We're back from our break (👋). And tonight, in Sweden at least, spring arrives with fires that don’t need to justify themselves.

A bonfire is one of the few moments when energy still feels simple. No business model, no pricing strategy, no grid connection. Everything else in energy is harder: storage, infrastructure, trust. Same problems, higher stakes.

This week, we revisit a few of our favourite conversations on energy, charging and infrastructure. We also round up what’s been moving across the Nordic hardtech scene while we’ve been away, and what’s starting to heat up heading forward.

• 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.

7 talks on energy systems: from batteries to balancing the grid

Battery storage, charging infrastructure, virtual power plants and grid-aware compute are some of the systems electrification now depends on, and the founders below are building them. If you haven’t heard these conversations yet, the long weekend (if you're lucky enough to enjoy one) is a good place to start.

Ulrika Tornerefelt (Stella Futura) – Grid batteries

From sustainability consulting to building a scalable energy company, Ulrika breaks down how “battery as a service” became both a climate solution and a business. A sharp look at flexibility markets, profitable expansion and what it takes to build an energy company beyond the pitch deck.

Karin Ebbinghaus (Elonroad ) – Electric Roads

Elonroad is rethinking EV charging from the ground up. Not stations, but infrastructure. Karin explains why dynamic charging may matter more in ports, mines and industrial environments than on highways, at least in the near term.

Don't have your headphones? Read about Karin Ebbinghaus and Elonroad.

Isabella Palmgren (Mimbly) – Circular Laundry

From Chalmers project to global cleantech company, Mimbly built a system designed to survive outside the lab. Isabella shares lessons on scaling hardware, pricing sustainability and finding the right capital mix for the long haul.

Kurt Högnelid (Waybler) – Smart Charging

Charging is no longer just hardware. It’s orchestration. Kurt explains how Waybler built a platform controlling both its own and external charging boxes, and why software logic increasingly defines the energy experience.

Staffan Stymne (T.Loop) – AI Datacenters

AI is pushing data infrastructure into the center of the energy conversation. T.Loop builds data centers designed to reuse heat, interact with the grid and rethink where compute should actually live.

Johan Outinen (Elvy Energy) – Energy Subscriptions

What if households stopped buying energy systems and simply subscribed to them? Johan explains how Elvy combines heat pumps, solar and financing into long-term energy agreements built around trust, simplicity and risk management.

Want it in written words? Get a summarize of the interview here.

Daniel Wentz (Greenely) – Virtual Power Plants

Virtual power plants are moving from theory to deployment. Daniel breaks down how EVs, batteries and heat pumps become coordinated grid assets, and why APIs are turning into one of the most important battlegrounds in energy tech.

Don't want to listen? Read more about Daniel Wentz and Greenely here.

• Copenhagen startup Atech raised backing from Lovable plus scout funds tied to Sequoia and a16z to build “vibe-engineering” for hardware, turning natural-language prompts into physical prototypes.
• RISE says it has helped generate more than SEK 400M for 100+ Swedish startups over four years, with deeptech and climate tech companies using its test infrastructure to speed up commercialization.
• AI datacenters and grid volatility are pushing supercapacitors back into the energy conversation, with hybrid battery-capacitor systems now being tested for sub-second grid stabilization.
• Norwegian defence startup Stendr raised a $5.4M pre-seed round to build AI-powered counter-drone systems, in what’s being described as one of the largest Nordic defence tech pre-seeds to date.
• A new Nordic deeptech report shows climate tech, robotics and security startups accounted for a major share of Q1 funding across the region, with €250M+ raised across 38 deals.

• Nordic Innovation has opened a new funding call focused on talent attraction and retention in critical and enabling technologies, offering up to NOK 2M per project for new Nordic collaboration models.
• Swedish defence tech startup Nautrik is hiring a robotics engineer to build autonomous marine swarm systems using ROS2, sensor fusion and real-world field testing. Apply here.
• Luleå Science Park is hiring a new CEO to lead its next growth phase, with a focus on innovation partnerships, regional scaleups and the rapid industrial expansion happening in northern Sweden. Apply here.
• SISP, TechBBQ and Maria 01 are joining forces to benchmark the Nordic innovation ecosystem ahead of TechBBQ this August. The goal is to identify where the region actually scales together, and where it doesn’t.
• For more hardtech events across the Nordics and beyond, check out our Nordic Hardtech Event Map for 2026. The list is continuously updated — feel free to send in tips!

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.

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