Analyzing the numbers, the first half of 2026 has marked weak start Skåne’s startup ecosystem. With only 42 deals raising approximately € 83 million across Lund, Malmö, and Helsingborg. This is less compared to 2025, which had 61 deals and a € 174 million in its first half.

The numbers for all of 2025 in Skåne where 101 investments, totalt € 223 million. We compared this to 2017, when we first looked into the overall numbers for Skåne – in 2017 there were 65 investments in startups, totaling € 154 million.

So current trend seems to be that since 2017 not much has happened when it comes to attracting investments to Skåne.

However, as with all funding news, the numbers are often easily skewed by one or two bigger rounds. In H1 2025, Qvantum raised a € 108 million round in equity and dept, which affects the numbers for 2025 a lot. However, that the total number of deals is almost 35% lower is does make it clear that it is not just this one deal that makes for a downward trend so far this year.

Looking a bit deeper into the different cities, and what time of investments that have happened so far in 2026, compared to H1 in 2025.

Lund: Deep-Tech and Biotech Dominate with €25M

Lund is for its size Skåne’s investment powerhouse, attracting during H1 2026 a total of 20 investments, worth € 39 million, almost half of the amount during this time frame. This more than its H1 2025 of € 31 million. The city’s strength lies in deep-tech and biotech, with some noteable investments including:

• Nordic Forestry Automation, Technology for precise and sustainable forestry.
• Cellevate, Developing proprietary nanofiber technology for building cell culture solutions for cell and gene therapy and novel vaccines biomanufacturing.
• Spec-Imaging, optical tools for direct analysis of turbid liquids

Lund’s long-standing reputation for cutting-edge research, particularly in nanotech and medtech, continues to attract high-value, early-stage investments.

Malmö: AI, Security and Sustainability

Malmö has raised the most funding so far, in bigger rounds, with 16 fundings so far that totalt approximitely € 41 million in H1 2026. This is however a decrease in both number and sum compared to 27 investments totalting € 138 million in H1 2025 (which includes the € 108 million round by Qvantum). The city’s startup scene is diverse, with investments in companies like:

• Valkyr, Developing cost-effective, agile, and modular defense solutions with a focus on COTS components, practical innovation, and short time-to-market
• Emission Twin, Climate and sustainability platform
• Lightbringer, AI-powered all-in-one solution for patent protection

Helsingborg: AI and SaaS

While Helsingborg’s H1 2026 investments are a lot lower than Lund and Malmö, the city is carving a niche in different AI services and SaaS solutions. Notable investments include:

• Gridly, Content operations platform for game and software developers
• Veterinary Value, Platform helping veterinary clinics become profitable
• MiMove, Platform for searching properties for sale and rent in Spain and Portugal

Overall the fundings in the region reflect an mature ecosystem, but not a growing one.

Thanks to the Funding Database by Swedish Tech News for providing the curated data on funding rounds.

Read the entire post here: Analyzing the Numbers: Skåne’s Investment in H1 2026 low – only € 83M Raised Across Lund, Malmö, and Helsingborg

Gridly’s platform helps game and software studios organize, plan, and track digital content, a critical need in an industry where efficiency and scalability are key. The key is to remove the need for endless files, versions, or emails.

“Our platform already works very well for our customers as it is. Now, we’re focusing on integrating AI, particularly agentic AI,”

says CEO Anna Albinsson to Rapidus.

This next-generation AI will enable Gridly to automate complex workflows, strengthening its position as a must-have tool for developers.

The majority of the €1.3 million comes from existing investors, but the round also introduces Jörgen Larsson, a gaming industry heavyweight with deep expertise in the sector. He brings extensive experience from Gridlys most important vertical: gaming.

From Localize Direct to Global Ambitions

Founded in 2022 by Christoffer Nilsson and Mattias Wennerholm, Gridly spun out of Localize Direct, a company specializing in translation and localization for game developers. Rapidus reports its investor base includes Nordic Game Ventures, Teknoseed, and Innovum, alongside Subvenio Invest and Rendered VC, which led a previous round.

Read the entire post here: Gridly Secures €1.3M to Fuel AI-Powered Growth

Founded in 2022 by former game developers and serial entrepreneurs Christoffer Nilsson and Mattias Wennerholm, Gridly aims to revolutionize how digital content is handled. The platform addresses the challenges faced by content teams in managing diverse digital assets such as text, images, audio, and video — challenges that are compounded by the rapid deployment of AI.

Content creation has evolved from a linear process of one-time releases to a continuous cycle essential for audience growth and retention. This shift has spurred a need for more sophisticated tools beyond traditional methods like Google Sheets, which lead to disorganization and inefficiency.

“With AI now amplifying content complexity and volume, it’s crucial to have a more sophisticated approach for content management,”

stated Mattias Wennerholm, CTO and Co-Founder of Gridly

Gridly’s platform allows teams to fully control their content processes — from planning and creation to localization, quality assurance, publication, maintenance, and support. This end-to-end management is designed to enhance the speed, cost-effectiveness, and quality of content operations at scale.

The seed funding round saw participation from investors including a top-three global games company, Nordic B2B software investor Subvenio Invest, US-based digital media specialist Rendered.VC, and existing investors.

“We are excited to team up with Gridly on their quest to become a key digital content infrastructure company in the gaming sector and beyond.”

says Patrik Östersgård, Partner at Subvenio Invest

With over 100 customers, including major games companies like Rovio, Scopely, and Warner Bros. Games, as well as firms across FinTech, MedTech, and SaaS sectors, Gridly is rapidly establishing itself as a leader in content operations solutions. The company plans to use the new funds to enhance its platform, expand its patent portfolio, and optimize the production process.

“We were impressed at the number of global publishers putting Gridly at the heart of their flagship titles for content production. In the upcoming era of AI-assisted content creation, we see Gridly becoming an essential platform to power automated, and sustainable content operations.”

says Jiten Dajee, Partner at Rendered.VC

From its offices in Sweden and Vietnam, Gridly’s global team of more than 50 members continues to provide robust support to customers worldwide, reinforcing its commitment to transforming the digital content landscape. This latest investment marks a significant milestone in Gridly’s journey towards redefining how digital content is managed in an increasingly AI-native world.

Read the entire post here: Content Ops Platform Gridly raises €2.4M