Chalmers Ventures describes itself as a tech investor and venture builder in the Nordics, taking deep tech from lab to market, and as the deep-tech investor within the Chalmers entrepreneurial ecosystem. It is university-linked in a specific and verifiable way: it is a wholly owned company inside the Chalmers group, formed in 2015 when Chalmers consolidated the incubators Encubator and Chalmers Innovation together with Chalmersinvest into one new subsidiary, backed by SEK 300 million of investment capital over ten years plus almost SEK 150 million of operating funds from the Chalmers University of Technology Foundation. Its stated investment stages are pre-seed of up to SEK 1 million, seed capital of up to SEK 5 million and growth capital of up to SEK 25 million, with a stated maximum total investment of SEK 25 million per company across all phases. It states it invests in early startups in Sweden with a unique innovative knowledge-based or research-based technology, international scalability, an entrepreneurial team and sustainability or impact potential, and that companies should normally have links to Chalmers or have taken part in its venture creation programmes, though externally originated ideas are also considered. Alongside investing it runs a separate programme and venture-building arm, publishing named tracks including a Venture Building Program, a Mentorship Program, Track: Tech Transfer, Track: Tech Matching for Encubation, Startup Camp Deep Tech and Open Coaching. Programme cohort and participation numbers belong to that arm and are not fund figures.
AUM64/100 Power Score™2015 FoundedGothenburg, Sweden
Head of Venture Creation, Pre-seed Investment Director
Firm Timeline
1999
Predecessor organisation Chalmers Innovation begins operating; the firm's own about page states it worked with over 200 projects and started more than 130 companies from 1999.
2015
On 24 February 2015 Chalmers University of Technology announces the consolidation of Encubator, Chalmers Innovation and Chalmersinvest into a new wholly owned subsidiary, with SEK 300 million of investment capital over ten years and almost SEK 150 million of operating funds from the Chalmers University of Technology Foundation; Chalmers Ventures AB is registered in the Swedish company register on 22 January 2015 under organisation number 559001-3941.
2021
On 14 December 2021 Stiftelsen Chalmers tekniska högskola transfers its shareholdings in the listed companies Acosense AB (2,933,632 shares, largest owner) and LC-Tec Holding AB (1,605,926 shares, third largest owner) to its wholly owned subsidiary Chalmers Ventures AB, disclosed in Swedish major-shareholder notifications by both issuers.
2023
Portfolio company Acosense AB is declared bankrupt at Göteborg district court and delisted from Spotlight Stock Market with last trading day 27 February 2023.
2024
Pontus Ottosson, Head of Investments since 2017, becomes CEO on 1 January 2024.
2024
On 2 October 2024 Chalmers Ventures exits Halon, which is acquired by Intera; terms not disclosed.
2025
LC-Tec Holding AB, in which Chalmers Ventures held shares as of the 2021 notification, changes its name to AB Sperrung (publ) on NGM Nordic SME effective 20 March 2025, and subsequently to Synexo Group AB after a reverse acquisition.