Rapidus reports that Mau Holding, the investment arm of Malmö University, has made its third investment and first this year, backing Sjung, a startup developing a music app designed for preschool educators. The move marks a shift in strategy, which has introduced a new investment model aimed at accelerating the commercialization of ideas emerging from the university.
Since its establishment in 2018, following Malmö University’s transition to university status, Mau Holding has made only two investments, one in 2021 and one in 2024. Both of these within the life science sector, supporting Pharmista Technologies and Sensach. However, under the leadership of newly appointed CEO Aron Podavka, formerly of Drivhuset Stockholm, the investmentfirm is now taking a more proactive approach to fostering innovation.
A New Direction for Mau Holding
After six months in his role, Aron has overseen Mau Holding’s decision to invest in Sjung, a company co-founded by preschool education researchers Ylva Holmberg and Åsa Sahlée. The startup is developing an app that provides preschool teachers with access to a diverse library of newly recorded music from various cultures and in multiple languages.
With Sjung, Ylva Holmberg and Åsa Sahlée aim to foster and strengthen an equitable preschool environment, where children gain access to their voices through music, and where preschool teachers are given the opportunity to teach music based on scientific principles. To achieve this, they are developing Sjung, a digital music resource with pedagogical tips on how to use music in children’s groups. The music service is designed to be accessible to all educators, regardless of their prior musical knowledge or experience.
“At its core, this is about democracy and inclusive preschool education, where music-making is on the children’s terms, and every child has the right to find their voice. That’s our driving force and what we want to contribute,”
says Ylva Holmberg.
“Sjung combines research-based pedagogy with a clear market need. This is exactly the kind of innovation Mau Holding wants to help bring to life,”
Introducing a New Investment Model
In addition to the investment in Sjung, Rapidus reports Mau Holding also has signed option agreements with two other student-founded companies: one in property technology and another in dental health. The new model allows Mau Holding to initially invest € 13,500 (150,000 SEK) in a startup while providing coaching and support. If the company progresses, Mau Holding has the option to invest an additional € 27,000 (300,000 SEK).
“We’ve developed a new approach with the board where we enter a company with an initial investment and coaching, with the option to increase our commitment if they make progress. This is about lowering the barriers to investment and helping more university-born ideas reach the market.”
said Aron Podavka, CEO of Mau Holding, to Rapidus.
The investmentfirm currently manages an investment capital of approximately € 800,000 (9 million SEK), most of which has remained untouched since 2018. With this new strategy, Aron expects to see more option agreements signed as early as this autumn.
