Nordic Hardtech Podcast (formerly Hårdvarupodden)

37. Building Europe’s Deeptech Pipeline Lisa Eriksson, Head of KTH Innovation and CEO of KTH Ventures, joins the Nordic Hardtech Podcast to discuss what it takes to turn world-class research into venture-backed companies.KTH Innovation supports hundreds of founders, researchers and students every year, helping transform ideas into startups across fields such as AI, energy, semiconductors, life science and advanced engineering. In this conversation, Lisa shares lessons from nearly two decades of building Sweden’s innovation ecosystem, explains why teams matter more than technology, and discusses how Europe can become a stronger home for deeptech startups and scaleups. In this episode:✅ Turning research into venture-backed companies✅ What separates successful deeptech teams✅ Matching researchers with experienced entrepreneurs✅ AI as a shortcut to faster commercialization✅ Europe's search for the next generation of tech giants✅ Breaking down regulatory fragmentation✅ Building and scaling companies from EuropeThis episode was recorded in collaboration with Lightbringer. Protecting your IP is critical, but it shouldn’t slow you down. Lightbringer offers an AI-powered platform to simplify and accelerate the patent process. Find out more.Connect & ContributeHave a guest we should feature? An idea worth exploring? Feedback you’d like to share?Reach out at [email protected], connect with us on LinkedIn, or visit nordichardtech.com.Spread the wordTell a colleague. Tag a friend. Let’s build the Nordic hardtech community together. For more insights, knowledge, and inspiration, visit nordichardtech.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

36. Produktionsänglar & Sveriges bortglömda konkurrensfördelMonica Bellgran, vicerektor för innovation vid Mälardalen Universitet och medgrundare av Produktionsänglar, gästar podden för att prata om en av hardtech-världens mest underskattade utmaningar: att gå från prototyp till produktion.Från industrialisering och leverantörskedjor till automation, AI och geopolitik förklarar hon varför så många hårdvarubolag kör fast mellan första produkten och fungerande fabrik — och varför Sverige behöver börja se produktion som en strategisk styrka igen.Det här avsnittet sponsras av vår partner Lightbringer, den AI-drivna plattformen som förenklar din patentprocess.I detta avsnitt:✅ Sverige bygger stark teknik — men skalar för långsamt✅ Varför produktion fortfarande kommer in för sent i hardtech✅ Det verkliga glappet mellan prototyp och fabrik✅ Produktionsänglar hjälper startups hitta svensk tillverkning✅ AI och automation kan flytta hem mer produktion✅ Därför börjar industri bli geopolitik againConnecta & bidraHar du ett poddtips? En idé värd att utforska? Eller feedback du vill dela med dig av?Hör av dig till [email protected], connecta med oss på LinkedIn eller besök nordichardtech.com.. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#35. Teaching Infrastructure to Speak Animal with FloxTomas Becklin, CTO and co-founder of Flox, joins our podcast to explain how AI, acoustics and edge computing can reduce conflicts between wildlife and critical infrastructure.Flox builds systems that identify animals in real time and play sounds they instinctively understand, guiding behavior without fences, barriers or harm. In this conversation, Tomas walks through the technical and commercial realities of deploying autonomous hardware in extreme environments, from reindeer near Arctic roads to wildlife risks at airports.In this episode:✅ Guiding animal behavior with sound, not fences✅ Why edge beats cloud in safety-critical settings✅ From drones to deployable hardware✅ Hardware built for cold, battery life and speed✅ Selling to airports, rail and road operators✅ Scaling and funding hardware across Europe and the USThis episode was recorded in collaboration with Lightbringer. Protecting your IP is critical, but it shouldn’t slow you down. Lightbringer offers an AI-powered platform to simplify and accelerate the patent process. Find out more.Connect & ContributeHave a guest we should feature? An idea worth exploring? Feedback you’d like to share?Reach out at [email protected], connect with us on LinkedIn, or visit nordichardtech.com.Spread the wordTell a colleague. Tag a friend. Let’s build the Nordic hardtech community together. For more insights, knowledge, and inspiration, visit nordichardtech.