Sweden is known for its exceptional startup ecosystem and growth opportunities for business-minded people. Its capital Stockholm, is the only city after Silicon Valley to have 7 unicorn companies.

Likewise, in 2018, the Swedish venture capital firms invested around $2 Billion into companies with the number rising up to $8.5 Billion in 2022. Seeing such support from the VC community of Sweden, you must think what are some of the top-ranked venture capital firms in Sweden that actively invest in business.

So, let us ease your search by presenting the list of the top 8 venture capital firms in Sweden. 

Top Venture Capital Firms in Sweden

Following is the list of some of the top venture capital firms in Sweden as per their active involvement in startup funding.

Almi Invest 

Almi Invest is a state-owned enterprise that focuses on investing in early-stage companies with innovative business models. Almi also provides financing through loans and operates the Verification Fund. 

During the investment process, the investors at Almi Invest focus on startups that have a huge ROI and are ready to scale on an international level once provided with the required funds. It should be noted that Almi Invest is one of the biggest VC firms that invests worldwide and has made around 1,000 startups, with 456 exits and 395 active portfolio companies. With such a strong presence, they conduct rigorous screening tests and only invest in the most promising businesses.

The investment range of Almi Invest can range between SEK 1 Million to 20 Million. 

Global Founders Capital (GFC)

Global Founders Capital (GFC) is a venture capital firm that invests in startups worldwide. It is a global early-stage investor that supports entrepreneurs throughout their startup journey. Their mission is to back founders who start category-defining ventures across various industries.

Similarly, like most other VC firms, GFC also values startups that are providing real-time solutions. They organize several pitching competitions throughout the year and usually fund startups at the early and seed stages.

Aside from investment activities, Global Founders Capital also has an experienced network of mentors. They organize workshops and guide their portfolio companies, especially at stages when things don't go in their favour.

The investment range of Global Founders Capital is around $1M.

Verdane Capital Advisors

Verdane Capital Advisors is also a well-known venture capital firm that invests in Sweden-based startups. The network consists of around 10 investors who prioritize businesses with strong growth models. They focus on companies that thrive in a sustainable world, particularly within two structural growth trends: digitalization and decarbonization.

Similarly, Verdane Capital Advisors is known for having experienced entrepreneurs and mentors onboard. From early-staged to seed-staged businesses, these mentors help a startup understand their production scale and improve the business model, increasing the overall ROI, and taking a successful exit. Verdane Capital Partners organizes many public workshops and networking events to guide and support fresh startup leaders.

The investment range of Verdane Capital Partners is around $15,000,000.

Industrifonden

Investing in startups for more than 4 decades, Industrifonden is a well-known name in Sweden's VC Community. The network consists of around 20 investors who have invested in hundreds of businesses with 64 exits.

Similarly, Industrifonden focuses on companies with groundbreaking technologies and concepts that can revolutionize or create new industries. They value passionate founders and teams who can turn visionary ideas into reality. They invest in early-stage companies, usually in Seed or A-round funding. The investment procedure from the initial meeting can take around 2 to 8 months. 

The investment range of Industrifonden is around 10-50 Million SEK.

Creandum

Creandum is an early-stage venture capital firm with a strong track record of backing successful European tech companies. Ever since its inception in 2003, Creandum has expanded its presence to other major tech hubs, including Berlin, London, and San Francisco. Their mission is to support and empower founders in building global, category-defining companies from the early stages all the way to IPO and beyond.

When discussing their investment activities, Creandum has a network of around 16 investors who invest in businesses that have the lowest competition. Each year, Creandum arranges 2 to 3 pitching competitions and also invests through startup fundraisers.

The investment range of Creandum lies between SEK 5 Million to 20M.

EQT Ventures

EQT Ventures is the venture capital business of the Swedish investment manager EQT AB Group. The fund usually focuses on minority equity investments.

Moreover, EQT Ventures has a network of 24 investors, who invest in startups that are providing solutions in the form of products/services. EQT Ventures employs a multi-stage strategy for equity investments. They participate in late seed rounds and continue supporting startups through growth rounds. Unlike single-phase funds, EQT Ventures’ supporting strategy is broader, allowing them to engage with companies at various stages of growth.

The investment range of EQT Ventures depends on the startup's sector, often ranging up to several million SEK.

Heartcore Capital

Heartcore Capital was founded in 2007 by Jimmy Fussing Nielsen and Christian Lindegaard Jepsen. It is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark. It is an international venture capital firm and has offices in Denmark, Germany, France, the USA, Austria, Sweden, Spain, Hungary, Poland, and the United Arab Emirates

Talking about the investment activities of Heartcore Capital, Their mission is to help founders build the next generation of iconic global technology companies. The firm focuses on investing in companies that advance the world through technology and leave a positive impact.

The investors at Heartcore Capital focus on businesses that can generate a huge ROI, have low competitors, and are led by experienced founders. Although they make early-stage investments as well, most of their portfolio consists of seed-stage and Series-A investments.

The investment range of Heartcore Capital lies between $300,000 to $6M. 

Enterprise Ireland

Enterprise Ireland is an Irish state economic development agency focused on helping Irish-owned businesses deliver new export sales. Their mission is to assist Irish and (presently) Sweden enterprises in “starting, growing, innovating, and winning export sales in global markets” 

Moreover, the firm has a strong focus on manufacturing-related startups that are producing "Top-Notch" products that can be sold internationally. Despite being well-known in Europe, Enterprise Ireland has recently started to operate in Sweden and is slowly increasing their number of investments per year ratio. 

Similarly, since Enterprise Ireland is relatively new, they are not arranging any extra startup events. Their investment range lies around $50,000.

Wrap-Up

And there you have the answer to the list of the top-ranked venture capitals in Sweden. But, before we end this discussion, allow us to share some great tips that will prove beneficial during your presentation.

Frequently Asked Questions