Tactile tactics?
That's the strategy.
When real-world control meets minimal design, big things can happen.
This week, we talk to Joacim Westlund Prändel, founder and CEO of Flic, about how a small device turned into a global company, driven by real-world needs. From personal safety to smart homes and live music, Flic proves that tactile tech still has plenty of push.
Another thing worth a push: our upcoming webinar with Lightbringer — the AI-native patent service helping founders move faster. On June 6, co-founder Ola Wassvik joins us for a sharp session on how IP strategy can unlock funding—and why your patent work might be your most underrated asset.
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 – helps fast-moving tech companies protect their edge, before someone else does. 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. Don't miss our upcoming event!
- The Yard — Gothenburg’s dynamic home for entrepreneurs and startups — blending community, co-working, and a bold industrial vibe to fuel new ideas. If you're looking for a unique workspace with industrial feeling, this is it. Check out their memberships or take a tour.
- SISP — Swedish Incubators & Science Parks is the industry association for 63 incubators and science parks across Sweden. Members support innovation, scaleup, and investments. Find your incubator or science park here.
- Recuro — a growth partner for hardtech and deep tech companies. They help with strategy, marketing, and scalable business models to drive sustainable growth. Learn more and schedule an intro call.
Nordic Hardtech Podcast 🎧
Joacim Westlund Prändel from Flic on tactile tech that buttons up simplicity
Episode #25: Less is More: How Flic Pushed the Button on Scalable Hardware
"Once you have hardware, software becomes the easy part"
What if turning off a light or flipping a music sheet could be done with a single press? No app, no friction, That’s the simplicity Joacim Westlund Prändel set out to build with Flic. More than a decade later, that early prototype from Stockholm has grown into a profitable global hardware company—scaled on revenue, not rounds.
Flic’s core product, a Bluetooth-enabled smart button, might look simple on the surface. But under the hood, it’s powered by a robust software stack, sophisticated integrations, and a growing ecosystem of hardware variations.
– We claimed to have invented the smart button. It’s wireless, small, and can be configured to do just about anything, says Joacim.
From smart homes to healthcare panic buttons, Flic has found traction in both B2C and B2B markets. The company now operates with a lean 17-person team and reported about SEK 50 million in revenue last year. Without taking on venture capital.
– We’ve raised very little external capital, about 15 million SEK in total. Most of our growth has been from crowdfunding and customer revenue, says Joacim.
Flic's global journey began with a record-breaking Indiegogo campaign and a pivotal stint at the Highway1 incubator in San Francisco. That experience gave the team tools and mindset for manufacturing, logistics, and customer onboarding at scale.
– We learned how to think like a consumer hardware company. Everything from logistics to how a landing page should look. That knowledge was hard to find in Sweden back then.
While most of the team are software engineers, manufacturing is handled via trusted partners in Southeast Asia. The IP lies in making the Bluetooth connection ultra-reliable, managing smart integrations, and ensuring compliance across dozens of markets.
– Logistics is a b*tch. There are countless regional requirements, from battery rules to wireless certifications. You can’t just drop 15,000 packages in the mail and hope for the best, says Joacim.
And even though the product looks like “just a button,” it’s the underlying platform that creates real stickiness. Flic has started layering services for enterprise customers, such as device management, messaging systems and more. These are now enabled by rapid development, thanks to modern no-code and AI tools.
– Suddenly we can build polished messaging systems in two weeks. Once you have hardware, software becomes the easy part, Joacim explains.
Still, Joacim is quick to point out that it’s the physical product that provides a real moat in an increasingly software-saturated world.
– Sure, someone can copy the hardware. But it won’t work without our encrypted software stack.
Looking forward, Flic is balancing its two customer legs—B2C and B2B—while continuing to evolve the product. A recent launch, Flic Duo, adds gesture control and accelerometers into the mix, and interest from industries like hospitality, healthcare, and construction is growing fast.
– It’s incredibly rewarding to hold something you made, see people use it, and know every micrometer of its design. I love my job, and I’m not going anywhere, Joacim concludes.
Lately ⏮️
Selected news from the hardtech ecosystem
- Sweden Startup Nation now has a proper HQ – with founder stories, policy insight, and what it takes to build a world-class startup nation.
- Eyes in the sky levels up. Synclair’s new ISR system packs AI threat detection and wide-angle vision into a modular field-ready unit. Hard to picture? The video says it all.
- Upcycled EV batteries just hit the grid. Rebaba’s pilot with Logistea slashes CO₂ and powers up renewables at a site in Borås.
- Chip giant Nvidia picks Sweden for new AI hub. The center will train thousands of engineers, aiming to boost the region’s global AI clout.
- And Stockholm makes the deeptech shortlist. Nordic Capital’s latest index names it among the rising global hubs challenging traditional tech strongholds.
Up next ⏭️
What's brewing in the community?
- Heading to Almedalen? Join the VIP crowd. SISP, Pinecone Ventures and Techarena are hosting a private evening at Villa Rosas in Visby. Investors, founders, and ecosystem insiders only. Save a spot here.
- The Grand Award of Design is now open for nominations. The jury looks for smart design that drives long-term business impact, welcoming Swedish companies and their design partners to enter. Go nominate!
- Sweden finally gets the EV spotlight. EVS38 lands in Gothenburg June 17–19, tackling electrification across all modes of transport. Full info and signup here.
- Cleantech founders, take note. Beamline is scouting Nordic and Baltic startups with physical cleantech solutions. Apply by June 16 for their global cleantech competition.
Fuel investor interest 👉 Nordic Hardtech Funding List 💰
Less friction in funding!
Find the Nordic investors who fund real hardtech—not SaaS, not apps, just serious engineering:
Catch up on past editions!
Jennifer Bark
Jennifer Bark
Nordic Hardtech is a platform for the hardtech ecosystem — sharing knowledge, bringing inspiration, and building community through podcasts, newsletters, events, and more.
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