A Nordic Powerhouse for Deep Tech

As a spin-out fund from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) and headquartered on its campus in Copenhagen, PSV Hafnium is uniquely positioned to identify, nurture, and scale the most promising scientific discoveries. The fund’s mission is clear: take the earliest risks to turn cutting-edge research into commercial success stories.

The fund will be backing deep tech across the Nordics; aiming to invest in 25 companies and already backed 9 to date, including Spaceline Labs, Sisusemi and most recently Enerin. Its growing portfolio reflects the fund’s strong Nordic presence and deal flow.

Backed by Visionary Investors

The fund has attracted commitments from institutional investors, industry experts, and specialized advisors across the Nordics and Europe, with it’s strong University anchoring and with a clear “lab-to-market” mission. These backers bring not only capital but also deep technical and commercial expertise, reinforcing Europe’s growing deep tech momentum and the Nordics’ role as a leading innovation hub.

“PSV Hafnium’s successful final close is a strong signal for deep tech innovation in Denmark and the Nordics. The pace at which new research-driven technologies are emerging from DTU’s laboratories has never been higher, and the need for early-stage capital that dares to back initial scientific breakthroughs is critical. PSV Hafnium embodies this mission when helping researchers translate frontier research into global solutions. DTU is proud to have initiated and supported the fund from its inception, as early-stage funding is a necessity for deep tech startups,”

says Anders Overgaard Bjarklev, President of DTU, the Technical University of Denmark.

As innovation becomes increasingly critical to global competitiveness, the fund’s strategy aligns with Europe’s ambition to lead in deep tech commercialisation. PSV Hafnium aims to grow Denmark and the wider Nordic region as one of the most dynamic global hubs for engineering and science-driven entrepreneurship.

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Fida Biosystems has developed a biophysical analysis platform for molecular and nanoparticle characterization to be conducted more quickly and accurately, ultimately speeding up the development of new medicines.

The new investment is an extension of a previous series A round and is intended to prepare Fida Biosystems for a future Series B growth round, paving the way for further expansion and scaling.

“With FSG’s focus on Scandinavian companies at the cross-section of Technology and Life Science we are proud to invest in FidaBio and its unique first principle technology for biophysical analysis for the Pharma and Biotech industry.  We look forward to work hard with the Fidabio team and EIFO as lead investors in this next phase of growth”

said Linus Wiebe, General Partner and Managing Director at FSG

Over the past year, Fida Biosystems has doubled its revenue, and with more than 100 instruments sold, it is seeing increased adoption across industry and leading research institution.

“As we close a year marked by more than double growth, we are pleased to complete a new round led by FSG, with continued support from EIFO and our other investors. With our amended team, we are confident that we are in the best possible position to continue supporting researchers in developing faster and better drugs – and to further accelerate the company’s growth,”

said Brian Sørensen, CEO of Fida Biosystems.

EIFO first invested in Fida Biosystems in 2019 and this follow-on investment strengthens EIFO’s strategic ambition for Denmark’s position in transformative technologies and life science.

“Fida’s technology aligns perfectly with EIFO’s focus on innovation that drives growth. We have strong confidence in the team and are pleased to support the company’s further expansion and scaling, reinforcing Denmark’s role in life science,”

said Tonni Bülow-Nielsen at EIFO.

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The investment will enable AlixLabs to accelerate development and scaling of its proprietary Atomic Layer Etching Pitch Splitting (APS) technology, a disruptive process that enables more cost-effective leading-edge chip manufacturing. 

The funding round was led by Navigare Ventures, Industrifonden, and FORWARD.one, all of whom are reaffirming their commitment as long-term partners to AlixLabs’ growth journey.

“We’ve believed in AlixLabs’ vision from the start. Their technology tackles a critical bottleneck in semiconductor scaling and opens a path to more cost-efficient advanced chip manufacturing,”

said Alex Basu, Chief Investment Officer at Navigare Ventures.

STOAF from Sweden as well as Global Brain, an independent Japanese venture capital firm that manages strategic funds and invests in semiconductor startups, joined the round.

“This Series A enables us to transform our APS innovation from customer validation to industrial adoption. We’re now entering an exciting phase where our focus turns toward beta testing with leading customers, a critical step on the path to full-scale manufacturing by 2027,”

said Jonas Sundqvist, CEO of AlixLabs.

This further strengthens AlixLabs’ international reach and industry partnerships. The proceeds will be used to expand the company’s R&D and production capacity in Lund and the Netherlands, deepen collaboration with foundry partners, and initiate industrial deployment of APS.

“Our technology has the potential to dramatically lower both energy use and costs per wafer, helping to make advanced semiconductor production more accessible,”

said Jonas Sundqvist, CEO of AlixLabs.

The global semiconductor industry faces rising capital intensity, soaring energy demands, and an urgent need to decarbonize production. AlixLabs’ platform offers a powerful new approach – enabling ultra-fine pitch splitting through atomic-scale precision etching, without the need for prohibitively expensive multi-patterning or exclusive reliance on EUV lithography. The result is lower process complexity, reduced power consumption, and smaller environmental footprint per wafer.

