IP is infrastructure now.
And it scales.
While most inboxes are filling up with out-of-office replies, we’re keeping Nordic Hardtech Weekly going — just in a leaner format starting next week. Call it summer mode: same sharp signals, slightly fewer words.
This week’s however, we're going all in on Lightbringer, the Nordic startup rethinking patents from the ground up. Co-founder Dominic Davies joins the pod to talk about replacing traditional patent firms with AI-native tools, and why IP should be fast, collaborative, and founder-controlled.
And if you’re curious about what’s next for Lightbringer, and want to be in the room where it happens, keep reading. We’ve got something unusual lined up for a few of our readers...
Not your average invite.
Lightbringer is entering a new phase and is marking it with a private gathering September 4 in Malmö. We’ve secured 5 VIP spots for Nordic Hardtech readers to join — alongside investors, founders, and sharp minds from across the ecosystem.
Jonas Åström will take part in the program, joining a fireside chat on AI, innovation, and the risks worth taking, together with others bringing bold perspectives to the table.
Want in? Email us and simply tell us why you should be there!
Nordic Hardtech Partners 🤝
Nordic Hardtech is a community for builders of complex tech companies based on physical products. Here are some of our outstanding partners.
- Lightbringer: AI-powered patent platform helping tech companies protect their edge fast, with in-house legal expertise. Missed our recent IP webinar? Watch the replay!
- Recuro: Growth partner for hardtech and deeptech. Strategy, marketing, and scalable business models that drive real traction. Book an intro.
- SISP (Swedish Incubators & Science Parks): The network for 60+ incubators and science parks in Sweden, powering innovation and scaleups across the country. Find yours here.
- The Yard: Gothenburg’s industrial-chic hub for startups. Co-working, community, and serious hardware energy. Explore their memberships.
Nordic Hardtech Podcast
This week: How Lighbringer really is rebuilding IP.
From Legal Grind to Founder Speed with Dominic Davies
“This will come harder and faster than people expect”
After 20 years in the trenches of IP law, Dominic Davies had seen enough. He’d trained as a software engineer, became a patent attorney, and ran his own firm. But the inefficiencies were maddening, and the incentives, misaligned. Then he discovered GPT-3. The rest is Lightbringer.
– I had tried structuring patent documents with knowledge graphs and classic NLP. It just didn’t work. But once I plugged in the new models, I realized: this could change not just patents, but legal work entirely, says Dominic, CEO and co-founder at Lightbringer.
Started just over two years ago, the company is now building a full-stack platform to manage the entire patent process. Not as a service firm, but as a software company. Today, startups and scaleups across Europe use it to document inventions, collaborate on applications and manage examiner feedback. And not least, file patents in days, not months.
– We are very comfortable going from nothing to a filed patent in under a week, says Dominic.
But the story didn’t start with founders. Lightbringer’s first iteration was aimed at patent attorneys, a familiar world for Dominic. The tools worked, but adoption was slow. That’s when the team pivoted.
– People were curious. They thought it was clever. But they couldn’t see themselves using it in their everyday process, says Dominic.
The breakthrough came when they flipped the model. Instead of building for lawyers, they started building for innovators.
– Our obsession is the customer experience, making sure the inventors understand exactly what they're doing and why. So they feel in control. That’s very different from how the traditional industry works, Dominic explains.
For him, this control is key. In the old system, founders hand off ideas to attorneys and hope for the best. With Lightbringer, they’re part of the process, without needing to become legal experts.
– We support our customers as best we can. But the better they understand the process, the better they are as customers. It's in our interest to help them learn.
That mindset has also shaped how Lightbringer builds internally. The team is small, automation-obsessed, and based mostly in southern Sweden. Developers are equipped with cutting-edge AI tooling, and everything is designed to move fast.
– We should never do things more than two or three times that could be automated, says Dominic.
Lightbringer’s system is built for global use and global scale. While IP laws vary, the fundamentals are surprisingly aligned. That’s part of why the team raised 50 MSEK in late 2024 from investors backing automation in high-friction industries. But for Dominic, the bigger story isn’t the funding. It’s what’s coming next.
– I’m almost an extreme techno-optimist. I think this will come harder and faster than people expect. And when it comes, there’ll be little left to do for a lot of knowledge workers.
He’s not mincing words. In Dominic’s view, professional services as we know them are already being hollowed out, replaced piece by piece by software. The ones who survive won’t just adopt AI tools. They’ll rethink how value is created altogether.
– The way it’s always been done could easily have been made redundant in the last release of ChatGPT.
For founders, the message is simpler. If IP matters to your company, you should understand it. You should own the process. And you shouldn’t have to wait three months and a five-digit invoice to protect what you’ve built.
– This revolution will absolutely come to the entire industry, not just a segment of it, Dominic concludes.
And there’s more...
Don't forget! Lightbringer is marking its next phase with an invite-only event in Malmö on September 4 — and we’ve secured 5 VIP spots for Nordic Hardtech readers.
Email us and tell us why you should be there.
Lately ⏮️
Selected news from the hardtech ecosystem
- Evroc goes live and takes aim at Big Tech. Question is: can Europe own its digital future, or stay dependent? Read the full story.
- Breakit breaks down Sweden’s tech dilemma. 49 actions. 10 years. The Roadmap 2035 report calls for sovereign AI stacks, industrial IP strategies and deeptech capital.
- Cargo just took off. Jetpak and Grasshopper are testing eVTOL drones in Sweden, with 350 kg payloads, 600 km range – and no pilot in sight. Watch this space.
- Speaking of space: Europe’s first reusable rocket has landed at Esrange. Themis now enters test phase, and EU launch autonomy gets real. See it in motion here.
Up next ⏭️
What's brewing in the community?
- Science Week 2025 gathers the voices shaping tomorrow’s industry, innovation and society. Nordic Hardtech will be there — will you?
- Sweden → Silicon Alps. Join the SME trip to EBSCON in Graz, Austria’s hotspot for microelectronics, research and deeptech. Travel support included, apply by Aug 15.
- SeaPattern is hiring. Help build the next wave of marine autonomy — from day zero. Multiple engineering roles open now.
- The Nordic chip scene is syncing up. Two days of strategy, sensors and sharp connections. Join the collaboration — register now.
Funding your build? This list gets you closer.
Few investors actually understand hardtech. We’ve listed the ones who do.
Nordic Hardtech is a platform for the hardtech ecosystem — sharing knowledge, bringing inspiration, and building community through podcasts, newsletters, events, and more.
💸 Fuel up. Scaling takes capital — The Nordic Hardtech Funding List shows you where to find it.
💥Get involved. Pitch a topic. Join the podcast. Get on the investor list–if you're hardtech.
→ Spotify | LinkedIn | nordichardtech.com (beta!)
📩 hello@nordichardtech.com
