Almi Greentech
Almi's investment thesis revolves around fostering growth and sustainability within small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Sweden. They achieve this by providing a combination of financing (loans and venture capital) and business development support. Their focus is on enabling companies to develop sustainably and remain relevant in the future. A key element is integrating sustainability into businesses, recognizing its importance for long-term viability and alignment with evolving customer, market, and planetary demands. They provide tools like the 'Sustainability Dialogue' to help companies achieve this. Almi aims to contribute to Sweden's overall economic health by supporting businesses in achieving sustainable growth. Their approach includes offering accessible knowledge and inspiration through webinars, podcasts, and readily available templates and guides for businesses to use. Almi's strategy involves not only providing capital but also acting as a partner and resource for companies to navigate the challenges of entrepreneurship and sustainable development. Almi's strategy includes offering accessible knowledge and inspiration through webinars, podcasts, and readily available templates and guides for businesses to use. They achieve this by providing a combination of financing (loans and venture capital) and business development support. They provide accessible knowledge and inspiration through webinars, podcasts, and readily available templates and guides for businesses to use.
DHS Venture Partners
DHS Venture Partners is a venture capital firm comprised of Stockholm School of Economics alumni, including founders, investors, operators, and angels. They focus on supporting the next generation of great entrepreneurs by co-investing in early-stage companies. Their investment strategy centers around backing founders with innovative ideas that have the potential to scale into lasting businesses. DHS Venture Partners frequently acts as the first investor in their portfolio companies, providing ongoing support throughout their growth journeys. The firm's unique approach combines the expertise, proximity, and deep domain insight of an angel investor with the network, resources, and strength of an experienced community. With 25 selected venture partners and an active alumni group, DHS Venture Partners provides founders with access to a broad range of skills and connections. This collaborative model allows them to offer comprehensive support and guidance, increasing the chances of success for their portfolio companies. Based on portfolio data, DHS Venture Partners concentrates on pre-seed and seed stage investments. Their investment strategy is particularly focused on companies located in Sweden. By investing early and providing significant value-add through their network and expertise, DHS Venture Partners aims to build long-term relationships with founders and contribute to the growth of a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Ideon Science Park
Ideon Science Park is a Skåne-based tech and deep tech science park focused on catalyzing innovation and turning scientific research into sustainable businesses. They partner with Lund University and other organizations to support startups and companies throughout their growth journey. Ideon provides various services, including startup and acceleration programs, networking opportunities, access to funding and investment, pitch training, and cybersecurity support. They aim to foster a vibrant community of entrepreneurs, researchers, and industry experts. Through initiatives like Skåne Capital Day, co-created with HETCH, MINC, and Krinova, Ideon connects pre-seed startups with investors. They have a strong focus on collaboration, talent attraction, and supporting the growth of companies in the Skåne region.
Minc
Minc is a startup house located in Malmö, Sweden, that aims to support entrepreneurs in building impactful and scalable businesses. Established in 2002 by the City of Malmö, Minc provides a platform for startups through incubator programs, accelerator programs like Fast Track Malmö, and pre-incubator programs. The organization emphasizes community, mentorship, and access to a global network of business angels, coaches, and industry experts. Minc's model prioritizes the well-being and growth of its entrepreneurs, and it operates without a profit-driven motive, as it is fully owned by the City of Malmö. Minc's strategy centers around providing personalized support tailored to each startup's specific needs. They offer programs such as Sprint for early-stage validation, along with other resources designed to help startups progress from the idea stage to scaling. Minc also emphasizes the importance of diversity and inclusivity, demonstrated through initiatives like the Nordic Fe:male Invest Summit, which aims to connect female and non-binary founders with investors. The firm aims to foster an ecosystem where diverse voices are heard and innovation is driven by equality. Their approach includes creating opportunities for startups to connect with investors through events like Minc Capital Day and providing access to a network of mentors and coaches with real-world experience. By creating a strong community, Minc facilitates knowledge sharing and mutual support among its startups. The firm's investment structure, exemplified by Skåne Ventures, contributes to the startup ecosystem by providing funding opportunities and resources to support growth. Furthermore, Minc actively seeks to support the growth of specific industries within Malmö, such as the gaming industry, through collaborations with organizations like Game Habitat and DevHub. By focusing on creating a vibrant and supportive environment, Minc aims to nurture the next generation of successful startups in the region and beyond.
