Ignite Nordic has taken the next step in its expansion by welcoming seven innovation hubs, strengthening the initiative’s ability to connect startups with corporates and public organizations across the Nordics.

The organizations joining the initiative are 6AM, Impact Startup, K2 Gründerlab, Nordic Edge, Smart Innovation Norway, Validé, y VIS – Vestlandets Innovasjonsselskap.

The ecosystem actors represent a broad geographic and sectoral reach across Norway, spanning areas such as energy, health, digitalization, sustainability, marine innovation, smart cities, and impact entrepreneurship, helping Ignite Nordic establish a national presence from the beginning.

“We have brought on board seven strong innovation environments with good geographic distribution from the start, and we plan to build this in the same way Ignite started in Sweden, where it was established by seven leading incubators and has since grown to include all Swedish incubators,” says Gustav Gorecki, Managing Director of David & Goliath Ventures, the organization leading Ignite Nordic’s establishment in Norway.

“To build a strong and lasting startup collaboration platform in Norway, it is essential to work together with trusted local innovation actors who understand their regional ecosystems, industries, and entrepreneurs. The organizations joining as founding ecosystem partners combine deep local networks with strong capabilities in commercialization and innovation support, making them ideal partners for establishing Ignite Nordic nationally from day one,” says Maria Olofsson, VP Ecosystems at Ignite Nordic.

First Norwegian Startups Already Matched with Corporates

Since the launch in January, Ignite Nordic has already begun facilitating matchmaking processes between Norwegian startups and established organizations.

In late April, eight Norwegian startups participated in their first matchmaking meetings with corporates, with additional startups and established organizations from Norway expected to join upcoming matchmaking activities throughout the year.

The ecosystem partners will contribute to identifying promising startups, preparing them for corporate meetings, supporting post-meeting follow-up, and strengthening connections between local innovation ecosystems and national and international business opportunities.

“The founding partners already provide strong support to startups through incubation, business development, and regional ecosystem building. With Ignite Nordic, startups gain an additional pathway to customers, pilots, and commercial collaborations that can help them scale faster. At the same time, the role of the ecosystem partners remains crucial. Their close relationships with the startups and their ability to support them throughout customer dialogues and collaboration processes are key to creating successful long-term outcomes,” says Maria Olofsson.

“Ignite Nordic is an important complement to our incubation work. It increases the commercialization power of the portfolio and gives startups faster access to relevant customers and markets, both nationally and across the Nordics,” says Mikael Melitshenko, COO and Head of Venture at Smart Innovation Norway.

Strengthening Startup Commercialization Through Ecosystem Collaboration

The establishment in Norway follows Ignite Nordic’s broader ambition to strengthen startup collaboration and commercialization across the region through closer cooperation between incubators, startups, corporates, and the public sector.

“When Norwegian companies succeed with innovation, we strengthen both the competitiveness and the ability to adapt across the entire business sector. That’s why we are joining this collaboration: because we believe in the Ignite model and in our partner’s ability to operationalize it in Norway,” says Terje Eide, CEO of Nordic Edge.

The organizations highlight commercialization and structured collaboration as key reasons for joining.

“The most important thing for an early-stage startup is securing its first real customer. Ignite Nordic has shown that structured matchmaking between concrete needs from established organizations and solutions from startups delivers results,” says Runar Brøvig, Incubator Manager at K2 Gründerlab.

The partnership is also expected to strengthen connections between startups and industry across different regions of Norway, while creating new opportunities for pilot projects, commercial partnerships, and long-term business relationships.

“Through this partnership, we can connect companies more closely with relevant industries and create more concrete opportunities for piloting, partnerships, and growth,” says Marianne Ø. Olsen, Head of StartupTRD at 6AM.

These are our Norwegian Founding Ecosystem Partners

6AM
Location: Trondheim
6AM supports tech founders through acceleration, investment, and ecosystem building while helping startups establish strong foundations for growth.

Impact Startup
Location: Oslo
Impact Startup supports entrepreneurs working to solve societal and environmental challenges through impact-driven innovation and ecosystem support.

K2 Gründerlab
Location: Kristiansand & Grimstad
K2 Gründerlab supports innovation and entrepreneurship by helping startups develop sustainable businesses that drive growth and regional development.

Nordic Edge
Location: Stavanger
Nordic Edge accelerates innovation in smart city and agritech through clusters, projects, events, and cross-sector collaboration.

Smart Innovation Norway
Location: Halden
Smart Innovation Norway is a research and innovation company focused on sustainable energy, applied artificial intelligence, smart cities, and digital entrepreneurship.

Validé
Location: Stavanger
Validé supports early-stage startups and research-based innovation in areas such as energy, health, digitalization, and sustainability by helping transform ideas into scalable businesses.

