Firda

What Firda does

Firda is an Oslo-based active investor and company builder that backs Norwegian technology startups with world-class technical competence and global ambitions. Founded in 2015 by serial entrepreneur Geir Førre using the capital and operating experience from three prior exits (Energy Micro, Chipcon, Prox Dynamics), Firda reports a 1.2B NOK Net Asset Value deployed across a 12-company portfolio spanning IoT and wireless sensors (Disruptive Technologies, Balder), 3D machine vision for robotics (Zivid), clean energy and carbon removal (Hystar, Noora), environmental monitoring (Airthings), agritech (Monil), maritime technology (Proxflyer), and green-finance software for banks (Netto). The firm is highly selective, targeting 1-2 new investments per year with typical initial checks of 5-15 MNOK and maximum accumulated exposure of up to 150 MNOK per portfolio company.

Firda's offering is not a product but an investment and company-building service: it deploys equity capital, takes board seats, and provides hands-on operational support through all phases of a portfolio company's lifecycle, under an evergreen structure with no fixed exit horizon. The firm also operates a wholly-owned incubator/startup-support subsidiary called Entrepedia and runs structured talent programs (a Summer Internship and a two-year rotational Trainee Program) that place operators across the portfolio. Customer (portfolio company) base is deliberately diversified across 12 sectors, with disclosed ownership stakes ranging from 10.1% (Hystar) to 49.1% (Noora); several positions (Noora 49.1%, Monil 41%, Balder 39%) are majority or near-majority bets, indicating active ownership rather than passive minority investing.

The revenue model is investment-based: Firda earns returns through equity appreciation, realized exits, dividends, and portfolio-level support rather than through product sales or recurring software fees. The 12-person team is led by Founder/Managing Partner & CEO Geir Førre and CFO/Partner Merethe Nordhelle Jørgensen, with additional partners (Magnus Nordseth, Lauga Oskarsdottir, Håkon Nyhus, Oliver Halvorsrød) and a junior bench of associates and trainees, most recruited from NTNU. Governance is anchored by a board chaired by Tellef Thorleifsson, CEO of Norfund, and the firm is headquartered at Oslo Science Park (Gaustadalléen 21, 0349 Oslo).

Name

Firda

Legal name

Firda AS

Website

https://firda.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Firda is a Norwegian active investor and company builder founded in 2015 by serial entrepreneur Geir Førre. With 1.2B NOK in Net Asset Value, it backs 12 Norwegian technology startups across IoT, clean energy, robotics, and fintech through equity investments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital and Private Equity

NAICS

Offices of Other Holding Companies (551112)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Family Office Investment Platforms & Direct Investing (PE/VC/Co-Invest) (FSAAADAH)

Keywords

• Venture capital investing
• Technology startup funding
• Active company building
• Equity investment services
• Portfolio company management

Headquarters

HQ city

Oslo

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Investment Returns: Firda generates returns through equity investments in Norwegian technology startups. As an active investor, they provide capital and expertise in exchange for equity ownership, targeting 20-40% ownership stakes. They support companies through all lifecycle phases with no fixed exit strategy, generating returns through value creation and eventual exits.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Firda is an active investor and company builder that deploys equity capital (5-15 MNOK initial investment, up to 150 MNOK accumulated per portfolio company) into Norwegian-headquartered technology startups with global ambitions. The firm takes 20-40% ownership stakes, participates on boards, and provides hands-on operational support through all phases of the company lifecycle, with no fixed exit strategy under an evergreen structure.

Product overview

Firda is an investment company and active company builder, not a product/SaaS company. It does not offer a unified software product but rather provides investment services including capital deployment and operational support to Norwegian technology startups. The company operates a summer internship program (5-8 weeks) and a two-year trainee program with rotational engagements across portfolio companies. Firda's portfolio includes twelve technology companies spanning sectors including IoT/sensors (Disruptive Technologies, Balder), clean energy (Hystar, Noora), robotics vision (Zivid), environmental monitoring (Airthings), agritech (Monil), fintech/green finance (Netto), and maritime technology (Proxflyer).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Firda Investment Services Active equity investment and company-building services for Norwegian technology startups, including capital deployment (5-15 MNOK initial, up to 150 MNOK accumulated), board participation, and hands-on operational support across all phases of the company lifecycle. Targets 20-40% ownership stakes and makes 1-2 new investments per year.

Quantifiable outcome

• Founded in 2015, supporting Norwegian tech companies to become global leaders
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Smedvig Ventures: Norwegian family-office-backed long-term investor in growth-stage technology companies, structurally similar to Firda as a patient Norwegian capital provider with active ownership.
• Summa Equity: Norwegian/Nordic thematic investor focused on deep-tech, decarbonization, and resource efficiency — directly overlapping with Firda's clean-energy and impact-tech portfolio thesis.
• Verdane: Nordic growth-stage investor that takes significant minority/majority equity in technology-enabled businesses, with a long-hold evergreen-style approach similar to Firda's patient-capital model.
• Northzone: Pan-Nordic venture capital firm investing across stages in technology companies, comparable to Firda in its focus on backing ambitious Nordic founders with global potential.
• Alliance Venture: Nordic venture capital firm investing in early- and growth-stage technology companies, comparable to Firda's stage and sector focus on Norwegian/Nordic tech founders.
• Norwegian Founders Fund: Norwegian seed/early-stage venture fund backing tech startups founded or led by successful repeat entrepreneurs — a model that closely parallels Firda's founder-led, repeat-entrepreneur thesis.

Others

• Airthings: Public Norwegian indoor air quality monitoring company and Firda portfolio company — illustrates the type of scaled Norwegian deep-tech exit outcome Firda's model targets.
• Arkwright Consulting: Norwegian advisory firm whose Director & Partner (Heidi Thaulow) sits on Firda's board — adjacent ecosystem participant with insight into the same Norwegian tech-investment community.

Regional players

• Investinor: Norwegian state-owned venture and growth equity investor; competes for the same Norwegian deep-tech deal flow as Firda, though typically as a co-investor or fund-of-funds participant.

Emerging players

• StartupLab: Oslo-based startup incubator and seed investor; Firda's own partner Lauga Oskarsdottir previously managed StartupLab, and both operate in the Norwegian early-stage ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments14 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Firda