What RISE does

RISE Research Institutes of Sweden is a network of research and technology organisations headquartered in Borås, Sweden, founded in 1997 and operating with a workforce of 1,001–5,000 employees. The organisation is led by CEO Pia Sandvik, with Seif Haridi serving as chief scientist and Andreas Huss as a senior project manager; a co-founder (Rachel Hirschberg) is also listed. The canonical corporate identity — Swedish research institute, ri.se, Borås headquarters — is well-established in the firmographic data, while the operational footprint is concentrated in Sweden.

The firm's growth model is not explicitly disclosed in the source data, but the structural profile — a network of applied-research and technology organisations employing 1,001–5,000 staff and headed by a chief scientist — is consistent with publicly-funded or industry-funded applied-research institutes that monetise through government grants, EU research programs, industrial R&D contracts, and technology-transfer services. The October 2018 acquisition of Swerea indicates consolidation activity within Sweden's applied-research ecosystem, broadening technical capabilities through inorganic expansion. No revenue, pricing, customer segmentation, or commercial product portfolio is disclosed in the available data, limiting visibility into business-model mechanics.

The source dataset also contains material attributing a September 2024 acquisition of Kenyan investment startup Hisa to a firm called "Rise" operating in Nigeria. This conflicts with the primary firmographic identity (Swedish research institute network) and appears to pertain to a separate entity. Per first-party source precedence, this analysis is grounded in the RISE Research Institutes of Sweden identity and the Hisa-related signals are excluded.

Name

RISE

Website

https://ri.se

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

RISE Research Institutes of Sweden is a Borås-headquartered network of applied research and technology organisations, founded in 1997, employing 1,001–5,000 staff across Sweden and operating as an applied-R&D platform led by CEO Pia Sandvik.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Borås

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations

Core offering

RISE Research Institutes of Sweden is a network of research and technology organisations that delivers applied research, technology development, testing, and innovation support to industrial, public-sector, and academic clients. Its work spans multiple disciplines and is delivered through laboratory facilities, pilot-scale testbeds, and contracted research engagements across Sweden.

Product overview

Based on available sources, RISE is identified as a Nigerian investment firm that acquired Kenyan startup Hisa in September 2024 according to TechCabal reporting. However, the source data does not contain detailed product documentation, product pages, or a comprehensive product/service portfolio to populate specific product listings or an overview.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• HisaminorOthersNigerian investment firm Rise acquired Kenyan investment startup Hisa. The deal allows Hisa to remain independent and continue developing infrastructure for African investments. Financial details were not disclosed.

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights1 record

Direct peers

• Fraunhofer Society: Germany's largest applied-research organization with ~30,000 staff across 76 institutes. Closest direct peer to RISE: comparable state-affiliated RTO model performing contract research for industry and government, with similar technology-transfer mandate and institute-network structure.
• TNO (Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research): Dutch applied-research organization with ~3,500 staff operating across similar applied-science domains. Directly comparable in scale and mandate to RISE, including contract research, technology transfer, and government-program execution.
• VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland: Finnish state-owned RTO with ~2,300 staff focused on applied research in energy, biotech, and digital systems. Highly comparable to RISE as a Nordic counterpart with similar business model, customer base, and policy-alignment structure.
• SINTEF: Norway's largest independent research organization, performing contract-based applied research across energy, materials, oceans, and digital. Directly comparable as a Nordic RTO peer with similar client mix and technology-transfer mandate.
• CEA (French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission): French state-funded RTO with ~20,000 staff working on energy, defense, and digital systems. Comparable to RISE in operating model (state-owned, applied research, industry partnerships) and in mandate to translate public R&D into commercial outcomes.
• CSIC (Spanish National Research Council): Spain's largest public research institution, executing applied and fundamental research across similar scientific disciplines. Comparable to RISE in public-mandate structure and breadth of applied-research activity.

Broad incumbents

• Battelle Memorial Institute: Large US non-profit R&D organization managing national laboratories and contract research for government and industry. Comparable to RISE in scale and government-contract execution, though broader and more defense-oriented.
• SRI International: US non-profit scientific research institute with broad applied-research portfolio and a track record of commercializing technology via spin-outs. Comparable to RISE in applied-research + technology-transfer business model.
• AIST (National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology): Japan's largest public RTO with ~2,300 researchers working across industrial science domains. Comparable to RISE in applied-research mandate and bridging role between national R&D priorities and industry.

Regional players

• ITRI (Industrial Technology Research Institute): Taiwanese applied-research organization with strong semiconductor and electronics focus. Comparable to RISE in RTO model and industry-partnership approach, though operating in a different regional industrial ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/risesweden
• Facebookfacebook.com/riseresearchinstitutesofswedenab
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rise-research-institutes-of-sweden

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A1 record

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about RISE