A David vs. Goliath shift is emerging in AI as a small Nordic team is challenging Big Tech’s cloud-LLM dominance by bringing Small Language Models (SLM) directly to users’ devices
Copenhagen-based open-source startup NobodyWho has raised € 2 million in pre-seed funding to accelerate Europe’s ability to compete in global AI by championing Small Language Models as a cost-efficient, data secure and sustainable climate-aligned alternative to today’s massive cloud LLMs.
The round is backed by leading Nordic early-stage funds PSV Tech and The Footprint Firm, alongside Norrsken Evolve.
“While the rest of the world is racing to build ever-growing LLMs based on a bigger-is-better approach, we believe the next leap forward in AI will come from making models smaller, local, and human-centric. The future of AI won’t be won by size, but by decentralised models that anyone can run on their own devices,”
says founder & CEO, Cecilie Waagner Falkenstrøm.
Cecilie Waagner Falkenstrøm backgroud is as an award-winning artist, technologist and AI founder working at the intersection of machine learning, human–machine interaction and ethical AI. She has been exploring and building with artificial intelligence, especially LLMs and GPT-based systems, since 2016, years before the current wave of generative AI.
Her work has received major international recognition: she is a two-time Lumen Prize winner (2017, 2021), received an Honorary Mention from Prix Ars Electronica (2023), and created the first AI artwork ever sent into space, deployed aboard NASA’s section of the International Space Station.
Cecilie founded the art-tech studio Artificial Mind in 2018, where she has led a team of software engineers developing interactive LLM-based AI systems exhibited at institutions such as the United Nations, Victoria and Albert Museum, Ars Electronica and Novo Nordisk. This deep experience in local LLM and edge computing forms the technological backbone of NobodyWho.
Small Language Models: Europe’s Next AI Advantage
Today’s cloud-based LLMs are controlled by a handful of non-European tech giants and require massive computational resources, constant internet access, and the transfer of vast amounts of data to third-party servers. This creates high costs, lock-in, and a structural loss of European data security.
NobodyWho takes a fundamentally different approach. Its engine enables Small Language Models to run locally on laptops and mobile phones, so organisations and individuals keep full control over their data. With device-first architecture, no data needs to leave the device enabling true data sovereignty and privacy by design.
A Climate-Aligned Alternative
Running ever-larger cloud-based LLMs comes with a massive energy bill and a growing CO₂ footprint, from training to inference. NobodyWho’s local-first SLM architecture dramatically reduces this footprint by shrinking the models and moving them close to where they are used. Early benchmarks show up to 100x lower footprint for training and up to 500x lower footprint for inference.
With this approach, NobodyWho delivers offline, data secure, privacy-preserving and sustainable AI for both people and planet.
Open Source Technology Already Adopted by 5,000+ Developers
NobodyWho’s open source SLM engine for on-device AI is already adopted by 5,000+ developers. NobodyWho makes it easy to fine-tune, deploy, and run models directly on end-user devices.
Developers without prior LLM experience can embed fast, scalable SLMs into mobile and desktop applications using just a few lines of code. Because inference runs entirely on-device, no servers are required; applications scale automatically with user adoption and incur zero server-side compute costs. The library is open source under EUPL 1.2 and provides cross-platform support across mainstream operating systems and development frameworks.
“I’ve known Cecilie for nearly a decade and have seen first-hand how she consistently turns bold ideas into real, working technology. Backing NobodyWho was a no-brainer for us: this is an exceptional team building critical European AI infrastructure that is privacy-protecting, energy-efficient, and accessible to developers and companies everywhere – exactly the kind of technology PSV Tech exists to support and we want to see scale from the Nordics,”
says Christel Piron, Co-founder and General Partner at PSV Tech
Investors view the rise of local, energy-efficient AI as a major strategic opportunity for Europe, especially as demand grows for privacy-compliant and cost-effective alternatives to cloud models.
