Name

Norrsken Foundation

Legal name

Norrsken Foundation

Website

https://norrsken.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Impact Entrepreneurship Ecosystem

NAICS

Management of Companies and Enterprises (55), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB), Economic Growth, Livelihoods & Private Sector Development (BPADAEAE), Entrepreneurship, Innovation & Venture Creation Centers (EDAHAHAH), Venture Studios / Company Builders (FSANAAAH)

Keywords

• Impact venture capital
• Co-working spaces
• Impact entrepreneurship
• Pre-seed investment funds
• Startup community building

Headquarters

HQ city

Stockholm

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Norrsken generates revenue through membership fees at its Norrsken House co-working locations. Members pay for access to workspace and community.
2. Fund Investment Returns: Returns from the organization's family of five investment funds (Norrsken VC, Norrsken Launcher, Norrsken Evolve, Norrsken 22, Norrsken Africa Seed) flow back into the foundation to fund new initiatives.
3. Partner Contributions and Donations: Corporate partners (e.g., PwC, Altor, Microsoft) contribute resources and support in exchange for access to the Norrsken ecosystem. Donations from individuals and organizations also support operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels10 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Norrsken Foundation is a non-profit foundation that operates an integrated ecosystem for impact entrepreneurs. It runs five co-working hubs (Norrsken Houses) in Stockholm, Barcelona, Kigali, Brussels, and Amsterdam, manages a family of five investment funds (Norrsken VC, Norrsken Launcher, Norrsken Evolve, Norrsken 22, and Norrsken Africa Seed) totaling over USD 700 million under management, and curates community programs, conferences, and initiatives designed to back founders combining profit with positive global impact.

Product overview

Norrsken Foundation is a non-profit ecosystem that operates across multiple dimensions: (1) Five Norrsken House co-working hubs in Stockholm, Barcelona, Kigali, Brussels, and Amsterdam that bring together founders, funders, and impact advocates; (2) A family of five investment funds (Norrsken VC, Norrsken Launcher, Norrsken Evolve, Norrsken 22, and Norrsken Africa Seed) that collectively manage over $700M USD to back entrepreneurs pairing profit with positive global impact; and (3) Initiatives including the annual Norrsken/100 ranking, Impact Week and Africa/Week conferences, Prompt What Matters AI initiative, Norrsken Mind psychedelic research initiative, and various ventures like Cellcolabs and ABC Labs. The ecosystem is designed to provide founders with everything needed to make saving the planet their business: capital, knowledge, network, and workspace.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Norrsken VC: Europe's leading impact VC fund backing force of nature founders taking on the world's greatest challenges
• Norrsken Launcher
• Norrsken Evolve
• Norrsken 22
• Norrsken Africa Seed
• Norrsken Mind
• Norrsken Accelerator
• Norrsken/100
• Impact/Week
• Africa/Week
• Prompt What Matters
• Fixathon