Norrsken Evolve
Norrsken Evolve is a pre-seed fund focused on supporting early-stage founders in Europe who are building resilient and sustainable solutions to address critical global challenges. The firm aims to turn crisis into opportunity by investing in companies redefining industries like energy, manufacturing, transportation, construction, food production, healthcare, information security, and democratic safeguards. They believe Europe has the science, innovation, talent, and investor demand to foster the next wave of global technology leaders. They target founders who understand the severity of current challenges and are determined to create a positive impact on the world. Norrsken Evolve provides capital, a world-class in-person program, and a strong network to accelerate the growth of its portfolio companies. The firm emphasizes that economies, industries, and ways of living must evolve in the face of unprecedented risks, and the founders they back will lead this evolution. They seek visionary entrepreneurs capable of building companies that can positively impact 1 billion lives across the globe and have the potential to grow into impact unicorns. Their investment strategy focuses on pre-seed stage companies with the potential to revolutionize various sectors and address environmental, social, and governance (ESG) concerns. They are looking for companies that will redefine how we generate energy, rebuild manufacturing, move goods, construct buildings, produce food, treat our sick, secure our information, protect democracy, and safeguard our societies from climate disruption. Norrsken Evolve aims to lead the evolution necessary for Europe to step up and address the challenges the continent is facing. They invest in founders with a focus on building a resilient and sustainable future for Europe, providing them with the necessary resources and support to achieve their goals and make a significant positive impact on the world.
Scania Growth Capital
Scania Invest, the in-house global venture capital arm of Scania, focuses on accelerating the shift towards a sustainable transport future. They invest across all stages, from seed to late, providing not only capital but also leveraging Scania's core capabilities to drive value as long-term partners. The fund aims to support innovative technologies and visionary entrepreneurs that contribute to a cleaner, more efficient, and sustainable future within the transportation ecosystem. They believe in diversity as a key driver of success, bringing together different perspectives to build stronger, more resilient companies, and emphasize the strength of partnerships to drive stronger outcomes. Scania Invest strives to create a sustainable impact by supporting innovations that contribute to financial growth and environmental responsibility.
Scania Ventures and New Business
Scania Ventures and New Business, as part of the Scania Group, focuses on driving the shift towards a sustainable transport system. Their investment thesis revolves around supporting technological innovation and smart transport solutions to create a world of mobility that is better for business, society, and the environment. This includes investing in companies that contribute to decarbonization, circular business models, and people sustainability within the transport sector. Scania is particularly interested in electrification, autonomous solutions, and innovative technologies that can shape the future of transport. They aim to create lasting value for all stakeholders, including customers, employees, suppliers, and society, by providing profitable and sustainable solutions. Scania emphasizes partnerships and collaborations as essential for driving change. They actively seek to collaborate with customers, transport service buyers, energy suppliers, infrastructure providers, and industry peers. This collaborative approach allows them to leverage collective knowledge and resources to accelerate the adoption of sustainable transport solutions. The firm is also committed to managing its environmental and social impact across the entire value chain, ensuring that their investments align with their vision of sustainable development. Their focus on innovation is a key driver of their investment strategy. Scania actively develops new ideas and technologies through internal research and development, as well as through investments in external startups and innovative companies. They leverage new tools and ways of working to rapidly develop solutions that address the evolving needs of the transport industry. The firm's commitment to sustainability and innovation positions them as a leader in the transition towards a more sustainable and efficient transport ecosystem. Scania’s strategy is rooted in a clear understanding of the evolving landscape of the transport industry. They continuously analyze future trends and challenges to identify investment opportunities that align with their long-term vision. Their focus on electrification, autonomous solutions, and connected services reflects their belief that these technologies will play a crucial role in shaping the future of transport. Scania actively supports the development and commercialization of these technologies through investments, partnerships, and internal initiatives.
Verb Ventures
Verb Ventures focuses on identifying and supporting ambitious entrepreneurs with game-changing ideas, specifically in the B2B and marketplace space. They aim to grow late seed and series A stage companies into industry leaders by leveraging their dynamic team of experienced professionals, global network, deep sector knowledge, and entrepreneurial approach. They seek to back action-takers modernizing global trade by investing in companies that are driving transparency, efficiency, and digital transformation in complex B2B markets. They have a particular interest in marketplaces and B2B platforms that connect buyers and sellers and facilitate transactions, enabling innovation and growth.
Voima Ventures
Voima Ventures focuses on funding top scientific deep tech ventures in the Nordics and Baltics. Their mission is to solve major global problems by combining science-driven innovation with entrepreneurial experience and value-adding capital. They aim to help founders scale global solutions for people, the planet, and industry. They invest in companies with ideas and technology that requires time and courage to build, ranging from pre-seed stage and technology spin-offs to leading Series A (and even Series B) rounds. Voima Ventures backs companies addressing challenges across various sectors, including advanced manufacturing, imaging & optics, IoT & electronics, life sciences, new materials, quantum & AI, and sensing & diagnostics. They look for ventures with the potential to create a significant positive impact on a global scale. They express a commitment to being a diverse team of growth entrepreneurs and investors, suggesting that they bring both entrepreneurial insight and investment expertise to their portfolio companies. Voima Ventures seeks to offer more than just capital, aiming to be a partner in scaling innovative solutions.
Walerud Ventures
Walerud Ventures focuses on Nordic, deep tech, pre-seed projects that contribute to a sustainable future for the planet. They aim to be the first investor and "last cofounder," suggesting a high level of involvement and long-term commitment to their portfolio companies. The firm seems to take board positions in many of their portfolio companies.
