The Nordic hardtech community
For everyone building hard things in the Nordics.
Hardtech is innovative, complex and physical. Nordic Hardtech exists so the people who build it, fund it and enable it can find each other.
The funding map
ALL 174 INVESTORS →Every Nordic investor with documented hardtech investments, plus the grants and public instruments that fund the other half of the journey from lab to factory.
Lagercrantz Group
Technology group investing in and developing B2B companies in electronics and communication.
Granitor
Granitor is a Swedish family-owned corporate group active in real estate, contracting/installation services (electro, environmental technology) and, through Granitor Growth Management, long-horizon growth investments in cleantech and life-science companies developing patented, breakthrough technologies with global potential.
Qarlbo
Qarlbo is the Stockholm-based family office of EQT founder Conni Jonsson, active in entertainment, hospitality, financial holdings, property, biodiversity and energy. Its energy arm, Qarlbo Energy, is jointly owned with FAM and invests in green hydrogen infrastructure through its subsidiary Hydri, which builds and operates hydrogen refuelling stations for heavy transport across Sweden.
Tesi
Finnish government-owned investment company supporting sustainable economic growth through equity investments in Finnish companies.
Expansion Ventures
Expansion Ventures is a pan-European VC firm (Paris and Stockholm) launched in 2022, targeting a €300M fund dedicated to Aerospace & Defence startups from pre-seed to Series B, with a Stockholm-based General Partner (Ulf Palmnäs) giving it genuine Nordic roots alongside its French base.
Longrun Capital
Longrun Capital is a Stockholm venture capital firm that backs early-stage Nordic companies building hardware for the green transition, with a portfolio focused on advanced materials, energy and water technology for the built environment.
Backing Minds
A VC firm investing in overlooked markets and underrepresented founders, aiming to expand access to capital.
Arctic Ventures
Arctic Ventures is the angel-investment vehicle managed by Arctic Business Incubator (ABI), investing exclusively in startups admitted to ABI's incubator across northern Sweden, from Skellefteå to Kiruna. It is backed by a network of dozens of business angels together with the state-owned fund Saminvest, and provides seed-stage convertible-loan capital to companies spanning space, industry, gaming and IT.
Scaleup Europe Fund (managed by EQT)
Scaleup Europe Fund is a EUR 5 billion growth fund managed by EQT, targeting European technology scaleups from Series B through pre-IPO in sectors including AI, quantum, space, clean energy and biotech. It was founded by the European Commission alongside investors including Novo Holdings, Allianz, APG, EIFO, CriteriaCaixa and Santander/Mouro Capital, and made its first investment in August 2026, co-leading ICEYE's EUR 1 billion Series F round.
Butterfly Ventures
Early-stage deep tech VC investing in science-based Nordic startups across hardware and software.
Energetik VC
Energetik Ventures is a London-based early-stage venture capital fund backing founders building the next generation of energy technologies, with a portfolio spanning computing hardware, battery materials, storage systems, vertical farming and grid/EV software across Europe.
Life Science Invest
Investing in Nordic life science and medtech companies. Pre-seed-early serie A.
The ecosystem
ALL 1157 COMPANIES →Who builds, supplies and enables hardtech across the Nordics, from garage startups to industrial giants. Browse by role, phase and vertical.
Precimeter
Precimeter develops sensors and control systems for molten metal level measurement, serving the metal casting industry.
Freya Industries
Freya builds the intelligence layer for physical security: connected sensors and the platform that turns what they capture into actionable insights, designed in Sweden and built for Europe.
Innovationsföretagen
Industry organization representing consulting and architectural firms in Sweden.
Metaktik
Finnish deep-tech company building ultra-lightweight, high-performance metasurface antenna solutions for aerospace, defense, security and telecom sectors, spun out of Aalto University's Space Technology Laboratory.
Advalight
Advalight develops advanced dual-wavelength and CO2 laser technology for medical and aesthetic dermatology.
Rolls-Royce SMR
Rolls-Royce SMR designs, develops and deploys factory-built small modular nuclear reactors, delivering a modular, standardised pressurised water reactor solution for clean baseload power.
Cetasol
Develops AI-based solutions for energy optimization in marine vessels.
Careturner
Careturner is a unique and innovative new system designed to automatically reposition patients, as well as supporting care staff with daily mobilization and repositioning of the patient.
EmbeddedArt Group AB
C Security Systems develops and markets security solutions, including GPS tracking and alarm systems for personal and asset protection.
Toshiba
Multinational conglomerate providing a wide range of products and services, including electronics and energy systems.
Optonova
Optonova is a leading international supplier of automatic inspection systems for manufacturing industries, offering vision technology, machine learning and optics services.
Flox Intelligence
Develops autonomous robotic solutions for wildlife management and agriculture. Formerly FLOX Robotics.