VIS – Vestlandets Innovasjonsselskap
Location: Bergen
VIS supports innovation and entrepreneurship by helping researchers and startups turn ideas into sustainable businesses across areas such as energy, health, marine, and digitalization.

Reach for Change and Ignite Nordic, with the support of JPMorganChase, are today launching a three-year partnership to support underserved entrepreneurs and advocate for systemic change on a broad front.

The initiative, called “Step Up”, enables direct support to 60 entrepreneurs ready to scale through a new accelerator program, and addresses structural barriers that underserved entrepreneurs face when it comes to access to knowledge, contacts, capital and customers. 

The collaboration brings together Reach for Change’s 15 years of experience in supporting social entrepreneurs to grow, with Ignite Nordic’s expertise in connecting entrepreneurs with large companies and public organizations, and is enabled by JPMorganChase’s philanthropic support which contributes to a stronger society through investing in local communities. 

Society is facing urgent challenges. Meanwhile, underserved entrepreneurs rooted in affected grassroot communities with a deep first-hand understanding of the challenges are developing innovative and scalable solutions that address local needs and offer employment opportunities. Due to structural barriers these entrepreneurs face significant challenges to grow. This is a loss not only for the entrepreneurs, but for society as a whole. This partnership aims to create a more inclusive, equitable Swedish innovation ecosystem where underserved entrepreneurs scale their ventures, create jobs and uplift communities. 

Over three phases, 60 growth entrepreneurs will deep dive in scaling through tailored self paced learning, a buddy system, investor meetings, expert workshops and demo days. At the same time, Ignite Nordic will facilitate connections between entrepreneurs and potential customers in both private and public sectors, accelerating opportunities for collaboration and business growth. This will also open doors to new and innovative financing models. 

“Based on our more than 15 years of experience, we know that entrepreneurs need connections and coaching to successfully scale solutions that can have a positive impact on society. I am so excited that we will be able to support entrepreneurs on this journey and that we are joining forces with two strong partners to be able to give these entrepreneurs access to rooms and experiences they have not had before,” says Sofia Breitholtz, CEO Reach for Change.

“If we want new solutions to society’s toughest challenges, we need to make sure the right entrepreneurs get a real shot. This partnership is about turning potential into impact and real business – by connecting entrepreneurs to customers and collaborations they have historically had limited access to,” says Maria Olofsson, Vice President Ignite Nordic.

“Sweden is widely recognised as a leader in innovation, and supporting innovative businesses seeking to scale up is critical to driving economic growth. By backing founders who have historically faced barriers to growth, we aim to strengthen a more inclusive innovation economy—one where opportunity is broader, businesses can thrive, and communities benefit from sustainable job creation. We look forward to this new initiative led by Reach for Change and Ignite Nordic to contribute to a more inclusive innovation ecosystem in Sweden,” says Jonas Wikmark, Co-Senior Country Officer & Co-Head Investment Banking, Nordic region, JPMorganChase.

Step Up open for applications on April 29 through Reach for Change Sweden’s website. The last day to apply is June 10. The program starts in August 2026. 

Want to be the first to know when applications for the program open? Sign up here. 


For more information contact: 

• Julia Rex, Project and Communications Manager, Reach for Change, julia.rex@reachforchange.org / +46 73 926 04 93 
• Maria Olofsson, Ignite Nordic, VP Ecosystem, maria@ignitenordic.org / +46 70 419 11 88 
• Luisa de Simone, Global Philanthropy, EMEA, luisa.desimone@jpmchase.com 

About Reach for Change
Reach for Change is a global non-profit organization that empowers social entrepreneurs with the skills, networks and funding they need to achieve their full potential. Founded in Sweden in 2010, Reach for Change has supported 3.000 entrepreneurs in 18 countries, reaching 5 million children and young people. 

About JPMorganChase
For more than 225 years, JPMorganChase has championed the essential role of banking in communities. Supporting global and local economies by delivering value for our shareholders and investing in the progress of our clients and our employees. Our firm is only as strong as the communities we serve, and we are dedicated to creating opportunities for financial growth worldwide. 

About Ignite Nordic
Ignite Nordic is a non-profit organization that aims to foster innovation and accelerate commercialization by connecting startups to large companies and public organizations. Since its inception in 2017, Ignite Nordic has connected over 1,900 startups with 450+ established organizations from both the private and the public sector, resulting in more than 788 collaborations and business opportunities.

The new name reflects a broader step in our development, from a national initiative to a unified Nordic platform for startup collaboration.

After nearly a decade of enabling strategic collaboration between Swedish startups and established organizations, Ignite Sweden becomes Ignite Nordic.

“This is a natural next step in our development. Our new name reflects how Ignite has evolved from a national initiative into a shared Nordic platform,” says CEO Sara Hamlin.

