An Indian entrepreneur based in Sweden has announced that he is stepping down as founder and CEO of his startup, blaming the country's "hostile" and "dysfunctional" immigration process. Abhijith Nag Balasubramanya announced that he had been forced to sell his microgreens company and had returned to India. "This isn't an exit by choice. It is an eviction by an incompetent and increasingly hostile state apparatus," he made it clear in a LinkedIn post.
Notably, 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 Skelleftea. Balasubramanya grew Hydro Space Sweden AB in just six months, creating jobs for locals in the process. The company's first harvest was received enthusiastically by locals. Despite this, he has now sold the startup and returned to India.
In his LinkedIn post, Balasubramanya said he had been forced to leave by the Swedish Migration Agency. "Today, 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," the India-born entrepreneur announced four days ago. Noting that he did not step down by choice, but was rather evicted by the migration agency, Balasubramanya said: "My experience with the Swedish Migration Agency wasn't just a bureaucratic hurdle; it was a masterclass in systemic dysfunction and unprofessionalism." He accused migration officials of gross incompetence, lack of transparency and systemic hostility towards international founders.
His accusations against Sweden
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. Balasubramanya described this as a "moving goalpost strategy" and accused the agency of acting in bad faith.
He also blamed systemic hostility for his eviction. "The 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," he said.
'Broken and xenophobic'
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 "fundamentally broken and seemingly xenophobic."
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.
"I built a fully operational company within six 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,” Balasubramanya said in his LinkedIn post.
"Instead, 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," he said.
He further accused the Sweden Migration Agency of destroying his dream and his livelihood. "To the incompetent and arrogant case officer who took pride in destroying my livelihood: You haven't just failed me; you are failing Sweden's future to be food secure," Balasubramanya wrote. In his closing remarks, the entrepreneur issued a warning to international founders and investors, arguing that Sweden's image as a startup-friendly destination does not match the reality faced by foreign talent navigating the migration system.
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