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 177 INVESTORS →Every Nordic investor with documented hardtech investments, plus the grants and public instruments that fund the other half of the road from lab to factory, with their deadlines.
CVX Ventures
CVX Ventures is a Copenhagen-based investment platform, founded in 2020, that connects a network of 600+ Danish and Nordic business angels and investors with growth-stage start-ups, offering capital, board placements and advisory support rather than investing from a traditional fund structure.
Nordfas Invest AB
Nordfas Invest AB is a Gullspång, Sweden based family investment company owned by the Lööf family. Its core holding is Partex Marking Systems, a global manufacturer of industrial wire, cable and component marking systems, and it has more recently backed the youth wellness app SoulBuddy.
Walerud Ventures
Family-backed investor supporting early-stage deep tech startups focused on sustainability and innovation.
Plug & Play Gothenburg
Plug and Play Gothenburg is the Nordic mobility hub of the global Plug and Play Tech Center network, based at The Yard in Lindholmen Science Park with Volvo Cars as founding partner. It runs corporate innovation and accelerator programs connecting startups with mobility and automotive corporates, but no Gothenburg-specific portfolio company list is publicly documented.
Industrifonden
One of Sweden’s largest VC funds, investing in transformative Nordic tech and life science startups.
Nordic Ninja VC
NordicNinja VC is a Helsinki-based, Japan-backed venture capital firm founded in 2019 that invests in Series A stage climate tech, deep tech and digital society companies across Northern Europe, backed by Japanese corporates including Honda, Panasonic and Omron.
Naika Invest
Private equity firm investing in small and mid-sized businesses with long-term growth potential across the Nordics.
Sune Alstrup
Sune Alstrup is a Copenhagen based tech investor and DanBAN Lead Angel with a background in eye tracking and deeptech, having founded and exited The Eye Tribe to Facebook/Oculus. He invests personally as an angel in early stage deeptech and hardware startups, with tickets typically in the tens of thousands of euros.
Energimyndigheten
The Swedish Energy Agency (Energimyndigheten) is Sweden's public authority for energy research, innovation and preparedness, providing grants and R&D funding to companies, academia and public bodies working on the transition to a fossil-free energy system.
Dacke Industri
Dacke Industri is a Swedish industrial holding group, owned by Nordstjernan since January 2016, that acquires and grows Nordic and international engineering companies with proprietary hardware products across four divisions: Air & Mechatronics, Power & Motion, Measurement & Control, and Precision & Protection.
Seven District
Seven District is a Swedish evergreen investment company that backs entrepreneurs from early stage up to roughly SEK 500 million in turnover, combining capital with hands-on operational support. Its portfolio spans industrial hardware, sensors, connectivity and aerospace alongside software, e-commerce and consumer platforms.
CNI
Investment company focused on real estate, entrepreneurship, and sustainable business models in the Nordics.
The ecosystem
ALL 1238 COMPANIES →Who builds, supplies and enables hardtech across the Nordics, from garage startups to industrial giants. Browse by role, phase and vertical.
9Solutions
9Solutions is the leading provider of indoor location-based safety, communications and smart care solutions.
Piteå Science Park
Piteå Science Park is a hub for innovation and development, supporting businesses and projects in creative and technology sectors.
Gimic
Develops autonomous visual inspection systems using AI for manufacturing quality control.
AB Volvo
The Volvo Group is headquartered in Gothenburg, Sweden and develops trucks, buses, construction equipment, and drive systems for marine and industrial applications.
Hemsek AB
Develops and manufactures electronic components and systems.
Åkerströms Björbo AB
Åkerströms delivers robust radio remote control systems for cranes, machinery and more.
Zeabuz
Zeabuz builds autonomous, all-electric passenger ferries and the maritime autonomy software that runs them, commercialising research from NTNU's autonomous marine operations centre.
