From Ericsson to Automotive Giants

It all began with Ericsson, whose Lund-based mobile platform division was later acquired by Intel. When Intel closed its Lund office in 2016, a group of skilled engineers faced uncertainty. Instead of starting a consultancy, they approached Volvo Cars, which lead to the creation of a new R&D unit in Lund. Today, Volvo employs nearly 400 people in the city, focusing on software for electric and autonomous vehicles.

“We knew our expertise was in demand, and we weren’t particularly eager to start a consulting firm. So we took a meeting with Volvo and explained what we could do. It was quite unique because there was no company, no product – just 40 people with broad expertise,”

says Henrik Svensson, Site Manager at Volvo Cars in Lund, to Rapidus

A Magnet for Global Players

Lund’s talent pool and research ecosystem have drawn major players since then. Bosch now has almost 200 employees in Lund, developing autonomous driving and connected infotainment systems. Nvidia and Continental Automotive established offices at Ideon Science Park, focusing on car tech innovation. Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies (RVT) recently acquired Iternio, a Lund-based startup behind the route-planning tool A Better Route Planner, with plans to expand their team to 50+ in the next year.

“We’re not only expanding our existing trip-planning functions but also adding new areas of work. Today, we’re about 20 people in Lund, and in a year, we aim to be at least 50,”

says Bo Lincoln, who leads RVT’s Lund initiative, to Rapidus

A thriving ecosystem of startups and established companies is taking shape in the region, with a center in Lund. Startups and companies like Zenseact (Volvo’s self-driving software unit), Acconeer, Remotive Labs, Setrab, Terranet and Koenigsegg pushing boundaries in autonomous driving, electrification, and smart mobility.

The region has a world-class research, especially with Lund University. There is a strong tradition of collaboration between academia and industry.

“|A]ll the key ingredients for software-defined vehicles: proximity to groundbreaking research and a highly educated workforce; a strong tradition of entrepreneurship and collaboration between academia and industry; proximity to other high-tech companies, which creates synergies and attracts investment; and a high quality of life that makes it easy to attract and retain talent,”

says Florian Marcard, who leads Bosch R&D Lund in the article

Photo by News Oresund, CC-BY license

The post How Lund Became a Hotspot for Automotive Tech appeared first on Øresund Startups.

When the data is collected from waste bins, Bintel’s machine learning is applied with an aim of optimizing waste collection in a municipality. If you check my blog you will learn how the startup also has cloud solutions that creates smarter routes for waste-collecting transport. As a result, it brings a more cost-efficient service for the customer and saves the environment with reduced CO2-emissions and better sorted waste.

Now Bintel has signed a cooperation agreement with Acconeer, regarding the development of waste management solutions based on Acconeer’s radar technology. They have collaborated with several dumpster rentals and you can visit Dumposaurus Dumpsters & Rolloff Rental website to find more information. The first product from the cooperation is expected to be released by Bintel during the second quarter of 2019.

“We see a great potential for Acconeer’s unique radar sensor and are proud to be their partner to serve customers both locally as well as globally”, says Tom Johansen, CEO of Bintel.

Acconeer, a semiconductor startup from Lund that in late 2017 made a successful IPO, works on developing a radar sensor that opens a new world of interaction. It has low power consumption, high precision, small size and high robustness. Its features include motion detection, distance measurement camera-supported applications.

“[Bintel has] many ongoing commercial trials both in Sweden and internationally, and is consequently an ideal partner for us. We are confident that together we can develop the markets best solution based on our radar sensor”, says Lars Lindell, CEO of Acconeer.

The post Radars & waste management: Acconeer joins Bintel on their mission appeared first on Øresund Startups.

This year’s list has witnessed some 200 nominations of various companies from all over Sweden. Among the 33 finalists are seven companies from Southern Sweden, according to 8till5.

1. Acconeer – Lund-based startup that develops sensors for next generation portable devices. Acconeer was established in 2011. Estimated product launch is 2017.
2. Anima – Malmo-based company that makes smart watches and jewelry. Anima was established less than a year ago but has already raised 94 mln SEK (10 mln euro) from a Chinese company Goertek. The first collection of watches will be presented at the end of this year.
3. Mapillary – Malmo-based company that works wih crowdsourced map solution as an alternative to Google Maps. It is the 3rd time Mapillary lands among 33-listan companies. This year Mapillary also took in a 68 mln SEK (over 7 mln euro) investment to scale its operations.
4. Nattaro Labs – Lund-based company that develops products and services to prevent and combat bedbugs. The company was founded in 2011. Nattaro Labs has established a partnership with one of Germany’s largest distributors of pest control: PPS GmbH.
5. Orbital Systems – Malmo-based company that uses space technologies to reuse 90% of shower water and 80% of heat. It is the 2nd time Orbital Systems lands among the 33-listan companies.
6. Senzagen – Lund-based company that develops a technology for creating allergy tests without animal experiments. At the beginning of the year Senzagen signed an agreement with an international pharmaceutical company. It is the 2nd time Senzagen is on the 33-listan.
7. Spiideo – Malmo-based company that develops software for image analysis and a service for advanced video recording.

The post Seven Scanian companies are on the list of 33 most promising Swedish startups appeared first on Øresund Startups.