[2][3] He graduated in 1988 with an MSc in Electrical Engineering from the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Stockholm, undertook exchange studies in Boston, and holds a Master of Business Administration degree from INSEAD.

[1][4] Ekholm started his career as a consultant for McKinsey from 1988 to 1992, before joining the holding company controlled by the Wallenberg family, Investor AB, where he worked in corporate finance.

[5][6] Three years later he was assigned to build the newly formed venture capital business within the company called Novare Kapital and becoming Investor AB's deputy chief executive officer in 2000.

[7][8][9] In 2015, he was reassigned to lead Investor AB's subsidiary Patricia Industries as CEO and remained in the role until early 2017.

[21] In 2015, he was a recipient of H. M. The King's Medal of the 12th size in the Order of the Seraphim ribbon for his contributions to Swedish business.