One sharp email, every two weeks.
Hardtech news from the Nordics and beyond, new raises, events worth travelling for, and the deadlines you should not miss.
Open raises
SEE WHO IS RAISING →Raising for something innovative, complex and physical? Apply in five minutes. We curate, and your round reaches the readers of the newsletter, including the investors on the map. The list is open for the first entries.
The podcast
ALL 37 EPISODES →Conversations with the founders and funders of Nordic hardtech.
EP 26 Alexander Engl – Build, Share, Repeat: How Makerspace and ihopa Enable Hardware for the Masses [ENG]
Episode #26 Build, Share, Repeat: How Makerspace and ihopa Enable Hardware for the Masses Alexander Engl joins the pod to talk about Stockholm Makerspace – a member-run 24/7 creative hub that empowers hardware builders, tinkerers and early-stage founders to bring physical ideas to life, without public funding or gatekeepers. We explore how the space grew to 1000+ members, how it's staying independ
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EP 4 James Campion och TERASi: In i hjärtat av svensk deeptech
#4. In i hjärtat av svensk deeptech James Campion , grundare av TERASi, gästar podden och berättar hur det är att bygga ett deeptech-bolag i Sverige – med rötterna i forskning, blicken mot 6G och finansieringsgapet ständigt närvarande. Vi pratar om teknik, produkt, kapital och politik. Om att utveckla kommunikationssystem för nästa generations nätverk, och varför det ibland känns som att förklara
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EP 13 Giovanni Fili från Exeger: att bygga ett imperium cell för cell [SWE]
#25. Att bygga ett imperium cell för cell Giovanni Fili , grundare och vd för Exeger , gästar podden och berättar hur bolaget tagit fram en helt ny typ av solcell – och byggt en fabrik runt visionen. Det här är berättelsen om hur svensk deeptech trotsar oddsen: från egenutvecklade nanopartiklar och patenterade elektroder till en fullt automatiserad fabrik mitt i Stockholm. Powerfoyle, Exegers ljus
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EP 17 Alexander Osika om Glorb, SNRGY och att kickstarta hårdvara på riktigt [SWE]
#17.Om Glorb, SNRGY och att kickstarta hårdvara på riktigt Alexander Osika , vd och medgrundare av SNRGY Studios , gästar podden och berättar hur teamet tog Glorb – ett smart ljuskonstverk – från idé till marknad. Med bakgrund från Plejd och Einride, och med en passion för produktdesign, har Alexander blivit en av Sveriges mest spännande hårdvarubyggare. Här delar han resan bakom Glorb – från prot
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EP 24 Henrik Jonsson och agood company: Cirkulärt varvet runt – mobilskalet som vill rädda planeten [SWE]
#24.Cirkulärt varvet runt – mobilskalet som vill rädda planeten Henrik Jonsson , vd på agood Company , gästar podden och berättar hur bolaget bygger cirkulära konsumentprodukter i stor skala – med lokal produktion som vapen mot klimatkrisen. Från en idé om att sälja direkt till konsument till att i dag samarbeta med jättar som Deutsche Telekom – här är berättelsen om hur hållbarhet blev affär. Ago
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EP 21 Madelene Näslund: Business Region Gothenburg – Live from The Yard [ENG]
🤝 This episode is produced in collaboration with The Yard — a combined coworking space and machine hall for startups in Gothenburg. A unique workspace with industrial feeling. Check out their memberships or take a tour . Episode 21 – Gothenburg Rising: Where Legacy Meets Innovation Madelene Näslund from Business Region Gothenburg joins us to explore why the city is emerging as a leading Nordic har
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EP 18 Stina Lantz och SISP: Så bygger vi ett starkare innovationssystem
#18.Så bygger vi ett starkare innovationssystem Stina Lantz , VD på SISP (Swedish Incubators and Science Parks), gästar podden och berättar om inkubatorernas och science parks roll i det svenska innovationssystemet. Med bakgrund som entreprenör, affärsutvecklare och programledare för Ignite Sweden har Stina jobbat med över 1300 startups. I dag leder hon SISP – en medlemsorganisation som samlar 63
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EP 11 Staffan Stymne och T.Loop: Spillvirke för AI-eran
#11. Spillvirke för för AI-eran Staffan Stymne , vd och medgrundare av T.Loop gästar podden och berättar hur de bygger datacenter som både driver AI och balanserar elnätet – med återbruk, överskottsenergi och smart lokalisering som kärna. Med 30 års erfarenhet från energisektorn tog Staffan steget in i tech för att visa att datakraft inte behöver kosta klimatet. I dag bygger T.Loop för den nya era
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EP 27 Karoly Szipka – IPercept & the CNC Whisperers: From PhD to Predictive Power [ENG]