Spring Capital (Estonia)
Spring Capital invests in exceptional teams in the Baltics & Scandinavia. They operate two distinct funds: a Seed Fund focused on scalable technology-driven startups and a Growth Fund focused on minority shareholdings in high-growth SMEs in Estonia. For the Seed Fund, they target startups from the Nordics and CEE region that have gained initial client and market traction, offering investments ranging from €75-200K in the seed stage, typically as part of a larger round providing 18+ months of runway. Spring Capital emphasizes a clear process and often acts as a validating investor, committing early and facilitating fundraising momentum through introductions to potential co-investors. As active investors, they serve as supervisory board members or advisors. The Growth Fund focuses on acquiring minority shareholdings in Estonian SMEs with growth ambitions, investing between EUR 300K-700K. These investments can support market realization, M&A opportunities, or partial exits for shareholders. Their investment can also serve as an equity component for companies seeking bank loans or public grants. They provide strategy-making and operational excellence support. Across both funds, Spring Capital emphasizes investing in "smart people" and developing long-term partnerships (5-7 years or more) based on mutual fit. They highlight their team's experience in operations, marketing, real estate, and finance, positioning themselves as partners, mentors, and supporters.
node.vc
Node.vc is a sector-agnostic fund investing in early-stage Nordic companies driven by disruptive forces. They are particularly interested in companies reshaping the technological and social arenas, focusing on areas where they have high confidence in future growth. Their approach is based on the interconnectedness of technology with global trends, seeking innovative solutions across various sectors. They aim to back the next generation of visionaries, leveraging their experience as founders and operators to mitigate risks and guide startups through the challenges of building a company. They possess the collective knowledge required to identify promising ventures and assist potential unicorns in achieving significant growth.
Chalmers Ventures
Chalmers Ventures is a leading deep tech investor and venture builder in the Nordics. They focus on taking deep tech from lab to market by combining venture creation and investing under one roof. Their primary goal is to transform breakthrough research from the Chalmers entrepreneurial ecosystem into successful, impact-driven companies. They operate on an evergreen model, reinvesting returns to fuel new research and innovation. They stay committed throughout the entire journey, from the initial idea to exit. Their process involves identifying market potential in research-based technology, matching teams with ideas, investing in and starting up companies, attracting competent capital with external VCs, and maintaining active ownership until exit. They focus on technologies with global commercial and impact potential, particularly university spinouts. They identify, seek out, and evaluate research and technology ideas, matching technologies with the greatest potential with entrepreneurs. They shape and start new ventures, creating the basis for growth. They then scale by attracting venture capital and competence. Their team provides deep expertise and hands-on experience to help growth companies launch with the right structure and strategic capital. They offer programs like Tech Matching to help turn tech ideas and research into tech startups. By being deeply rooted in the Chalmers entrepreneurial ecosystem, they aim to support startups from lab to market, realizing an evergreen model where returns fuel new research and innovation.
Luminarventures
Luminar Ventures is a pre-seed and seed-stage venture capital firm based in the Nordics. As former founders and angel investors, they aim to help visionary founders turn big ideas into trailblazing companies. They provide capital and support to help founders navigate product-market fit, rapid growth, and international expansion. Their experience and networks guide and support founders on their journey from vision to hyper-growth, including assistance with key hires, first products, and crucial decisions towards global scale. Luminar Ventures emphasizes a hands-on approach and a shared passion for building disruptive, scalable solutions. They are generalist investors but seem to have a strong focus on B2B SaaS and data businesses, as well as companies in Green Transition and Digital Health.
Luminar Ventures
Luminar Ventures is a pre-seed and seed-stage venture capital firm based in the Nordics. They aim to invest in visionary founders with big ideas and help them build trailblazing companies. They focus on providing capital and guidance to navigate product-market fit, enable rapid growth, and lay the groundwork for international expansion. The firm positions itself as more than just a capital provider, aiming to leverage its experiences and networks to guide and support founders on their journeys from initial vision to hyper-growth. This includes assisting with key early hires, product development, securing initial customers, and making crucial decisions to achieve global scale. They are particularly interested in founders who embody relentlessness, resourcefulness, transparency, and compassion, mirroring the firm's own values of honesty, kindness, ambition, and helpfulness. As former founders and angel investors themselves, Luminar Ventures emphasizes a hands-on approach. The team has experience with both founding and investing in companies. This background allows them to relate to and address the challenges faced by early-stage startups more effectively. They are committed to being helpful to every entrepreneur they meet, irrespective of whether they invest. In addition to direct support, they aim to work with other investors to facilitate relevant deals. Luminar's core values strongly influence their investment strategy. They seek founders who demonstrate a relentless drive to solve problems for their customers and inspire their teams. Resourcefulness, or the ability to find ways to acquire needed resources, is another key attribute they look for. Transparency and open communication within the team and with stakeholders are also essential. Finally, compassion and empathy towards everyone in the organization are highly valued, even during challenging times. By investing in founders who share these values, Luminar Ventures aims to foster a positive and collaborative environment for growth.