More than protection.
It's propulsion.
What does it take to turn deep tech into global traction, and protect it along the way? Ola Wassvik, co-founder of Flatfrog, knows the playbook. With over 300 patents and a journey from Lund lab to global touch tech leader, Flatfrog built its edge on IP.
In this episode, Ola breaks down the strategy behind their patent portfolio, the mistakes to avoid, and how IP can drive both value and leverage. He also shares why his latest venture, Lightbringer , is tackling IP head-on.
If you’re joining our upcoming IP x Funding webinar feat. Ola, this episode is your perfect pre-game! (Don't forget to register👇)
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!
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Nordic Hardtech Podcast 🎧
This week featuring: Inside the IP playbook that scaled a touchtech pioneer.
Episode #15 (a relevant re-run): Ola Wassvik & Flatfrog – Owning the Road to Scale
“Without patents, we’d been wiped out”
When Ola Wassvik co-founded Flatfrog in 2007, multitouch was barely a buzzword. Within a few years, the company’s optical technology powered displays in classrooms, meeting rooms and public spaces across the globe. But Flatfrog’s real edge wasn’t just in the product – it was in the patents.
The first prototype weighed 300 kilos. It was built with consultants, duct tape, and a lot of optimism. Scaling meant pivoting fast, cutting costs hard, and raising serious capital. Eventually, Flatfrog became a key supplier to some of the world’s biggest display brands.
– You can’t out-price China. Our only shot was to out-innovate, and protect every move, says Ola.
Flatfrog’s IP strategy was aggressive from the start. Backed by investors like Intel, the company filed 15 patents per year with a 35-person team. But Ola quickly learned that quantity wasn’t everything.
– We killed off patents that didn’t make sense after each pivot. You can’t afford dead weight in a mid-sized company.
Rather than just using patents defensively, Flatfrog turned them into a commercial asset. The company didn’t sell products directly to schools or enterprises. Instead, they supplied components to OEMs and licensed their IP through a brand called Inglass.
– We didn’t just protect the product. We branded it, packaged it, and licensed it. That made it harder to clone – and easier to sell, Ola explains.
But clones still came. One day, a factory across the street in Taiwan started shipping Flatfrog-like products. Legal action followed – and the patents held.
– When we scaled from a few million to 400 million in three years, the clones came fast. Without patents, we’d have been undercut and wiped out, says Ola.
After 17 years at Flatfrog, Ola stepped away from the company. But he wasn’t done with IP. Frustrated by the cost and complexity of the traditional patenting process, he co-founded Lightbringer.
– Every inventor hates the patent process. We’re fixing that, and we’re building for the founder, not the firm, says Ola.
Lightbringer simplifies the initial patenting steps by letting inventors structure and explain their ideas directly in the tool. Instead of booking meetings or working through third parties, they describe the problem and interact with the AI on their own time.
– You start by describing the problem. The AI asks questions, challenges your assumptions, and helps build a proper disclosure. And you can do it anytime – we see most inventors logging in at night or on weekends.
The tool began as support for early-stage invention disclosures, but has since expanded. Today it covers the entire process – from idea to granted patent – across key markets, with a clear, fixed cost model.
– I used to overspend 30 percent on IP every year, just because I couldn’t predict the cost. With Lightbringer, you know exactly what five years of protection will cost from day one, says Ola.
For Ola, it’s about returning control to the people who actually invent things. And giving hardtech founders the IP leverage they need to compete globally.
– If you’re building hardware and still treating IP like an afterthought, you’re asking for trouble.
Lately ⏮️
Selected news from the hardtech ecosystem
- Only five remain at NEVS, reports SaabPlanet. With funds drying up and more sources confirming Emily GT is still on the block – is this Sweden’s most beautiful dead end?
- Nordic Innovation fires up the chip game. Sweden, Finland and Norway are building a stronger semiconductor backbone to turn Nordic coordination into global traction.
- 5G NB-IoT from space? Nordic Semiconductor nails a satellite demo with Omnispace and Gatehouse. One step closer to global IoT coverage without ground networks.
- Saildrone sets up a European HQ in Copenhagen. Backed by EIFO and a $60M raise, the US maritime drone firm will deploy four Voyager USVs in Danish waters this summer.
Up next ⏭️
What's brewing in the community?
- Nordic Air Defence is hiring in Stockholm. Help counter rogue drones and boost European autonomy. Open roles: aerospace and mechanical engineer.
- London Tech Week kicks off June 11. Expect global stage meeting local edge — with plenty of Nordic innovators in the mix.
- Building something green and system-shifting? Nordic Innovation offers up to NOK 200k for projects that boost Nordic competitiveness. Deadline: June 11.
- And for those of you already planning Almedalen: AI Sweden just dropped their program including panels, meetups and ecosystem sessions all week in Visby.
- A final note for hardtech founders: HAX is accepting applications for its pre-seed accelerator – offering $500k, 6 months of hands-on support, and a global hardtech network.
Happening soon!
Join the patent talk founders actually care about.🛠️💬
We’re looking for someone who knows the Nordic hardtech scene — and how to move in it. You’ll help us spark new partnerships, grow existing ones, and stay close to the people building real stuff. A few hours here and there, when it matters.
Sound like you? Or know someone who fits the bill?
Drop us a line at hello@nordichardtech.com.
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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