The shift strengthens Ignite Nordic’s position both within the region and internationally, offering a unified platform for startup collaboration to partners, stakeholders, and global actors engaging with the Nordic innovation ecosystem.

Scaling a Startup Collaboration Model That Works

Since 2017, Ignite Nordic has focused on one core mission: creating real business opportunities for startups by connecting them with B2B and B2G customers.

Through a structured and quality-assured process developed by Ignite, in collaboration with leading Swedish incubators, the organization has enabled more than 780 concrete business collaborations between startups, corporates, and public sector organizations.

Today, Ignite Nordic operates in Sweden as a subsidiary of SISP – Swedish Incubators & Science Parks, working alongside more than 40 ecosystem hubs across the country, with funding from Vinnova – Sweden’s Innovation Agency.

The platform is also active in Norway, following its launch earlier this year in partnership with David & Goliath Ventures, supported by funding from Innovation Norway and with six innovation hubs as founding partners. Ignite Nordic is now preparing to establish operations in additional Nordic countries.

“We have built a model in Sweden that creates real outcomes by structuring how startups and organizations meet and collaborate,” says Sara Hamlin. “Our focus is now on building on what has already proven to work and extending it to a broader Nordic context.”

An Entry Point to Startup Innovation in the Nordics

With the shift to Ignite Nordic, the organization takes on a broader role: enabling collaboration across borders through a shared startup collaboration model. The ambition is to establish Ignite Nordic as a clear entry point to startup innovation in the region, making it easier for startups, organizations, and partners to connect, collaborate, and scale beyond their home markets.

“Across the Nordics, startups, corporates, and public organizations face similar challenges and share similar needs. This new phase responds to that demand,” says Sara Hamlin. “Ignite Nordic brings them together under one platform, one methodology, and one way of working, but applied to each local context, while ensuring consistency across the region.”

For startups, this means access to a broader market and new customer opportunities beyond their home country. For corporates and public sector organizations, it enables engagement with relevant startup solutions from across the Nordics through a structured and trusted process.

“Ignite has always been about making startup collaboration possible in practice. With Ignite Nordic, we are creating the conditions for that to happen at a regional scale,” concludes Sara Hamlin.

For the third year in a row, Ignite and SISP – Swedish Incubators & Science Parks – brought a Swedish delegation of deeptech startups, investors, and ecosystem representatives to Web Summit Qatar, all with a shared objective: to connect Swedish innovation with concrete opportunities in Qatar and the wider MENA region.

What began four years ago as an exploration of collaboration has now evolved into a long-term, business-driven partnership between the Swedish and Qatari innovation ecosystems.

“Through Ignite Sweden and SISP, we are connected to the entire Swedish innovation ecosystem, including more than 60 incubators and science parks across the country, and we need to find the right markets for their startups. That’s why collaborating with different countries is crucial,” said Maria Olofsson, VP Ecosystems at Ignite Sweden and one of the organizers of the delegation. “Qatar is particularly interesting, as it aligns with our priority areas and offers an excellent platform for collaboration.”

Qatar is today one of the fastest-growing innovation markets globally, with strong public investment and a clear ambition to become a gateway to the Gulf Cooperation Council and the wider MENA region. With a growing focus on AI, sustainability, energy, mobility and healthtech, the alignment with Sweden’s strengths is evident.

A Record Delegation Building Real Traction

From life science to transport, logistics, energy and AI, the breadth of the Swedish delegation reflected the maturity of the collaboration.

The 2026 delegation brought together nine cutting-edge Swedish startups and scaleups: Anocca, Elonroad, Flasheye, Flowity, Spritju, Tenfifty, Viscando, Viviotex, and XENSE Vision. The group was further strengthened by investor and corporate venture capital representatives from Bling Capital and Scania Group Ventures & New Business, as well as ecosystem representation from Science Park Gotland.

The delegation was co-organized by Maria Olofsson from Ignite Sweden and Sasan Shaba, VP Philanthropy and International Cooperation at SISP – Swedish Incubators & Science Parks.

H.E. Gautam S. Bhattacharyya, Ambassador of Sweden to the State of Qatar, underlined the progress made over the years:

“The traction we are seeing this year is unprecedented. If we compare it to the first year, we were still fairly new and trying to understand the system. I can see that the discussions this year are much more practical, down to earth and to the point, which is really encouraging.”

“It’s really important to show up every year,” Maria said in an interview with the Doha-based newspaper The Peninsula. “Relationships are built over time, and each year strengthens them. This year, we already have strong foundations, and that can lead to even more fruitful collaborations.”

Relationships First, Business Follows

Throughout the week, the delegation participated in a Corporate Innovation Summit, high-level meetings, roundtables with the Qatar Research, Development and Innovation Council (QRDI), meetings with Qatari Diar, Qatar Investment Authority, Mowasalat and Qatar Foundation, as well as a dedicated Swedish Startup Pitch Session at the QRDI Pavilion during Web Summit.