Products and services

• Norrsken Houses Curated co-working and innovation hubs that bring founders, funders, operators and advocates together to build, connect, and scale impact ventures. Five locations: Stockholm (opened 2017), Barcelona, Kigali, Brussels, and Amsterdam (opening 2026). Membership is curated into the community.
• Norrsken VC Europe's leading impact venture capital fund that backs early-stage force-of-nature founders taking on the world's greatest challenges. Geography: Europe. Target stage: Early stage.
• Norrsken Launcher Pre-seed/seed fund that embeds deeply with innovators to bring pioneering solutions to market, transforming science and research into successful business ventures. Geography: Global (focus on Nordics). Target stage: Pre-seed/seed.
• Norrsken Evolve EUR 57M investment fund, in-person sprint and global community for founders building Europe's resilient and sustainable future. Focus on sustainability, deeptech, and infrastructure. Geography: Europe. Target stage: Pre/early seed.
• Norrsken 22 Growth capital fund providing deep strategic value for exceptional founders building Africa's new tech giants. Geography: Africa (Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria). Target stage: Series A-C.
• Norrsken Africa Seed Pre-seed/seed fund providing funding, connections and global ecosystem reach for African founders at the start of their journey. Geography: Sub-Saharan Africa. Target stage: Pre-seed/seed.
• Impact/Week Flagship annual two-day conference gathering the world's foremost founders, funders, thinkers and doers accelerating solutions for people and planet. Held in Barcelona; tickets sold to attendees.
• Africa/Week Annual conference in Kigali bringing together Africa's leading stakeholders in technology and entrepreneurship to spotlight investors and category-defining technology companies shaping the continent's future. Paid attendee passes by tier.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 700 million USD raised across five funds to back impact entrepreneurs
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• PwC SwedencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPwC Sweden is a partner of the Stockholm House, providing knowledge, expertise, and services to Norrsken members since 2018. PwC contributes to creating a sustainable future through collaboration with Norrsken's ecosystem of impact entrepreneurs.
• AltorcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAltor is a partner of the Stockholm House, creating a community of challengers and change-makers. Altor offers mentorship, pitch training, and advice on investment and funding to Norrsken members. Altor has raised over EUR 11 billion in total commitments.
• MicrosoftcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMicrosoft partners with Norrsken Accelerator and Impact/100 since 2024. Microsoft provides access to the Entrepreneurship for Positive Impact Program including cloud services, AI tools, mentorship, and networking opportunities for Norrsken portfolio companies.
• CellcolabsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorrsken Foundation is a founding partner in Cellcolabs, a venture focused on dramatically scaling up production of mesenchymal stem cells to make them available at lower cost for wider range of treatments.
• Katapult Africa AcceleratorminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorrsken partners with Katapult Africa Accelerator, providing startups in the cohort with access to Norrsken's global ecosystem, insights, and resources for scaling impact ventures.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Impact Hub: Global network of impact-focused co-working spaces and incubators in over 100 cities. Directly comparable to Norrsken's physical house model and impact-founder community, though Impact Hub operates as a franchise rather than a unified brand.
• Echoing Green: Fellowship and leadership organization for social entrepreneurs, providing seed funding, community, and support. Comparable as a non-profit foundation backing impact founders with capital and network — though Echoing Green focuses on individuals rather than venture-stage companies.
• Acumen: Non-profit impact investment fund backing early-stage social enterprises, particularly in East Africa and South Asia, with a strong founder community. Comparable as an impact-first capital provider and community builder for entrepreneurs tackling poverty.
• Station F: World's largest startup campus in Paris, hosting thousands of founders, programs, and corporate partners under one roof. Comparable as a physical startup ecosystem with curated community programming, though not impact-focused.
• Katapult Accelerator: Impact-focused accelerator and fund backing mission-driven startups with profit potential, with strong African and European presence. Directly comparable to Norrsken's funds in mandate and target geography, and an existing partner through Katapult Africa.

Broad incumbents

• Skoll Foundation: Established impact philanthropy founded by Jeff Skoll, deploying capital and supporting social entrepreneurs globally through Skoll Foundation and Capricon Investment Group. Comparable mission and scale, but operates more as a grantmaker than an active venture investor with co-working infrastructure.
• Omidyar Network: Philanthropic investment firm established by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar, deploying both grants and for-profit investments into impact ventures. Comparable as a large-scale impact capital allocator, though broader in scope and primarily US-focused.
• Ashoka: Global organization supporting social entrepreneurs through fellowships, with a 40+ year track record. Comparable as a large-scale impact founder ecosystem and thought leader, though focused on individual changemakers rather than venture-backed startups.

Emerging players

• Antler: Global early-stage VC and founder generator running cohort-based programs across six continents. Comparable as a community-led platform for founders with global geographic reach and structured capital deployment, but for-profit.

Regional players

• Tony Elumelu Foundation: African philanthropy and entrepreneurship program founded by Tony Elumelu, providing seed capital, training, and mentorship to African entrepreneurs. Comparable as a non-profit foundation backing African founders with capital and community, primarily through grant funding.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/norrsken_org
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@norrskenfoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/norrsken-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/norrskenfoundation/?hl=sv
• Facebookfacebook.com/norrskenfoundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles27 records

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments17 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Norrsken Foundation