Episode #27 – IPercept & the CNC Whisperers: From PhD to Predictive Power Karoly Szipka , founder and CEO of IPercept , joins the podcast to share how a research project on machine efficiency became a fast-scaling deeptech company with some of Europe’s largest industrial players as customers. With AI, patented hardware, and a “fitness tracker” for CNC machines, IPercept is redefining predictive ma
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EP 7 Claes Kjölhede och Airolit: Svensk hardtech ur ett drönarperspektiv
#7 Svensk hardtech ur ett drönarperspektiv Claes Kjölhede , vd på drönarbolaget Airolit , intervjuas live på Evertiq Expo i Göteborg. Vi pratar om hur man bygger avancerade drönarsystem i Sverige – och vad som krävs för att leverera till både totalförsvar och forskningsvärld. Airolit grundades 2017 för att utveckla UAV/UAS-lösningar för krävande industriella användare. Med fabrik i Mölndal, partne
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EP 25 Joacim Westlund Prändel – Less is More: How Flic Pushed the Button on Scalable Hardware [ENG]
🤝 This episode is produced in collaboration with Lightbringer – the patent service helping founders move faster. With AI at its core and senior attorneys in-house, they streamline the patent process and set a new standard for how growth-stage teams secure what’s theirs. Episode #25 Less is More: How Flic Pushed the Button on Scalable Hardware What if turning off a light or flipping a music sheet c
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EP 35 Tomas Becklin – Teaching Infrastructure to Speak Animal with Flox
#35. Teaching Infrastructure to Speak Animal with Flox Tomas Becklin , CTO and co-founder of Flox , joins our podcast to explain how AI, acoustics and edge computing can reduce conflicts between wildlife and critical infrastructure. Flox builds systems that identify animals in real time and play sounds they instinctively understand, guiding behavior without fences, barriers or harm. In this conver
LISTEN →Insights
ALL INSIGHTS →What we have learned about building, scaling and funding hard things in the Nordics.
INSIGHT The game beneath the game
Elite football's technology stack, from smart balls to computer vision, shows how Nordic hardtech is proving itself on the pitch.
READ →
INSIGHT Betting the House on 15-Year Subscriptions
Elvy Energy's CEO explains why flat-rate 15-year energy subscriptions could become the future default for households.
READ →
INSIGHT Built to Endure: How Nordic Hardtech Turns Fear into Function
Explores how fear, war, and geopolitical uncertainty are reshaping Nordic hardtech into a driver of resilience and dual-use innovation.
READ →Vi ses snart!
Hårdvarupodden är under utveckling och de första avsnitten släpps våren 2024.
READ →
INSIGHT Quantum That Counts: 10 Nordic Quantum Pioneers to Watch
A curated look at ten Nordic companies turning quantum research into commercial hardware and software.
READ →
INSIGHT The Hard Way: The Nordic Way
Nordic hardtech founders keep choosing complex, regulated, physical-world industries over easy, fast-scaling opportunities.
READ →
INSIGHT Geography Is Now Part of the Product
Asia's rising tensions are turning geography into a core engineering and procurement variable for Nordic hardtech firms.
READ →
INSIGHT Your product isn’t ready: and Michael Pica knows why
Hardware Velocity's Michael Pica explains why hardtech founders must validate demand before scaling production, not just believe in their idea.
READ →From Cockpit to Cap Table: Inside Nordic Defense Tech
A fighter pilot turned VC explains why defense tech founders validate with the wrong people.
READ →
INSIGHT The Unscalable Edge: why hardtech wins by starting slow
Argues that hardtech's early, unscalable phase builds the real-world knowledge that later makes scale possible.
READ →Gothenburg Rising: where legacy meets innovation
An analysis of how Gothenburg's industrial legacy and collaborative culture are fueling its rise as a Nordic hardtech hub.
READ →From stubbornness to breakthroughs: the case for difficult founders
Industrifonden's Mala Valroy explains why she backs stubborn, bold deep tech founders over comfortable, consensus-seeking ones.
READ →Partners keep this open
The funding map, the podcast, the events and the newsletter are free for the whole ecosystem, made possible by partners who build Nordic hardtech with us.
AI-driven patent filing for tech companies. Protect what you invent, at software speed.
LIGHTBRINGER.COM ↗ SISPSwedish Incubators and Science Parks, the national infrastructure for innovation environments.
SISP.SE ↗ RECUROGrowth partner for tech and media companies, from strategy to execution.
RECURO.COM ↗Kept accurate by the community
Anyone can suggest an investor, flag an error, or submit an event, a job or a raise. Every suggestion is checked and prepared before it goes live. Nothing publishes unreviewed.
One sharp email, every two weeks.
Hardtech news from the Nordics and beyond, new raises, events worth travelling for, and the deadlines you should not miss.