Beyond the program itself, what made the strongest impression was the culture of doing business.

“What really stood out was the belief that to do things together, you first build relationships,” Maria reflected. “You sit down for coffee, look each other in the eye, take the time to listen. There is a true walk-in culture — you don’t always need a booked meeting to start a meaningful conversation.”

That relational approach resonated strongly with the startups. Karin Ebbinghaus, CEO of the sustainable transport scaleup Elonroad, shared a very positive impression of both the people and the country.“There is a clear vision here to not stagnate or remain dependent on oil and gas, but to build a more diversified innovation and technology ecosystem. It’s impressive to see,” she said. “The people have been incredibly generous in welcoming us and sharing their networks. The pace of work is different from what we are used to in Scandinavia — less stress, greater focus on relationships. Here, you do business with people you genuinely like.”

From Flowity, the experience was equally positive. Syed Sohail Abbass described Web Summit Qatar as “the perfect hub for meeting innovators and industry leaders,” emphasizing the hospitality, openness, and genuine friendliness encountered during the week.

From Presence to Practical Collaboration

Beyond networking, the delegation engaged in practical, sector-specific discussions around urban development, infrastructure, mobility, AI and health innovation, areas where Swedish expertise clearly matches Qatari priorities.

Maria emphasized the value of meeting decision-makers in person in Doha.

“In one room, with top executives from a very large organization, the match between their needs and the startups’ solutions was so clear that it was hard not to get excited. I truly believe — and hope — that several collaborations will come out of this.”

Martin Blaszczyk, Head of Sales & Partnerships at Flasheye, highlighted the structured support available for companies looking to establish locally.“We have seen how the country is really investing in innovation, with strong setups for startups that want to establish themselves, develop and carry out pilot projects. Hopefully we are back in a year with a completed pilot project together with a local partner and the next step in our expansion in the region.”

Key Takeaways From The Delegation

1. Relationships drive business in Qatar. Long-term presence and trust-building are essential. Showing up consistently matters.
2. Alignment in priority areas. Sustainability, mobility, AI, healthtech and research-driven innovation are shared focus areas.
3. Strong institutional backing. Qatar is building real structures —from QRDI funding to the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) Fund of Funds program— to attract and scale innovation.
4. Growing maturity in dialogue. Compared to previous years, discussions are now more concrete and operational.
5. Clear market relevance for Swedish deeptech. The solutions presented matched real needs among corporates and public organizations.
6. A gateway to the MENA region. Qatar offers not only a domestic market but a strategic entry point to the wider region.

Acknowledgements

This initiative would not have been possible without the support of H.E. Gautam S. Bhattacharyya and Mia Månsbacka from the Embassy of Sweden in Qatar, as well as the QRDI team, including Hind Zaki and Malik Habayeb.

The fifth edition of Healthtech Matchday gathered startups, corporates, and public organizations in Gothenburg for a full day focused on collaboration within healthcare and life science.

Hosted at Sahlgrenska Science Park, the event welcomed more than 55 participants and enabled over 45 curated meetings, connecting 39 startups with 8 established organizations and creating space for concrete discussions around commercial collaboration opportunities.

Participating organizations included AstraZeneca, Cambio, IBM, L’Oréal, Mölnlycke Health Care, Novartis, and the municipalities of Umeå and Uppsala — all engaging with startups to explore collaboration potential.

Matchmaking That Creates Momentum

For startup participants, the in-person format played a key role in building trust and momentum.

Aperya, which develops a patent-pending microsphere ingredient that boosts key-ingredient absorption by 100x, was one of the startups taking part in Healthtech Matchday. Co-founder Niclas Roxhed highlighted the value of deeper conversations made possible by meeting in person.

“I think meeting potential customers in person is fundamental to establishing a relationship with them. I wouldn’t have been able to have that kind of meeting online and get all the nitty-gritty details. I also got insights I hadn’t thought about and that we can work on to approach the customer or stakeholder more easily. It was a really good meeting, so it was definitely worth coming here to Gothenburg to have it.”

The importance of face-to-face meetings was echoed by Ebenezer Twumasi Afriyie, CEO of Xcida, which develops nanocomposites for biocide-free antimicrobial applications.

“I think physical meetings are much better than digital ones because you can read people’s body language and tell whether they’re interested or not.”

Beyond meetings with established organizations, the matchmaking also created unexpected connections between startups themselves.

“I met different startups. It’s quite good to learn about their solutions and to see how things are going for them. I talked, for example, to one startup about what they are doing. Even if it’s not close to what we are doing, who knows, there could be a little bit of synergy in the future,” says Ebenezer.