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#34. From Cockpit to Cap Table: Inside Nordic Defense TechMax Villman, former Swedish fighter pilot and now defense tech investor at Gungnir, joins the Nordic Hardtech Podcast for a grounded conversation on what really matters in modern defense innovation. With first-hand experience from the cockpit and deep exposure to today’s European and Ukrainian defense tech ecosystems, Max shares what founders often get wrong, how procurement actually works, and why situational awareness matters just as much in startups as it does in combat aviation.In this episode: ✅ How Sweden selects and trains fighter pilots ✅ Why defense tech must be validated by real end users ✅ What makes military deep tech fundamentally different ✅ Why hustle still beats formal entry points ✅ Situational awareness, feedback loops, and debriefing ✅ What Gungnir is investing in next — and why nowThis episode was recorded in collaboration with Lightbringer. Protecting your IP is critical, but it shouldn’t slow you down. Lightbringer offers an AI-powered platform to simplify and accelerate the patent process. Find out more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#33: When to Ignore the Market (At First)Leo Ballesteros, founder of Atonemo, joins the podcast to share a brutally honest take on what it actually takes to build a consumer hardware company from scratch. From feature overload to ruthless simplification, this episode is about learning by doing. Every single day.Atonemo is building consumer electronics at the intersection of hardware, software and design, and Leo reflects on the realities of growing a team, bringing in senior talent, and navigating the long, expensive road from idea to product. This is not a romantic startup story, it’s a practical one.This episode was recorded in collaboration with Lightbringer, the AI-powered platform simplifying the patent process.In this episode:✅ Overbuilding first — then stripping the product down✅ Building a team that covers what you can’t✅ Why getting a physical prototype fast matters✅ When feedback helps, and when it kills the idea✅ Why hardware always takes twice the time and money✅ What Leo would do differently starting from scratchConnect & ContributeHave a guest we should feature? An idea worth exploring? Feedback you'd like to share?Reach out at [email protected], connect with us on LinkedIn or visit nordichardtech.com.Spread the wordTell a colleague. Tag a friend. Keep building.More insights at nordichardtech.com — knowledge and inspiration for leaders of the Nordic hardtech ecosystem. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#32. The Rise of the Virtual Power PlantDaniel Wentz, Chief Product Officer at Greenely, joins the podcast to unpack one of the most interesting shifts in consumer energy: the rise of home batteries, intelligent orchestration, and virtual power plants. With a background leading global connected-device software at Electrolux, he shares why trust and control are the foundation of any energy product, what it takes to integrate EVs, solar, batteries and heat pumps into one system, and how virtual power plants are turning households into active players in the grid.This episode is sponsored by our partner Lightbringer, the AI-powered platform simplifying the patent process.In this episode:✅ Trust & control: the foundation of any energy product✅ Connecting EVs, solar, batteries & heat pumps into one system✅ How virtual power plants let households earn from the grid✅ APIs as the new battleground for energy hardware integration✅ Scaling Greenely: product maturity and mass-market simplicityConnect & ContributeHave a guest we should feature? An idea worth exploring? Feedback for the show?Reach out at [email protected], connect with us on LinkedIn, or visit nordichardtech.com.Spread the wordShare the episode with a colleague, tag someone in your network, and help us grow the Nordic hardtech community. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#31. Industrifonden & the State of Deep Tech 2025Mala Valroy, Investment Manager at Industrifonden, joins the podcast to share her journey from biochemistry and startups to leading investments in deep tech. With Industrifonden’s unique evergreen model, she breaks down what it really takes to earn a term sheet in 2025, why relationships matter more than pitch decks, and how resilience and sustainability are inseparable in building the future.This episode is sponsored by our partner Lightbringer, the AI-powered platform simplifying the patent process.In this episode:✅ Mala’s path from the lab bench to VC boardrooms✅ Industrifonden’s evergreen take on deep tech✅ Why the best founders are often “difficult”✅ Building long-term relationships – before fundraising✅ Why sustainability and resilience are two sides of the same coin✅ Quantum, AI, and the technologies redefining the next decadeConnect & ContributeHave a guest we should feature? An idea worth exploring? Feedback you’d like to share?Reach out at [email protected], connect with us on LinkedIn, or visit nordichardtech.com.Spread the wordTell a colleague. Tag a friend. Let’s build the Nordic hardtech community together. For more insights, knowledge, and inspiration, visit nordichardtech.