From AI and climate tech to digital health, robotics, gaming, and many more. The startups here are not in a specific ranking; rather, it is from the perspective of what the participants might find interesting and help them gain new insights into the region’s startup landscape. By highlighting these companies, this session aims to help people discover startups that are lesser known to the general public because most of them are mostly focused on B2B. 

25 interesting startups worth knowing

The startups here are listed in alphabetical order. You can find out more about them from the Öresund Startup Map’s database:

1. Acorai – Helsingborg

2. Again – Copenhagen

3. Agreena – Copenhagen

4. AlixLabs – Lund

5. Complir – Copenhagen

6. Dead Astronauts – Malmö

7. Ekolution – Malmö

8. Elonroad – Lund

9. Emulate Energy – Lund

10. Flatpay – Copenhagen

11. Garba – Malmö

12. Klang.ai – Helsingborg

13. Matr Foods – Copenhagen

14.  Monta – Copenhagen

15. Nimt.ai – Helsingborg

16. NobodyWho – Copenhagen

17. Nordic Forestry Automation – Lund

18. Omhu – Copenhagen

19. Paraglide – Malmö

20. Proplab – Helsingborg

21. RemotiveLabs – Malmö

22. Sevren – Copenhagen

23. Soop System – Helsingborg

24. Staer – Malmö

25. Yazen – Lund

Mapping the startup ecosystem

Two initiatives played a central role in the discussion: Øresund Startup News, where we cover the latest news of founders, startups, and innovation across the region, and the Öresund Startup Map, a platform designed to make the startup ecosystem easier to explore.

On their website, Öresund Startup Map comes with an actual map of startups in the region; not only that, they have updated events people can sign up for, and job opportunities across Skåne and Greater Copenhagen. By the time of its launch, the map already has 900+ organizations free to explore.

Whether you are a founder looking for connections, investors discovering companies, or organizations looking for collaborators, both of these initiatives help make the startup ecosystem more visible and accessible for everyone, 

One region, more opportunities to discover

This lunch talk at HETCH highlighted a simple but important challenge for the Øresund startup ecosystem, which is to connect people with opportunities that already exist nearby and to build awareness of what is happening in the region. 

For Øresund startups, the takeaway is clear. Building a stronger cross-border ecosystem is not only about creating more events, but it is also about helping people discover what is already happening across the cities and the other side of the bridge.

Find the startup database here: https://oresundstartups.com/startups/

Find the Öresund Startup Map here: https://oresundstartupmap.com/#map

Read the entire post here: Beyond the Bridge: 25 Startups Worth Knowing Across the Øresund

Ekolution was founded in 2013 by Remi Loren, Naib Woldemariam and Henrik Jacobsson and the startup has gotten lots of interest for it’s innovative approach and large scale production. The company focuses on creating sustainable building materials that significantly reduce carbon footprints. The new funding will support the company’s expansion as it continues to innovate within the green construction sector, with a focus on scaling production and broadening its market reach.

“We are building one of Europe’s most advanced and high-tech processing and manufacturing facilities for industrial hemp,”

says founder and CEO Remi Lorén to Breakit.

The factory being built in Staffanstorp will capture 70,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually at full capacity. This will contribute to reducing Sweden’s total emissions from the construction and real estate sector by half a percent each year.

Read the entire post here: Ekolution Secures €2.2M to Scale Hemp-Based Construction Materials

The Ljungberg family’s climate-focused investment firm, Longrun Capital, has made its largest investment to date by leading a € 13 million (SEK 150 million) funding round in Ekolution, a GreenTech company aiming to revolutionize the insulation market with a hemp-based product.

Ekolution was founded in 2013 by Remi Loren, Naib Woldemariam and Henrik Jacobsson and the startup has gotten lots of interest for it’s innovative approach and large scale production. The insulation they produce offers the potential to reduce the carbon footprint of construction and real estate companies by over 5% by acting as a carbon sink.

The investment is split between SEK 61.5 million in private capital and up to SEK 94.5 million in funding from the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency’s Klimatklivet program. These funds will enable Ekolution to develop a high-tech machine park capable of processing around 37,000 tons of hemp annually and binding 72,000 tons of CO2 equivalent per year.

“Ekolution has both potential to create significant climate impact and build a scalable commercial business,”

says Remi Loren, CEO at Ekolution.

Johan Ljungberg, CEO of Tagehus and Chairman of Atrium Ljungberg, emphasized the importance of being at the forefront of the green transition, stating that Longrun’s goal is to support companies offering innovative climate solutions.

“Many investors are moving towards more sustainable investments, but I still feel that we stand out in the climate analysis as we primarily seek maximum climate benefit per invested krona. We make the assessment that these companies generally have lower market risk and higher potential, which also means better financial returns,”

says Johan Frenckner

This move highlights a growing trend towards sustainable investments, with Longrun focused on maximizing climate benefits while aiming for strong financial returns.

“Although Longrun has a holistic perspective on the climate crisis, it feels extra exciting to be involved in enabling the commercialization of a product with a direct link to the family’s other operations,”

says Cristina Ljungberg, board member of Longrun Capital.

Read the entire post here: GreenTech Company Ekolution Raises €13M to Drive Sustainable Insulation Solutions

Ekolution is known for its flagship product, Ekolution® Hemp Fiber Insulation, which has gained recognition as a very environmentally friendly building insulations on the market. The product is fully certified and registered with several organizations, including EPD International, SundaHus, BASTA, and Svanens databas.

The Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, through its Klimatklivet initiative, is providing Ekolution with the investment support of up to € 8 million for the construction of a new hemp insulation production facility in Skåne. This funding is part of the EU-funded NextGenerationEU program, aimed at promoting investments in fossil-free future technologies and green transition.

“Naturvårdsverket’s Klimatklivet support is aimed at companies that want to contribute to accelerating the climate transition with investments that permanently reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

Carl Mikael Strauss, Head of Klimatklivet for industry at Naturvårdsverket, explained,

The new high-tech facility, located in Staffanstorp between Malmö and Lund, is set to begin production in the fall of 2024. It has been developed in collaboration with leading natural fiber processing machine manufacturers worldwide. In addition to insulation materials, the facility will produce climate-neutral products using hemp fiber and wood materials from industrial hemp. The factory has the capacity to process approximately 37,000 tons of hemp per year, potentially sequestering 72,000 tons of CO2eq annually (gross).

The integrated production processes and local supply chain enable Ekolution to achieve cost-efficiency in the production of its building materials and become competitively priced. This expansion aims to meet the growing demand for biobased products in various sectors, including construction, agriculture, textiles, furniture, packaging, automotive, and biocomposites.

Investors participating in the Series A round include Hagman Green Business, Southbay Evergreen, Ludvig Friberger, Longrun Capital, Neptunia Invest, Heddinvest, and Terasea.

Read the entire post here: Ekolution Secures €13M and Builds Hemp Insulation Production Facility in Skåne