1771604732837_1771989078116_1771989091079.jpg\" "\\"Abhijith")
Abhijith Nag Balasubramanya said that he has sold his startup in Sweden and returned to India<\/p>\nAn Indian entrepreneur based in Sweden has announced that he is stepping down as founder and CEO of his startup, blaming the country\u2019s \u201chostile\u201d and \u201cdysfunctional\u201d immigration process. Abhijith Nag Balasubramanya announced that he had been forced to sell his microgreens company and had returned to India.<\/p>\n
Abhijith Nag Balasubramanya said that he has sold his startup in Sweden and returned to India<\/p>\n
\u201cThis isn’t an exit by choice. It is an eviction by an incompetent and increasingly hostile state apparatus,\u201d he made it clear in a LinkedIn post.<\/p>\n
Who is Abhijith Nag Balasubramanya?<\/p>\n
Abhijith Nag Balasubramanya is an Indian engineer who launched a successful startup in Sweden. He is the founder of Hydro Space Sweden AB, a microgreens company in the Swedish city of Skellefte\u00e5.<\/p>\n
Balasubramanya grew Hydro Space Sweden AB in just six months, creating jobs for locals in the process. The company\u2019s first harvest was received enthusiastically by locals. Despite this, he has now sold the startup and returned to India.<\/p>\n
Why did he leave Sweden?<\/p>\n
In his LinkedIn post<\/a>, Balasubramanya said he had been forced to leave by the Swedish Migration Agency (Migrationsverket).<\/p>\n \u201cToday, I am officially stepping down as Founder and CEO of Hydro Space Sweden AB. I have sold the company as I am being forced to leave the country by the end of this month,\u201d the India-born entrepreneur announced four days ago.<\/p>\n Noting that he did not step down by choice, but was rather evicted by the migration agency, Balasubramanya said: \u201cMy experience with the Swedish Migration Agency wasn’t just a bureaucratic hurdle; it was a masterclass in systemic dysfunction and unprofessionalism.\u201d<\/p>\n He accused migration officials of gross incompetence, lack of transparency and systemic hostility towards international founders.<\/p>\n What are his accusations against Sweden?<\/p>\n The Indian entrepreneur alleged that case officers handling his file lacked basic business understanding, failed to provide guidance on documentation despite repeated requests, and changed the stated grounds for rejection between preliminary correspondence and the final decision.<\/p>\n Balasubramanya described this as a \u201cmoving goalpost strategy\u201d and accused the agency of acting in bad faith.<\/p>\n He also blamed systemic hostility for his eviction \u2014 \u201cThe current political climate has empowered a culture within these offices that treats international talent with open contempt rather than as a value-add to the economy,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u2018Broken and xenophobic\u2019<\/p>\n Balasubramanya said that he launched Hydro Space Sweden AB with the aim of making the North of Sweden food secure. Instead, he was met with hostility from a system he called \u201cfundamentally broken and seemingly xenophobic<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n The Indian founder said he chose not to pursue a prolonged legal battle, citing the financial and mental health toll of fighting what he called a broken system. He confirmed that he will return to India to focus on recovery, while reiterating that his commitment to sustainability and entrepreneurship remains unchanged.<\/p>\n \u201cI built a fully operational company within 6 months that provided local jobs and fresh produce that aids towards making the North of Sweden food secure. In return, I was met with a lack of transparency and a total absence of human decency from Migrationsverket,\u201d Balasubramanya said in his LinkedIn post.<\/p>\n \u201cInstead, I have decided to take a break and move back to my home country to work on my mental health that was destroyed by the Swedish migration agency,\u201d he said. (Also read: 32-year-old laid off in US moves back to Hyderabad, says ‘It feels like I\u2019ve gone back 9 years’<\/a>)<\/p>\n He further accused the Sweden Migration Agency of destroying his dream and his livelihood. \u201cTo the incompetent and arrogant case officer who took pride in destroying my livelihood: You haven’t just failed me; you are failing Sweden\u2019s future to be food secure,\u201d Balasubramanya wrote.<\/p>\n