QuadSAT
Quadsat is a Denmark-based company that supplies airborne antenna testing solutions, combining drone technology with a custom RF payload to test and calibrate satellite communication antennas.
Electrolux
Global appliance manufacturer developing household and professional-use products.
Victor Hasselblad AB
Manufactures high-end cameras and imaging equipment.
Växjö Linnaeus Science Park
Supports innovation and entrepreneurship in the Växjö region.
Karlstad Innovation Park
Provides a collaborative environment for innovation and entrepreneurship in Karlstad.
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 podcast
ALL 37 EPISODES →Conversations with the founders and funders of Nordic hardtech.
EP 3 Ulrika Tornerefelt och Stella Futura: Från grön vision till laddad expansion [SWE]
#3. Från grön vision till laddad expansion Ulrika Tornerefelt , grundare av Stella Futura , gästar podden och berättar om resan från hållbarhetsrådgivning till att bygga ett snabbväxande energibolag. Från Västafrika till svenska stödtjänstmarknaden, och från idé till skalbar affärsmodell inom “battery as a service”. Vi pratar om lönsam expansion, affärsmodellering, finansieringsstrategier och hur
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EP 31 Mala Valroy – Industrifonden & the State of Deep Tech 2025
#31. Industrifonden & the State of Deep Tech 2025 Mala Valroy , Investment Manager at Industrifonden , joins the podcast to share her journey from biochemistry and startups to leading investments in deep tech. With Industrifonden’s unique evergreen model, she breaks down what it really takes to earn a term sheet in 2025, why relationships matter more than pitch decks, and how resilience and sustai
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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 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 1 Stefan Ytterborn och Cake: Från hype till haveri
#1. Från hype till haveri Stefan Ytterborn , grundare av elfordonsbolaget Cake , gästar premiäravsnittet av Hårdvarupodden (numer Nordic Hardtech Podcast). Vi pratar om hela bolagsresan – från vision och hype till konkurs – och om vad andra kan lära sig av en resa som gick snabbt, snyggt och slutade tvärt. Cake satte en ny standard för elfordon. Men att bygga hårdvara, skala globalt och finansiera
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EP 8 Helene Winberg och Frontside: När fabriken växer av sig själv [SWE]
#8. När fabriken växer av sig själv Helene Winberg , vd och delägare av Frontside , intervjuas live på Evertiq Expo i Göteborg. Vi pratar om hur man skalar svensk kontraktstillverkning utan PR-maskin och hype, men med djupt fokus på kvalitet och kompetens. Frontside har producerat elektronik i Mölnlycke sedan 1990. Under ett tioårigt generationsskifte tog Helene över ledarskapet i familjeföretaget
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EP 19 Jonas Genchel och Zparq: Poddmotorn från KTH som ska driva nästa marina skifte [SWE]
#19. Poddmotorn från KTH som ska driva nästa marina skifte Jonas Genchel , vd och medgrundare av Zparq , gästar podden och berättar hur bolaget utvecklar elektriska poddmotorer från grunden – med egenutvecklad drivlina, styrsystem och batteriteknik. Ambitionen är att göra båtbranschen tystare, grönare och smartare. Zparq föddes ur forskning på KTH och har sedan starten 2020 byggt ett team, säkrat
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EP 22 Christoffer Johnsson: Från stock till kod – hur Taigatech transformerar en miljardindustri [SWE]
Det här avsnittet görs i samarbete med The Yard – en coworkingmiljö och verkstad för hardtech-startups i Göteborg. En kreativ plats med industriell känsla för dig som bygger fysiska produkter. Avsnitt 22. Från stock till kod – hur Taigatech transformerar en miljardindustri Christoffer Johnsson , vd på Taigatech, gästar podden och berättar hur bolaget kombinerar AI och industriell automation för at
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EP 29 Johan Outinen – Elvy & the Energy Subscription Play: 15 Years of Heat, Trust and Risk [ENG]