“AlixLabs is a clear example of world-class innovation emerging from Sweden’s deep-tech ecosystem. Their APS technology could fundamentally reshape the economics of advanced chipmaking while contributing to the industry’s sustainability goals,”

said Tobias Elmquist, Senior Investment Director at Industrifonden

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In a recent analysis published by the fund, Jimmy Fussing Nielsen, Björn Nilsen and Bérenger Teboul-Danguin highlight how Europe’s urgent need for military innovation, spurred by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and shifting U.S. commitments to NATO, is creating unprecedented opportunities for early-stage tech investors.

With NATO members pledging to allocate 5% of GDP to defense by 2035 and European defense budgets surging by 17% from 2023 to 2024, the continent is in a race to close the innovation gap with the U.S. and China. Denmark alone has committed € 8 billion to European-made air defense systems, including long-range precision weapons. Yet, Europe’s AI spending lags far behind, accounting for less than 0.5% of its budget compared to 4% in the U.S. and 3% in China.

A Call to Arms for European Tech Investors

“Public funding alone won’t suffice. Venture capital has a pivotal role in scaling the next generation of defense tech.”

say Jimmy Fussing Nielsen, Björn Nilsen, and Bérenger Teboul-Danguin in the analysis.

The EU’s ReArm Europe Plan, aiming to mobilize € 800 billion for defense readiness by 2030, signals a major shift, but private capital will be essential to bridge the gap.

“We believe that Heartcore investments may equally well be early onset research projects of high strategic value (e.g., quantum sensing solutions, advanced materials, biodefence and space applications) as well as high-urgency and immediately clear operational needs,”

the team writes

Modern conflicts, like the war in Ukraine, have proven that cheap, AI-driven drones and electronic warfare can disrupt traditional military economics. With attack-to-defense cost ratios as high as 40:1, Europe must prioritize agile, scalable solutions over monolithic, hardware-heavy systems, they argue.

“We believe the future of active warfare builds on finding asymmetric advantages with inexpensive solutions. As an example, aerial warfare economics have dramatically changed with the advent of cheap attack drones. Moving away from expensive missiles or manned fighter jets have made defence rather than attack uneconomical as countermeasures are trailing.”

the team writes

Read the full post here:

https://substack.com/@heartcore/p-177354085

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Quantum Machines’ hybrid control technology enables seamless execution of some of the most demanding computational requirements across all types of quantum computers. This versatility has driven its rapid adoption by a majority of quantum computing companies worldwide. Quantum Machines’ collaboration on NVIDIA DGX Quantum, combining accelerated computing with real-time quantum control, further shortens the timeline from breakthrough to practical quantum computers.

Worlds biggest Quantum VC

Copenhagen is also the Headquarter of 55 North, who recently announced world’s largest quantum fund. 55 North is the world’s largest dedicated quantum technology venture capital fund, recently announced the first close of its € 300 Million inaugural Fund I at € 134 Million, establishing its position as the sector’s largest pure-play quantum VC.

The fund was co-founded by three founding GPs, Owen Lozman, Dr. Helmut Katzgraber and Dr. Kai Hudek, who are expert quantum and deep-tech specialists; EIFO (the Export and Investment Fund of Denmark), and Novo Holdings, as anchor investors; and European VC firm Vsquared Ventures and US-based Cambium Capital.

55 North will be investing stage-agnostically across the globe, and has already done two investments, backing European quantum leader IQM in the company’s latest € 275 Million Series B, and co-leading the investment in Kiutra’s € 13 Million Series A.

Listen to Perspectives

But what makes Quantum so compelling to investors, and how does Denmark’s quantum ecosystem measure up in the international race for quantum supremacy?

Listen to the podcast with Jonatan Kutchinsky here, about ideas and perspectives:

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The EU wants to strengthen Europe’s semiconductor industry through the Chips Act. Billions are being poured into infrastructure like Max IV, Pronano, and NanoLund in Lund — one of the few European cities seriously trying to challenge Asia. But without private capital, the effort risks stalling.

Three Lund-based companies show both the promise and the problem.

AlixLabs has developed technology to shrink semiconductors like transistors and memory. They are building a pilot facility in Lund to handle wafers for global players like Intel and Taiwan’s UMC. But their SEK 165M round has proven hard to fill in Europe.

“Interest in Asia is much greater,”

says CEO Jonas Sundqvist, who keeps the round open for overseas investors.

A few blocks away, NordAmps is raising SEK 65M for nanowire transistors that boost analog circuits with higher speed and lower energy use.

“The Chips Act is good, but it has not really broken through with investors here,”

says CEO Jan Andersson. Finland, he notes, shows more interest than Sweden.

Neighboring Hexagem has shifted to micro-LED technology for advanced displays. CEO Mikael Björk agrees that capital is scarce:

“Investors are just as cautious as before.”

