Join us for an exclusive Startup Grind fireside chat with Inka Mero, Founder and Managing Partner at Voima Ventures, exploring how science-driven startups can attract venture capital, commercialize breakthrough technologies, and build globally competitive deep tech companies from the Nordics.

Can the Nordics turn world-class scientific research into the next generation of global technology leaders?

The Nordic region has exceptional research institutions, engineering talent, scientific expertise, and a strong tradition of innovation. Yet transforming scientific breakthroughs into successful global companies requires much more than advanced technology.

It takes visionary founders, patient capital, commercial ambition, strategic partnerships, and the ability to navigate long development cycles.

As artificial intelligence, quantum computing, advanced materials, life sciences, energy technologies, and industrial innovation transform global markets, the opportunities for science-driven entrepreneurship are expanding.

But how do we bridge the gap between research excellence and commercial success? And what will it take for more Nordic deep tech startups to compete and lead internationally?

Join Startup Grind Nordics for an exclusive fireside chat with Inka Mero, Founder and Managing Partner at Voima Ventures.

Voima Ventures is a Nordic venture capital firm investing in early-stage, science-driven companies with global ambitions. Its investment approach connects scientific discovery, entrepreneurship, and capital to support companies addressing significant challenges across industry, health, and the environment.

Inka brings experience as an entrepreneur, business executive, angel investor, and venture capitalist. Through Voima Ventures, she works with scientific founders developing technologies that have the potential to create entirely new markets.

Together, we will explore the future of Nordic deep tech investing, the realities of commercializing research, the evolving relationship between founders and investors, and the opportunities for building global companies from the Nordic and Baltic ecosystems.

Key questions we will explore

1. From science to startups: What separates promising scientific breakthroughs from technologies capable of supporting globally scalable businesses?

2. The deep tech investment thesis: What makes a science-driven startup attractive to venture capital investors at the earliest stages?

3. Building the right founding team: How should researchers and entrepreneurs combine scientific excellence with commercial leadership?

4. The funding challenge: How can deep tech founders navigate capital-intensive development, long commercialization cycles, and investment milestones?

5. Nordic competitive advantage: Where do Finland, Sweden, and the broader Nordic-Baltic region have the strongest opportunities to build globally competitive deep tech companies?

6. AI, quantum, and frontier technologies: Which technological developments could redefine the next generation of science-driven businesses?

7. Corporate and research partnerships: How can universities, research institutes, and established companies collaborate more effectively with early-stage startups?

8. Beyond the first investment: What does it take to scale a scientific innovation from early validation to international commercialization?

9. Building inclusive ecosystems: How can the deep tech investment community unlock more entrepreneurial talent and diversify the teams building tomorrow's technologies?

10. The next decade: What should founders, investors, and policymakers prioritize to strengthen Europe's position in global deep tech innovation?

Who should attend?

• Deep tech, AI, climate tech, health tech, and frontier technology founders

• Researchers, scientists, university spinout teams, and aspiring scientific entrepreneurs

• Angel investors, venture capitalists, family offices, and institutional investors

• Corporate innovation leaders, industrial technology executives, and R&D professionals

• Universities, research institutions, commercialization offices, and technology transfer teams

• Policymakers, public innovation agencies, and startup ecosystem builders

• Anyone interested in the future of science-driven entrepreneurship and Nordic innovation

About the moderator

The session will be moderated by Naimul Abd, Regional Director Nordics at Startup Grind, CEO of Connect Öst, CEO and Co-Founder of SweBAN, Founder of Nutty Ventures, and Nordic lead for Founder Institute and Founders Live.

Join the conversation

Discover what it takes to turn breakthrough science into globally successful companies and connect with the founders, investors, researchers, and ecosystem leaders shaping the next generation of Nordic innovation.