The Nordic Hardtech Event Map – What to Attend in 2026

This is Nordic Hardtech Weekly #40, and we’re doing something a little different. In this special edition, we focus on where hardtech actually brings people together: events. Conferences, meetups, roundtables, after works...(both physical and digital).

Since we’re only in January, this will be a living list. We’ll keep updating it as new events are announced, tips come in and plans evolve across the Nordics. Feel free to flag anything you have in the pipeline!

• Lightbringer: AI-powered patent service helping tech companies protect their edge fast, with in-house legal expertise. Book an intro.
• Recuro: Growth partner for hardtech and deeptech. Scale with profit.
• SISP (Swedish Incubators & Science Parks): The network for 60+ incubators and science parks in Sweden. Find yours here.
• The Yard: Gothenburg’s hub for co-working, community, and serious hardware. Explore their memberships.

A Curated List of Conferences & Meetups 2026

Last updated: 29 jan 2026

The events below are grouped by quarter and will be updated continuously. Use this as a reference, and check back as new dates and formats are added.

Q1 — Winter (Jan–Mar)

Short days. Sharp agendas.

Techarena 2026
When: February 11–12
Where: 🇸🇪 Stockholm
For: Founders, operators, investors, ecosystem builders
What happens? One of the Nordics’ largest tech conferences, bringing scaleups, industry and capital together around the next phase of European tech.

Vinnova Info Meeting: Industrial Flexible Energy Control
When: February 10
Where: Online
For: Industrial companies, SMEs, researchers, digitalisation teams
What happens? Information session on a new Vinnova call focused on flexible and efficient industrial energy use, part of the Advanced Digitalisation programme.

Ignite Welcome Sessions for Startups (Recurring)
When: Feb 19, Mar 24, Apr 23, May 28, Jun 18
Where: Online
For: Early-stage startups and scaleups
What happens? Short onboarding webinars on how to work with corporates and public organisations through Ignite Sweden.

Swedish Big Science Forum 2026
When: March 11–12
Where: 🇸🇪 Lund
For: High-tech suppliers, industry, researchers, Big Science facilities
What happens? Lunch-to-lunch forum connecting Swedish industry and academia with major European Big Science infrastructures such as ESS and MAX IV.

Assembly Conference 2026
When: March 11
Where: 🇸🇪 Stockholm
For: Manufacturing, automation, production and industrial innovation leaders
What happens? A focused industry conference on the future of assembly, automation and production systems in a changing global landscape.

Nordic Space & Defence Summit 2026
When: March 18–19
Where: 🇸🇪 Stockholm (Kista)
For: Space tech, defence tech, dual-use founders, investors, public agencies
What happens? The Nordic meeting place for space and defence tech, with matchmaking, side events and a strong business focus across the New Nordic ecosystem.

Q2 — Spring (Apr–Jun)

More daylight. More reasons to meet.

Mashup 2026
When: April 15–16
Where: 🇸🇪 Malmö
For: Ambitious startups (pre-seed to Series A), VCs, angels, LPs
What happens? A curated two-day experience focused on fundraising, scaling and high-quality networking in the Nordic startup ecosystem.

Women in Tech Sweden Conference 2026
When: April 22
Where: 🇸🇪 Stockholm
For: Tech leaders, founders, operators, allies
What happens? Sweden’s flagship conference highlighting women, diversity and leadership in tech — relevant when building inclusive, long-term teams.

Breakit AI Day 2026
When: April 22, 2026
Where: 🇸🇪 Stockholm
For: Founders, operators and product leaders building AI into real systems
What happens? A focused one-day conference on how AI is applied in real businesses and operational environments — relevant for hardtech builders using AI as infrastructure rather than as a standalone product.

Nordic Growth Summit 2026
When: April 23
Where: 🇸🇪 Stockholm
For: Executives, growth leaders, decision-makers
What happens? A full-day summit on the Human–AI equation, growth strategy and leadership in an AI-driven economy.

Stockholm Tech Show 2026
When: May 26–27
Where: 🇸🇪 Stockholm
For: Industry, infrastructure, IT and technology leaders
What happens? Large-scale exhibition and conference covering AI, data, IoT, infrastructure and sustainability across industries.

ASKx Conference 2026 – AVEVA Select Knowledge Xchange
When: March 17–18
Where: 🇸🇪 Malmö
For: Industrial software users, manufacturing and infrastructure leaders
What happens? Practical conference on industrial software, operations and sustainability with a strong peer-to-peer focus.

TechChill 2026
When: March 25–27
Where: 🇱🇻 Riga
For: Scaling founders, investors, operators
What happens? Growth-focused tech conference with increasing relevance for Nordic-Baltic scaleups.

Latitude59 2026
When: May 21–22
Where: 🇪🇪 Tallinn
For: Startups, investors, ecosystem builders
What happens? The flagship startup event of Europe’s first digital society, with strong Nordic and Baltic participation.

Q3 — Summer (Jul–Sep)

Less noise. Better conversations.

Unleashed 2026 – by Stockholms Handelskammare
When: August 20
Where: 🇸🇪 Stockholm Archipelago
For: Senior leaders, innovators, policy and business decision-makers
What happens? High-level Nordic summit on geopolitics, resilience, competitiveness and innovation, with strong relevance for hardtech leadership.

TechBBQ 2026
When: August 26–27
Where: 🇩🇰 Copenhagen
For: Founders, investors, community builders
What happens? The Nordics’ largest startup and scaleup gathering, blending serious business with informal networking.

Nordic Tech Week 2026
When: September 7–11
Where: 🇸🇪 Stockholm
For: Startups, scaleups, investors, ecosystem actors
What happens? City-wide tech festival with hundreds of events, anchored by the Tech Open gathering in Kungsträdgården.

NORDEEP – Nordic Deep Tech Business Summit
When: September 16–17, 2026
Where: 🇫🇮 Espoo, Finland
For: Deep tech founders, research teams, investors, corporates, universities and ecosystem builders
What happens? A Nordic summit focused on turning deep tech and research into business. Matchmaking-heavy format connecting startups, science, industry and capital around funding, piloting, talent and commercialization.

Q4 — Autumn (Oct–Dec)

Back to building. Back in the room.

Øredev 2026
When: November 4–6
Where: 🇸🇪 Malmö
For: Developers, architects, technical founders
What happens? One of Scandinavia’s largest developer conferences — relevant for hardtech teams building complex software-hardware systems.

• Electric boat maker Xshore has filed for bankruptcy, highlighting the brutal capital and execution challenges of building hardware companies, even with strong branding and significant founder backing.
• Sweden has approved expanded public road testing of Tesla’s Full Self Driving Supervised, marking a regulatory step forward for AI based mobility with the driver still legally responsible.
• Lego’s latest bricks pack ASICs, wireless charging and sensing into consumer products at scale, showing how embedded systems are moving deeper into everyday hardware.
• Swedish startup Rebaba is deploying modular battery systems built from reused EV batteries with OKQ8, bringing second-life storage into real charging and energy infrastructure.

• UIC (Uppsala Innovation Centre) is hiring a senior business coach to help build its defence innovation initiative, working hands-on with startups in the defence and dual-use space.
• 120ft is hiring across multiple roles in Gothenburg to build its first autonomous pilot line. The goal is to reshore manufacturing through Physical AI and more local, circular production. Current openings here.
• EU’s new plastics rules will force product teams to rethink materials, design and data. RISE outlines what to act on now as PPWR and ESPR move closer (in Swedish).

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