A Shared Reflection on the Future of Healthcare Innovation

Ahead of the matchmaking, a round table discussion brought together actors from across the ecosystem — from public organizations and corporates to incubators and science parks — to reflect on how healthcare innovation can move faster and further.

The conversation focused on the importance of leadership and on creating the right conditions for collaboration with startups to succeed at scale, built on the conclusions of the innovation project SIISH (Snabbare implementering av innovationer i svensk hälso- och sjukvård) as a starting point.

Rather than treating innovation as isolated pilots, participants emphasized the need for long-term commitment, clear ownership, and collaboration across organizational boundaries.

Key insights from the discussion:

• Innovation must be formalized as part of healthcare’s mission, supported by mandate and delivery capacity.
• Support functions need clear innovation responsibilities to avoid slow, uncertain, person-dependent processes.
• Healthcare must define needs, target impact, and post-pilot ownership to move faster toward implementation.
• Culture and risk aversion remain barriers — leadership must build courage and pride in implementation.
• Inclusive language and cross-sector collaboration enable stronger impact, especially around real-life care flows.

The prestigious journal published an article written by researchers from Umeå University, OsloMet, and BI Norwegian Business School with insights from matchmaking meetings enabled by Ignite.

Led by Medhanie Gaim (Oslo Business School, Oslo Met & Umeå University), Elie Saad (Umeå University), and Sujith Nair (BI Norwegian Business School), the research was conducted in collaboration with Ignite Sweden and is based on the analysis of more than 100 startup–corporate matchmaking meetings, as well as interviews with startup founders and corporate innovation managers.

The article explores how startup–corporate partnerships form in their earliest stages and why many promising collaborations struggle to move forward, despite clear mutual benefits.

Pathways to Successful Startup-Corporate Partnerships

The study identifies two common pathways to partnership.
The first, co-creation, occurs when startups spark corporate interest through relevance or novelty, and both parties gradually shape the opportunity together.
The second, discovery, emerges when corporates bring a clearly defined problem and startups demonstrate that they already have a viable, ready-to-fit solution.

In addition, the research highlights three recurring “pathbreakers” that often disrupt partnership formation:

• Speed mismatch, when startups move faster than corporate decision-making processes
• Relational disconnect, caused by misalignment or changes in key stakeholders
• Project dormancy, where promising initiatives stall without clear next steps
  

By outlining these pathways and challenges, the article offers practical, evidence-based guidance for startups seeking to collaborate with corporates, and for established organizations looking to work more effectively with startups.

Read the full article in California Management Review here.

Watch the video summary of the article

The latest edition of our flagship event brought together 192 representatives from startups, corporates, incubators, public organizations, and key actors across the Swedish and Nordic innovation ecosystem in Gothenburg.

This year’s edition explored the journey toward innovation through startup collaboration. Throughout the afternoon, participants followed stories from startups, corporates, public organizations, and ecosystem partners, highlighting both the opportunities and the challenges that arise when working with startups across different sectors and contexts, and the learnings that come with them.

The program featured collaboration cases, keynotes, expert panels, roundtable discussions, and —for the first time ever— a live matchmaking session on stage between the energy company Skellefteå Kraft and the startup Mabel AI.

One of the highlights of the day was the announcement of Ignite’s launch in Norway, as a first step in Ignite’s Nordic expansion. 

Key Takeaways from the Stage

The Summit served as a melting pot of ideas, leaving participants with concrete and actionable insights on how to build successful startup collaborations.

Speakers who took to the stage to share their perspectives on innovation and collaboration included Andréa Råsberg (Reach for Change), Andreas Göthberg (Business Region Göteborg), Camilla Jägerving Isaksson (Umeå Municipality), Conny Reidefors (Skellefteå Kraft), Frida Hedström (Movexum), Gustav Gorecki (David & Goliath Ventures), Håkan Axelsson (Ignite Sweden), Johan Weidolf Nyström (Librixer), Katarina Bennich (SISP – Swedish Incubators & Science Parks), Kati Pärn (Startup Estonia), Katharina Paoli (Nudgd), Malin Frithiofsson (Daya Ventures), Moa Borland (Emulate), Niklas Sikström (Ignite Sweden), Olivia Nestius (Graphmatech), and Sara Hamlin (Ignite Sweden).

Among the key takeaways shared throughout the day were:

• Stepping outside the office to engage with peers across the ecosystem creates space for new perspectives and ways of thinking.
• Informal, everyday conversations can be the starting point for startup collaborations.
• Treat innovation as a business priority, not a side project, with clear ownership, mandate, and resources.
• Budget creates commitment — without a budget, collaboration risks remaining theoretical.
• The strongest collaborations are built on mutual commitment to solving problems that truly matter.
• Dare to start small, but with a clear ambition and defined next steps if the collaboration succeeds.
• Involve the right internal stakeholders early, as this significantly improves decision-making and meeting quality.
• Cross-industry and cross-border collaboration enables scale, turning local solutions into systemic impact.

