Kunnskapsparken Vestland

What Kunnskapsparken Vestland does

Kunnskapsparken Vestland is a publicly funded regional innovation company headquartered in Sogndal, Norway, operating within the SIVA national network of innovation companies. It serves founders, early-stage startups, and established SMEs in the Sogn og Fjordane region of Vestland county, delivering incubation and acceleration programs (Rask Oppstart, Vekstprogram), capital and financing guidance, and cluster/networking services. The company runs events such as Fjellpitch, Kapitaldagen, and Innovasjonsdagen, and partners with Sognapitch-coinvestor Sogn Sparebank, Connect Vest, Drivkraft, Innovasjon Norge, and other regional players to channel capital and advisory support to portfolio companies.

The company's revenue model is a hybrid of public funding and program fees. SIVA provides annual operational grants that increased by approximately 1 million NOK following an improved ranking in the SIVA national system. Paid programs and courses are heavily subsidized through innovation support for target companies — a communication course priced at 3,950 NOK market / 950 NOK for target companies, study tours at 23,400 NOK market / 5,850 NOK for target companies, and the Connect Kapitalsimulator at 4,000 NOK against a 30,000 NOK value. Free services include baseline incubator coaching for admitted companies. The organization is not a technology product company; its infrastructure consists of a Squarespace website, HubSpot for email/newsletter distribution, and Google Analytics. Its intellectual property contribution to portfolio companies is demonstrated through its ecosystem of alumni, which includes Eduplaytion (30 million NOK raised, 55,000 users), Norse Feedback (17 million NOK raised), Convene (formerly Melin Medical, ~500 million NOK revenue and ~200 employees), Intin (growth from 5M to 39M NOK), and Quality Intervention (acquired by Expro, now deployed across ~50 countries).

Name

Kunnskapsparken Vestland

Legal name

Kunnskapsparken Vestland

Website

https://kpvest.no

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Kunnskapsparken Vestland is a publicly funded regional innovation company in the Sogn og Fjordane region of Norway, within the SIVA network. It provides incubation, growth, capital guidance, and networking services to early-stage startups and established SMEs across Western Norway.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Business Incubation Services

NAICS

Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416), Other Management Consulting Services (541618)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Economic Development & Business Licensing (Local) (BPAIACAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Economic Growth, Livelihoods & Private Sector Development (BPADAEAE)

Keywords

• Business incubation services
• Startup advisory programs
• Regional innovation support
• Venture financing access
• Cluster networking

Headquarters

HQ city

Sogndal

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Funding and Grants (Innovation Norway / SIVA): Kunnskapsparken Vestland is a publicly funded innovation company. It receives annual government grants, including annual support from SIVA (increased to ~1 million NOK per year based on SIVA rankings), which funds incubator operations, advisory services, and startup support programs.
2. Program and Course Fees: Revenue generated from paid programs and courses such as the communication course (3,950 NOK per participant), study tours (23,400 NOK market price, subsidized to 5,850 NOK for target companies), and the Capital Simulator (4,000 NOK). Innovation support subsidies reduce costs for eligible incubator and target companies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Kunnskapsparken Vestland is an innovation company (innovasjonsselskap) that operates as a regional business incubator and development center in Vestland county, Norway (Sogn og Fjordane region). It provides structured advisory programs for entrepreneurs, startups, and established companies, including the Rask Oppstart onboarding program and the Vekstprogram growth program, and it connects regional firms to capital sources, financing instruments, and cluster/networking initiatives across the Norwegian innovation ecosystem.

Product overview

Kunnskapsparken Vestland is a regional innovation company (innovasjonsselskap) that operates as an incubator and business development center for Vestland county, Norway. The organization provides a portfolio of service programs including startup incubation (Gründer og startups), growth support for established businesses (Etablerte bedrifter), capital and financing guidance (Kapital og finansiering), and networking/cluster services (Klynger og nettverk). Key programs include the 'Rask Oppstart' (Quick Start) program for early-phase entrepreneurs and the 'Vekstprogram' (Growth Program) for established companies seeking to scale. The company supports companies across various sectors including technology, health, green transition, and digitalization. Kunnskapsparken Vestland is part of the SIVA network and collaborates with regional partners including Drivkraft, Innovasjon Norge, and local municipalities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Rask Oppstart

