Lars Eriksson 
Scheduling software company Quinyx achieved record quarterly results in Q4 2025, reaching all-time high sales and improving its operating loss. The company has navigated the SaaS market downturn by integrating AI into its platform, positioning itself well despite industry-wide valuation pressures.
Sweden has ordered four FDI-class frigates from French defense company Naval Group for over 3.5 billion euros, marking the country’s largest military investment since the 1980s. The first frigate is expected to be delivered in 2030. This order comes as Sweden, which joined NATO in 2024, seeks to strengthen its armed forces to secure the Baltic Sea amid Russian threats following the invasion of Ukraine. Naval Group is also competing to supply frigates to the Portuguese Navy.
Stilta, an AI company founded by Oskar Block, has raised nearly 100 million SEK from venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz. The company focuses on using AI to manage and maintain patents. Block, who previously gained fame as a teenager for winning large sums on sports betting and later attended Y Combinator, left McKinsey to focus on the venture.
Helsinki-based Retailgrid, an AI-powered retail technology startup, raised €358,000 in pre-seed funding to develop its cloud-based platform that helps mid-market retailers and FMCG companies move beyond spreadsheet-based workflows for pricing, assortment planning and forecasting decisions.
Atlo, a Copenhagen-based AI-powered wholesale platform, has secured investment from prominent Scandinavian retail-tech entrepreneurs. The platform aims to digitalize wholesale ordering for interior design and lifestyle brands by automating workflows, predicting reorder needs, and providing real-time performance data. Founded by Casper Brix, former Head of Purchasing at AndLight, the platform targets an industry still operating primarily through emails and spreadsheets.
The European Commission selected Swedish investment firm EQT to manage its new €5bn Scaleup Europe Fund focused on European deeptech startups. EQT won the mandate over finalists Atomico and other competitors. Around €2.5bn has been committed as of year-end, with €1bn from the EIC and €1.5bn from private limited partners including Novo Holdings, CriteriaCaixa, Santander/Mouro Capital, APG Asset Management, and the Wallenberg family.
Inter Ikea Group announced 850 job eliminations globally (300 in Sweden) to reduce complexity and costs. The reorganization aims to improve decision-making speed and reduce prices for customers. In Portugal, Ikea is undergoing gradual structural updates with individual transition plans for affected employees. The company reported a 32% drop in net profit to 1.5 billion euros in fiscal year 2024/25.
Odd Dreams Digital, a Malmö-based indie game studio founded in 2022, achieved remarkable success with the launch of its debut game ‘Everything is Crab’, an animal evolution roguelite action game. The game sold over 200,000 copies in three days and received strong critical acclaim on Steam. The studio, led by CEO Denis Asensio with team members from AAA studios including Cyberpunk 2077 and Star Wars Outlaws, participated in the Haven game support program before launch.
Klarna, the Swedish fintech company, announced significant growth metrics including a 49% increase in connected merchants to over 1 million and a 21% growth in users to 119 million. The company processed $33.7 billion in payment volume (up 33%) and achieved its first profitable quarter with $1 billion in revenue and $1 million net profit. Klarna is expanding US market presence through partnerships with Stripe, Nexi, JPMorgan Payments, and Worldpay.
Salt & Fiber, a Malmö-based ClimateTech startup, has secured €300k in pre-Seed funding to scale its technology that transforms beach-cast seagrass into sustainable textile yarns. The company simultaneously launched a €45,000 crowdfunding campaign. The solution addresses coastal waste management (municipalities currently landfill seagrass) and the sustainability challenges of conventional textile production by creating biodegradable, plant-based fibres that require no fresh water, fertilizers, or land. The company is in pilot production, has a supply agreement with a Swedish municipality, and is part of the Älmhult x IKEA incubator, targeting commercialization between 2027-2028.