Most of their funding so far has come from EU grants, but those sources are drying up.

The paradox is clear: Europe has the labs, the policy, and the technology. Yet Asian investors are quicker to act, leaving Lund’s startups caught between global opportunity and local hesitation.

Image by Øresund News, Johan Wessman (CC BY 3.0)

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Brainlit’s technology is already gaining traction in professional sports, including Premier League football teams and U.S. sports.

“We have been very successful in sports in the U.S. They see the effects on better sleep quality. For instance, if you have a late-night match and don’t want to feel tired, we provide a white light with more blue content, suppressing melatonin production and improving performance. We also help limit jet lag during long-distance travel.”

says Tord

With this new funding, Brainlit aims to strengthen its sales organization and scale its operations in healthcare, offices, and sports environments, with a vision to eventually become a software-focused company.

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The startup also announced its purchase made by NASA of ATLANT 3D Nanofabricator OG systems, the first-ever selective area direct-write atomic layer zero gravity Research & Development unit.

“ATLANT3DTM Technology is the first step towards establishing in-space manufacturing at Space Nanofactories. By using the combination of additive manufacturing and advanced microfabrication techniques, the same technology platform could potentially automatically manufacture macro and micro parts like microelectronics, sensors, energy devices enabling interplanetary exploration. We are on the path for this, and we look for partners who want to share our vision” – says CEO and Founder Dr. Maksym Plakhotnyuk.

With headquarters in Denmark, ATLANT 3D Nanosystems was founded by Dr. Makym Plakhotnyuk, Ivan Kundrata, and Prof. Dr. Julien Bachman to deliver state-of-the-art atomic layer 3D printing technology. It developed an atomic layer advanced manufacturing technology with a vision to reshape the future atom by atom. With a team of 15 highly experienced entrepreneurs, engineers and scientists, ATLANT 3D has managed to collaborate with several European universities such as SAS, DTU, FAU, TNO, SUPSI, and industrial partners such as Merck, ST Microelectronics, Prima Industrie, and SEMPA. The startup is also based in two locations in Europe, Copenhagen, and Erlangen. And as businesses strive for perfection in their respective industries, the tools they use become central to their success. To explore the transformative power of 3D scanning in depth, consider a visit to https://physicaldigital.com/services/3d-scanning/.

As per the press release, NASA will be using the ATLANT 3D system for micro and zero gravity experimental selective area thin films deposition for advanced applications. Furthermore, based on Nanofabricator, the company has successfully developed and launched a new product- Nanofabricator Lite, a compact microreactor selective area direct ALD machine that will withstand harsh conditions micro and zero gravity and deposit ALD quality films and patterns.

Presently, the start-up’s highly advanced and unique technology is available for labs on Earth and will soon be available in Orbit and will allow placing the machine in a controlled inert environment such as gloveboxes, thereby meeting the needs of material scientists innovators, and engineers.

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Recently it was announced that the company, that developed the world’s leading technology for microLED, has been sold to American Nanosys at an undisclosed sum. Previously, Glō had raised an approximately $200 million (€165 M) investment from many investors, including the Wallenberg sphere’s FAM, Google and Wellington Partners. Nanosys, a Silicon Vally, California-based American nanotechnology company, is known for its state-of-the-art Quantum dot technology to the display industry.

This acquisition is reported to positions Nanosys with a unique and broad technology portfolio to address all future display applications.

“MicroLED is one of the greatest potential display technologies but there is one problem: cost. To deliver on this potential, microLED pixels must be ultra small, bright and cost effective. The market currently lacks a cost effective microLED solution with ultra small and bright pixels. Bringing microLED together with Quantum Dot is an exciting opportunity to unlock the growth potential in this market.” says Eric Virey about the technology.

Over the years, Glō has concentrated on the designing, development, and commercialization of advanced LED using nanotechnology that is ideal for general illumination applications as well as is highly efficient, stable, and at a lower cost.

“As a board member of Glō, I think it is clearly positive that Glō is acquired by an American Silicon Valley technology company, which is already in the display industry and can do much more of the technology than Glō can do on its own. Nanosys is established as a leading technology supplier in the TV display side and is now broadening its product portfolio to include the Micro-LED that Glō has developed. Nanosys believes in it as an upcoming leading display technology. The existing Glō team will be included in Nanosys,” Jan Uddenfeldt tells Rapidus

Now Rapidus reports as well that with the recent acquisition of the company, Lars Samuelson, the Glō’s chief scientist for the past 15 years, will relocate to Shenzhen, China, where he will work as a professor at the Southern University of Science and Technology and lead their Research Center for Nanotechnology and Science. He will continue his research on gallium nitride, GaN at Lund University, and retain his position at Hexgem, an Ideon company that develops GaN technology for power electronics and micro-LEDs.

With the signed agreement of micro-LEDs leader Glō and Nanosys technology portfolio, the company will be able to dominate the entire future of display technologies – based on research that started in Lund.

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