#29. Elvy & the Energy Subscription Play: 15 Years of Heat, Trust and Risk Johan Outinen , CEO and co-founder of Elvy Energy , joins the pod to explain why households should lock in their energy for the next 15 years, and how simplicity can unlock the transition. Elvy Energy is rewriting the rules of home energy with flat-rate subscriptions that cover installation, insurance, maintenance, and even
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EP 34 Max Villman – From Cockpit to Cap Table: Inside Nordic Defense Tech
#34. From Cockpit to Cap Table: Inside Nordic Defense Tech Max Villman , former Swedish fighter pilot and now defense tech investor at Gungnir , joins the Nordic Hardtech Podcast for a grounded conversation on what really matters in modern defense innovation. With first-hand experience from the cockpit and deep exposure to today’s European and Ukrainian defense tech ecosystems, Max shares what fou
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EP 5 Rickard Bröms och Vässla: Full gas till fritt fall [SWE]
#5. Full gas till fritt fall Rickard Bröms , grundare av Vässla , gästar podden och berättar hur bolaget gick från Blockets enda elmoppe till internationell elfordonssatsning – och till slut in i rekonstruktion. Vi pratar om produktstrategi, supply chain, kapitaljakt och vad som händer när verkligheten kör över visionen. Men också om hur en idé kan leva vidare, även efter en konkurs. I det här avs
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EP 10 Kurt Högnelid och Waybler: Laddlogik för nästa elbilsvåg [SWE]
#10. Laddlogik för nästa elbilsvåg Kurt Högnelid , VD och medgrundare av Waybler , gästar podden och berättar hur bolaget bygger ett laddsystem för lägenheter och kontor – med smart styrning, lokal produktion och ett eget moln i ryggen. Kurt har grundat sju bolag inom medtech, IT och energi, och varit entreprenör i över 20 år. Med Waybler bygger han nu för tillväxt på en marknad som både boomat oc
LISTEN →Insights
ALL INSIGHTS →What we have learned about building, scaling and funding hard things in the Nordics.
INSIGHT Vi är tillbaka – snart!
Efter en framgångsrik beta-period under våren, med massor av positiv feedback, så kommer Hårdvarupodden att återlanseras under hösten. Nya avsnitt inom kort! Vill du hjälpa till?
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INSIGHT Lovable Just Went Unicorn: But Don't Let Deeptech Starve
A Nordic Hardtech contributor warns that Lovable's software unicorn success shouldn't overshadow the need to fund and support slower, harder deeptech innovation.
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INSIGHT Livepodd i Göteborg på Evertiq-mässan
Torsdag den 19 september besöker podden Evertiq-mässan i Göteborg för att intervjua två intressanta bolag live på scenen: Airolit och Frontside. Jag (Jonas) står även på mässgolvet för samtal.
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.
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INSIGHT Building Before You Ask for Permission
Atonemo's founder explains how reduction, timing and restraint shape consumer hardware development.
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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.
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INSIGHT Human-in-the-Loop: The Economics of Staying in Control
Argues Nordic automation succeeds by keeping humans in the loop, turning oversight into a strategic economic advantage over full autonomy.
READ →Europe Doesn't Have an Innovation Problem
KTH Innovation's Lisa Eriksson argues fragmentation, not lack of innovation, holds back Europe's deeptech scaleups.
READ →Who Makes the Nordic Hardtech Canon?
A playful editorial ranks the inventions and companies that define Nordic hardtech's lasting industrial legacy.
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INSIGHT Deep Tech Needs to Go Deeper (Except Here)
A guest column argues Europe should focus on defensible niches like physical AI, quantum applications and precision biomanufacturing instead of chasing China everywhere.
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INSIGHT The Hardtech Christmas List: What Nordic Founders Really Want
A December reflection on the unglamorous but essential conditions Nordic hardtech founders actually need to keep building.
READ →Partners keep this open
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SISP.SE ↗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.