The Collaboration Heroes of 2025

The Summit also hosted the 9th annual Ignite Awards, celebrating organizations that have driven impactful startup collaborations during 2025. The awards recognize excellence across the innovation ecosystem, including startups, corporates, public organizations, and incubators.

These are the winners of the Ignite Awards 2025:

Ignite Rising Star: NorrSpect
Ignite Master of Startups: Södra
Ignite Master of Collaboration: Emulate
Ignite National Partner Hero: Borås INK
Ignite Global Partner Hero: David & Goliath Ventures
Ignite Heroes of the Year: Nordic GovTech Alliance

Tech Visits in Gothenburg

Ignite Sweden Summit 2026 also featured a series of tech visits, giving participants the opportunity to explore leading innovation environments in Gothenburg firsthand.

One visit took place at Chalmers University of Technology, where attendees gained insight into one of Europe’s most advanced quantum technology environments and explored how quantum computing is moving from research to real-world industrial applications.

Participants also visited Health Innovation City in Mölndal, learning about the district’s innovation approach and the roles of key actors such as Mölnlycke Health Care, AstraZeneca, BioVenture Hub, and GoCo Health Innovation City.

Another visit offered a broader perspective on Gothenburg’s life science and innovation ecosystem, with presentations from Sahlgrenska Science Park, Chalmers Ventures, and Akademiska Hus.

Side Events Around Energy and Defense Tech

After Ignite Sweden Summit 2026, two side events extended the conversation into energy and defense innovation.

The energy workshop addressed the need for a holistic and flexible energy system, highlighting the importance of bridging the gap between energy producers and users, developing long-term infrastructure in an uncertain context, and aligning ambitious transition goals with the everyday realities of the energy system. Discussions also explored e-mobility, emerging business models for charging, and the role of AI in optimizing future energy systems, balancing strong potential with the need for clarity, trust, and realistic use cases.

In the defense track, co-hosted with the incubator LEAD, FMV – the Swedish Defence Materiel Administration presented the project “From Innovation to Battlefield.” The session offered insights into how FMV collaborates with industry to develop, test, and procure innovative solutions that strengthen Sweden’s defense capabilities, with a particular focus on innovation processes and collaboration models.

Photo credits: Natalie Greppi & Ignite Sweden

The move marks the beginning of a broader Nordic expansion, aimed at creating new business opportunities for startups and strengthening cross-border collaboration.

The establishment in Norway is enabled by funding from Innovation Norway, awarded to David & Goliath Ventures through a highly competitive national call. The call attracted applications from 65 organisations, of which 13 were selected to deliver new, high-impact innovation initiatives designed to strengthen the Norwegian startup ecosystem.

The expansion builds on the model Ignite Sweden has developed and refined since 2017. To date, this model has enabled more than 8,000 qualified, needs-driven interactions between startups and established organizations, resulting in over 800 concrete business collaborations for startups.

“Over many years, we have seen how a clear, quality-assured model can make a real difference for startups in Sweden. Norway is the first country where we are now taking this model further, in close collaboration with local incubators, with the aim of creating long-term value for startups, established organizations and the innovation ecosystem in both Sweden and Norway,” says Ignite CEO Sara Hamlin.

David & Goliath Ventures has been appointed to lead the establishment and operation of Ignite in Norway.

“We are incredibly grateful for the trust shown by Innovation Norway’s ecosystem initiative, where our project received the highest level of support and was the only one with both a national and Nordic focus. This enables us to support Norwegian startups in securing their first customers locally, regionally and internationally, while giving large companies and public organisations improved access to innovative startup solutions. This is something I have personally missed, both as an entrepreneur and during my ten years leading startup partnerships at Storebrand,” says Gustav Gorecki, CEO of David & Goliath Ventures.

Sara Hamlin highlights David & Goliath Ventures’ deep understanding of the Norwegian innovation landscape and the needs of both startups and established organizations.

“This makes them a very strong partner to lead Ignite in Norway. Together, we have high ambitions to create real business opportunities for both Swedish and Norwegian startups,” she adds.

The next phase of the establishment involves building Ignite in Norway in close collaboration with actors across the Norwegian innovation ecosystem, while gradually beginning to match Norwegian startups with established organisations in both the private and public sectors.

“The goal of this establishment is to further develop and expand Ignite as a platform that brings together incubators, large companies, the public sector and startups in Norway, in close cooperation with corresponding organisations in Sweden. Our vision is for Ignite to include all Norwegian startups and, over time, startups from across the Nordics,” concludes Sara Hamlin.