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#30. The Quest for Timeless TechPer Brickstad, founder and chief designer at Transparent, joins us in our 30th episode – a milestone worth noting. Transparent is on a mission to become the world’s first circular tech brand, building modular and upgradable audio gear that challenges consumer electronics’ throwaway logic.From a Stockholm design studio to a global hardware company, this is the story of how passion for music, sustainability and design became an international business.In this episode:✅ Why industrial design must enter early✅ How Transparent’s first concept went viral and launched through crowdfunding✅ The challenge of building timeless, modular hardware that lasts for generations✅ Growing globally via design retail rather than tech press✅ Why long-term investors matter more than quick VC moneyThis episode sponsored by our partner Lightbringer, an AI-powered patent platform helping tech companies protect their edge fast, with in-house legal expertise.Connect & ContributeHave a guest we should feature? An idea worth exploring? Feedback to share?📩 [email protected] | LinkedIn | nordichardtech.comSpread the wordell a colleague. Tag someone in your network. Let’s keep building the leading Nordic hardtech community. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#29. Elvy & the Energy Subscription Play: 15 Years of Heat, Trust and RiskJohan Outinen, CEO and co-founder of Elvy Energy, joins the pod to explain why households should lock in their energy for the next 15 years, and how simplicity can unlock the transition.Elvy Energy is rewriting the rules of home energy with flat-rate subscriptions that cover installation, insurance, maintenance, and even market trading. From the cold reality of –46°C in northern Sweden to contracts stretching into the 2040s, Johan shares why trust is the real bottleneck — and how Elvy plans to overcome it.In this episode:✅ Why Elvy believes 15-year energy contracts are the future✅ How to build customer trust when the stakes are survival✅ The financial engineering behind $165M in credit facilities✅ What expansion in Germany and the UK could look like✅ Why “don’t build for subsidies” is a mantra worth repeatingConnect & ContributeHave a guest we should feature? An idea worth exploring? Feedback you'd like to share?Reach out at [email protected], connect with us on LinkedIn, or visit nordichardtech.com.Spread the wordTell a colleague. Tag a friend. Let’s build this community together. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 28: From Legal Grind to Founder SpeedDominic Davies, co-founder of Lightbringer, joins the pod to talk patents, automation and founder-first IP. With a background in both software and patent law, he’s now building a system that aims to replace the traditional patent firm entirely — starting with the needs of deeptech startups.From knowledge graphs to GPT-3, Lightbringer was born out of frustration with how things work, and belief that IP doesn’t have to be a bottleneck. This is the story of how AI can rebuild trust, speed and strategic value into one of tech’s most painful processes.In this episode:✅ Why the traditional patent process is broken — and what founders can do instead✅ How Lightbringer turned AI into a full-stack IP engine✅ When to file (and when to definitely not rely on that NDA)✅ Why investors care more about your patent strategy than you think✅ What happens when AI outpaces the knowledge workers who thought they were safe✅ Building fast teams in Sweden, and why the ecosystem is shiftingConnect & ContributeHave a guest we should feature? An idea worth exploring? Feedback you'd like to share?Reach out at [email protected], connect on LinkedIn, or visit nordichardtech.com.Tag a friend. Share with a founder. Let’s build the Nordic hardtech scene together.More insights at nordichardtech.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.