Full Release of the Swedish Climate Startup Map

Swedish startups and scaleups are leading the way in developing technological innovations to address climate change. The Swedish Climate Startup Map aims to provide a platform for these groundbreaking companies dedicated to accelerating the green transition. This will increase their visibility, helping them to attract investment, customers, and talent so they can scale up their technologies.

The full version of the Map features 420 cutting-edge companies from various sectors, including agriculture, construction, energy, forestry, manufacturing, transportation, waste, and water. It was released during the global conference Sweden Innovation Days.

“The Swedish Climate Startup Map is a unique opportunity to showcase the startup potential that we have right now and here in Sweden to solve the climate challenges. These companies are our future export companies. They are the new generation of fantastic companies that Sweden must build for the next generation of successful startup companies,” said Stina Lantz, Interim CEO of SISP and Program Manager of Ignite Sweden, during the launch event.

A Platform for Discovering Climate Startups

The full release of the Swedish Climate Startup Map includes the launch of a new website where potential customers, investors and other stakeholders can find out more about the startups and scaleups featured in the initiative.

The platform enables users to explore companies according to different criteria such as their main sector, the sustainable development goal they target, their enabling technology, and the incubator they are or have been a part of. Users can also filter companies based on their type, founding year, team size, turnover, and geographic location.

Ignite Sweden’s Process Developer, Linda Hagman, together with a group of master’s students in Environmental Engineering, is responsible for the screening process. This process involves screening startups and scaleups from north to south Sweden and collecting data from each of them. Additionally, they assess the innovativeness and sustainability of their solutions to ensure their potential contribution to environmental sustainability.

“When we developed this project, we wanted to focus on climate startups, but we also wanted to have a broad interpretation of the word ‘climate’. We set up nine criteria that cover emissions of greenhouse gases, renewable energy, and reduced material use. But we also included aspects such as biodiversity, fewer toxins, and climate adaptation tools to include also companies working in those aspects of climate,” explained Linda during the launch session.

Startups Making a Real Impact on Climate

The startups and scaleups featured in the Swedish Climate Startup Map are developing innovative solutions that have the potential to positively impact a range of sectors and effectively address environmental challenges when implemented.

One such company is GreenIron, which has developed an energy-efficient, hydrogen-based technology for producing metals from ores, waste, residuals, and mine tailings with zero emissions and residual water.

The climate impact of their technology can be so significant that, according to GreenIron’s COO, Ulrika Molander, “if we run one furnace, it will save the world 56,000 tons of CO2, which is equivalent to my footprint if I take 80,000 flights from Stockholm to New York.”

Ulrika highlights that being part of the Swedish Climate Startup Map provides leverage and increases visibility for GreenIron. “Looking at the Map and all these innovative companies featured, I think that growing and scaling up as a part of it is extremely important for us.”

Liam Hardey, CEO and co-founder of LEAD company Cellfion, also recognizes the benefits of being included in the Swedish Climate Startup Map. Cellfion manufactures and commercializes bio-based membranes and ionomers for electrochemical devices, such as fuel cells and redox flow batteries, enabling the technologies of tomorrow to become more sustainable, affordable, and accessible.

“As a startup, the first thing you need is to be seen, and that is not always easy. The Map is one of the ways. For us as a startup company developing a new material from research, the time to market tends to be much longer because of the numerous development steps that need to be done and validation required. We need to attract both potential partners and investors in the long term to help us come up to the market and to achieve a hyped high performing material.”

The Map as a Starting Point

During the launch event, many speakers emphasized the importance of the Swedish Climate Startup Map as a starting point to identify and support innovative climate startups and scaleups, accelerate the green transition, and ultimately achieve Sweden’s climate goals.

“I’m proud to see how many startups with these groundbreaking innovations we have here in Sweden. This is a good start to have a focus that these companies can make a big difference in this area. We have to work with helping them in showing how much impact they can actually make,” said Örjan Jansson, Global Programme Manager for Climate Innovations at the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

System-change activist Isabelle McAllister thinks that the Swedish Climate Startup Map provides a starting point for important conversations about climate innovation.

“By having this map, we pinpoint what is important. We start to change the norms. We have a starting point that is really good. And I think that is needed because otherwise we have so many different things, and now we can focus on what we want to achieve and what we need to do.”

Finally, Karin Ruiz, Deputy CEO at the Stockholm-based incubator Sting, which initiated the project in 2020, believes that both the private and public sectors should consider collaborating with these startups.

“In the Map, you find very promising startups that I think every corporate and public sector organization, not only in Sweden but also across the world, should look at and think of how they can collaborate to help these startups take their innovations to market.”

Watch the Launch Event of the Swedish Climate Startup Map

About the Swedish Climate Startup Map

The Swedish Climate Startup Map was initiated by Sting in 2020 as part of Startup Climate Action, funded by Vinnova, to showcase innovative startups working towards creating change and solving our many climate challenges.
The latest version of the Map features 420 top-notch environmental companies developing a wide range of sustainable solutions for the green transition.
The initiative is led by Chalmers Ventures, Dalarna Science Park, Ignite Sweden, LEAD, SISP Swedish Incubators & Science Parks and Sting, and funded by the European Regional Development Fund, the Swedish Energy Agency, Tillväxtverket and Vinnova.

Click here to visit the website and explore the Swedish Climate Startup Map
Click here to apply for becoming part of the Swedish Climate Startup Map