About Ignite Sweden

Ignite Sweden is a non-profit organisation working to increase business collaborations between startups, industry and the public sector. Ignite Sweden collaborates with 43 incubators and science parks across Sweden and has engaged more than 1,900 startups and 450 established companies and public organisations, resulting in over 800 business-driven innovation collaborations. Ignite Sweden is a subsidiary of SISP – Swedish Incubators and Science Parks, and is funded by Vinnova.

About David & Goliath Ventures

David & Goliath Ventures is a startup studio based in Oslo, Norway, helping startups secure their first customers, raise capital and build strong teams. The company brings extensive experience from entrepreneurship, advisory roles and senior positions within established organisations, with a strong focus on customer-driven innovation and scalable collaborations.

For more information, please contact:

Sara Hamlin, VD Ignite Sweden
sara@ignitesweden.org
+46 (0)70 282 91 78

Gustav Gorecki, VD David & Goliath Ventures
gustav@davidgoliath.no
+47 98 044 15

The ‘Innovationspiloter för omställning’ project brought together actors from different sectors to test solutions that can scale beyond a single company.

When challenges are too complex for a single actor to solve, collaboration becomes the key to progress. That’s the principle behind Innovationspiloter för omställning, a project uniting Umeå Municipality, Uminova Innovation, Skogstekniska klustret, and Ignite Sweden to accelerate the green transition through system innovation.

The project aims to explore how public organizations, industry, and startups can co-create solutions that make sustainability measurable, actionable, and scalable. The forestry sector in Västerbotten serves as the testbed.

Connecting Forestry Needs with Innovative Scaleups

The initiative focuses on the forestry sector, where increasing sustainability reporting requirements such as the CSRD create both challenges and opportunities. Many companies still handle data manually and lack coordinated digital systems. The goal is to make sustainability data more accurate, transparent, and actionable across the value chain — from machine manufacturers to forest owners.

Ignite Sweden played a central role in enabling this process. As part of the project group together with Umeå Municipality, Uminova Innovation, Cirkulära Västerbotten, and Skogstekniska klustret, Ignite contributed with needs analysis, scouting, and national matchmaking expertise.

“We formed a project group together where we collaborated on the process, structure, and execution. Ignite’s main role was scouting, matchmaking, and managing the collaboration with startups,” explains Marit Finch-Westin, Head of Public Sector Partnerships at Ignite Sweden.

Skogstekniska klustret, an industry cluster of forestry technology companies based in the Västerbotten region, has collaborated with Ignite Sweden since 2018, participating in seven matchmaking events over the years.

“This project takes our collaboration with the forestry sector a step further, working with a shared, complex problem and bringing together several needs owners and startups to co-develop solutions that can create real impact,” says Maria Olofsson, VP Ecosystems at Ignite Sweden.

Matchmaking & Next Steps Toward Collaborative Pilots

Earlier this year, the project brought together over a dozen innovative scaleups offering solutions for climate data, traceability, and ESG reporting, together with Skogstekniska klustret.

Six scaleups — Emission Twin, GoClimate, Icons Of, Measure & Change, ChainTraced, and SustainLab — were later invited to a matchmaking day in Umeå, meeting leading forest technology companies including Komatsu Forest, Cranab, Indexator, and Norra Skog to explore collaboration opportunities.

Following the October matchmaking, the participating startups were given the opportunity to submit pilot proposals — individually or in collaboration with one another. The forestry companies will review these proposals and select which pilots to move forward with in the coming months. Ignite Sweden will continue supporting the process by facilitating knowledge exchange and shared learning as the actors move toward testing.

System Innovation in Practice

The project demonstrates the power of system innovation, where actors from different sectors collaborate to test new solutions that can scale beyond a single company or industry.

Each partner played a crucial role in making this possible. Umeå Municipality acted as the initiator, driven by its ambition to reach the city’s climate goals through innovation. Uminova Innovation led the process locally and supported the participating startups throughout the journey, while Skogstekniska klustret contributed its industrial network and helped identify the sector’s core challenges. Ignite Sweden connected innovative startups and industry to identify potential pilot collaborations and enable concrete steps toward implementation.

This multi-actor setup — where a municipality, a regional incubator, an industry cluster, and a national platform collaborate — illustrates how system innovation can be organized in practice to address complex sustainability challenges.

“This case stands out because we’re working with a complex problem shared by several needs owners, while also encouraging startups to collaborate around a joint solution,” says Marit Finch-Westin.

This initiative also connects directly to Umeå Municipality’s Climate Roadmap, which brings together 66 companies committed to measurable climate action. The pilots developed through this project aim to provide concrete tools that help companies measure and reduce their climate impact — and to inspire more local actors to join the roadmap and adopt emerging solutions.

“We’re building connections and real collaborations around complex challenges that require system-level solutions. It’s inspiring to see how a regional incubator, a municipality, a national platform like Ignite Sweden, and startups and scaleups from across Sweden can work together to create impact,” concludes Maria Olofsson.

At the event, Ignite Sweden brought together 34 Swedish startups and top-tier corporates in a matchmaking focused on defense, e-mobility, and energy.

At Science Week & Sveriges Innovationsriksdag 2025, Ignite Sweden led the way in connecting some of Sweden’s most promising startups with leading corporations.

From curated meetings in a focused matchmaking session, to a workshop on measuring the broader value of innovation, and a panel on scaling from pilot to implementation, Ignite’s contributions helped shape a day filled with impactful conversations and new collaborations.

Curated Meetings That Spark Possibilities

The matchmaking session connected 34 startups with some of Sweden’s top corporates, including Ericsson, BAE Systems Hägglunds, Bofors, and Saab, for 40 curated one-to-one meetings.

The session focused on solutions within defense, heavy-duty e-mobility, and energy flexibility.

“The goal of this event is to spark meaningful conversations between startups and corporates. The matchmaking process is highly qualitative – from mapping corporate needs, to scouting the right startups, to ensuring the meetings have true business potential,” said Ignite Sweden’s Fredrika Germundsson, Project Manager for the Matchday.

Pioneering Technologies from Emerging Startups

For startups, the event offered a unique opportunity to present their solutions to key industry players. Among them was the Umeå-based company Algoryx Simulation, which provides interactive digital physics to the industry.

“I’ve had two really good meetings today with very interesting companies where I think we can make a huge difference for both of them,” said Urban Wikman, Business Director at Algoryx Simulation. “Ignite is really good at helping us find the right people and set up meetings that matter. Ignite helps not just us as a small company, but also larger businesses in Sweden discover other companies and find cooperation and solutions.”

First-time participant Silicon Witchery, which develops 5G-connected IoT modules and provides the infrastructure to deliver sensor data where it’s needed, also saw strong value in the format.

“For hardware companies like ours, it’s great to meet potential customers face-to-face. You just can’t show physical products over a screen or email,” said Raj Nakarja, CEO at Silicon Witchery. “We had two meetings. All of them ended with: ‘Let’s talk again soon.’ That was really nice.”

“This format of being pre-selected for matchmaking helps us get to the nitty-gritty details super fast. It’s a really good platform to figure out what each company wants and then go to the next step,” added his colleague Rohit Nareshkumar.

Uniquesec was another of the participating startups. The company develops advanced radar simulators for the automotive industry, where they already serve customers, and are now exploring opportunities in the defense sector.

“We’re just trying to make connections and expand. This matchmaking was a great opportunity to meet big corporations that can help us on that journey. I really like the event, and I think the format is quite good, actually. Twenty minutes is compact, but just enough time to explain who we are and what we’re looking for,” said Nikolaos Xenidis from Uniquesec.

Exploring Startup Potential from the Corporate Side

The matchmaking wasn’t only valuable for startups — it also provided corporate participants with the chance to explore new technologies and connect with innovators shaping the future of their industries.

“It’s my first time meeting startups through Ignite and it’s been an interesting experience so far. We’re interested in collaborating with startups because there is a huge demand for defense purposes, especially given what’s happening in the world right now,” said Claes Carpenfelt, Senior Strategist at BAE Systems Bofors.

Representatives from the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) also joined the matchmaking to meet startups interested in expanding to Asia.

“EDB Singapore supports businesses in gaining a solid footing in Singapore. For a Swedish startup, Singapore is a gateway to Asia, and it offers a very good environment for core collaboration and innovation work. We have a critical mass of foreign and local companies all nestled within a very small island state. My role here is really to meet with promising Swedish companies to see how they can expand into Asia from Singapore,” said Andy Liu, Regional Director for the Nordics at EDB Singapore.

Measuring the True Value of Innovation

The day also featured a forward-thinking workshop co-hosted by Ignite Sweden and Sveriges Kommuner och Regioner (SKR), which explored how both public and private actors can measure the broader value of innovation — from environmental and social impact to long-term efficiency gains.

The session brought together stakeholders from municipalities, corporates, startups, incubators, and science parks to exchange experiences and methods for measuring innovation beyond traditional ROI.

Real-life examples showcased during the workshop included Klimatkollen, the Innovationspiloten för omställning project, and the collaboration between Mimbly and Uppsalahem.

Ignite Sweden’s VP Operations Linus Arnold also joined the panel discussion “From Startup to Scaleup”, co-organized with Ny Teknik’s 33-listan, exploring how startups can move from early-stage pilots to scalable collaborations with industry.

“Scaling innovation isn’t just about having the right product — it’s about internal prioritization, alignment, and having a clear process and strategy in place,” said Linus. “Sometimes we at Ignite match a startup with a solution to a problem a corporate didn’t even know they had. That’s where real opportunities for collaboration start.”