Quantifiable outcome

• 60+ companies joined the incubator program in 2021 alone; over 100 companies supported with SPV-fondet funding since 2008
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Sogn NæringminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Regional business development organization in Sogn. Partnered with Kunnskapsparken Vestland, Høgskulen på Vestlandet, and Drivhuset Göteborg on the Erasmus+ project 'SMBar fram i den grøne omstillinga' (SMEs Forward in the Green Transition), aimed at strengthening sustainability competence in the regional SME ecosystem.
• Høgskulen på Vestlandet (Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, HVL)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Partner in the Erasmus+ 'SMBar fram i den grøne omstillinga' project. Also collaborated with VirtualHouse on a research project at the University of Bergen. University students participate in some Kunnskapsparken programs and innovation activities.
• Drivhuset GöteborgminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Swedish startup incubator in Gothenburg. Partner in the Erasmus+ 'SMBar fram i den grøne omstillinga' project, bringing cross-border learning and experience sharing between Norwegian and Swedish innovation ecosystems.
• SIVA (Selskapet for industriell utvikling)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSIVA is the Norwegian government agency overseeing a national network of innovation companies, including Kunnskapsparken Vestland. SIVA provides annual operational grants based on performance rankings. Kunnskapsparken Vestland improved in SIVA's rankings, resulting in an additional ~1 million NOK annually. SIVA's logo appears on Kunnskapsparken Vestland's website footer.
• Directorate for Finance and Management (DFØ)minorOthersNorwegian government directorate providing financing guidance for innovation and green transition. Represented at Kunnskapsparken Vestland's green transition events, presenting programs and funding options for construction and industry sectors.
• Connect VestminorGTM or Marketing PartnerConnect Vest is an investor network affiliated with Kunnskapsparken Vestland. It organizes the Kapitalsimulator — an advanced competency program for early-stage investors and 'good helpers' — in collaboration with Kunnskapsparken and StrategyTools/Christian Rangen. The program has a value of 30,000 NOK, subsidized to 4,000 NOK for participants.
• Norwegian Smart Care ClusterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA cluster organization focused on health technology and innovation. A collaboration with Norwegian Smart Care Cluster strengthens Kunnskapsparken Vestland's network and builds shared competence targeting health sector entrepreneurs. Part of Kunnskapsparken Vestland's strategy to build healthcare innovation capacity in the region.
• Sunnfjord UtviklingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional development organization in Sunnfjord. Co-organizes Innovasjonsdagen Sunnfjord and Innovasjonsveka Sunnfjord with Kunnskapsparken Vestland. Also co-organized the study trip to Kalvåg and Knutholmen.
• AksellominorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional business advisory company. Co-organized the Communication Course program with Kunnskapsparken Vestland and Sunnfjord Utvikling. Represents a cross-referral and co-delivery partner in the Sunnfjord business development ecosystem.
• Peak Sunnfjord / TibberminorOthersPeak Sunnfjord is a co-working and innovation hub in Førde, home to Tibber (a Kunnskapsparken alumnus). Used as the venue for Innovasjonsdagen Sunnfjord 2025. Represents the physical co-location of innovation activities in the region.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Connect Norge: Norwegian investor-readiness and growth program network. Directly comparable because Kunnskapsparken Vestland partners with its regional chapter Connect Vest to deliver the Kapitalsimulator, and both organizations address the same capital-readiness gap for early-stage companies in Norway.
• Drivhuset (Drivhuset Norge): Norwegian nationwide chain of student- and founder-focused incubators, with whom Kunnskapsparken Vestland already partners (Drivhuset Göteborg) on the Erasmus+ green transition program. Comparable because both deliver incubation services, events, and capital-readiness programs, with Drivhuset focusing more on student entrepreneurs and Kunnskapsparken Vestland on regional SMEs.
• VIS (Vestlandets Innovasjonsselskap): Other regional SIVA-affiliated innovation company operating in the broader Vestland region. Directly comparable because both are publicly funded innovation companies providing incubation, growth programs, and capital access to regional SMEs and startups under the SIVA mandate.

Broad incumbents

• Innovasjon Norge (Innovation Norway): Norway's national innovation agency providing grants, loans, and advisory services across the country. Comparable because it is both a partner to and a broader funder of Kunnskapsparken Vestland, and it directly competes for the attention of Norwegian entrepreneurs with national-scale programs and capital.
• SIVA (Selskapet for industriell utvikling): Norwegian government agency operating the national network of innovation companies of which Kunnskapsparken Vestland is a member. Comparable because it sets the framework, funding, and performance ranking system that Kunnskapsparken Vestland operates within, and provides overlapping program offerings at the national level.
• Forskningsparken AS: Norwegian research park and innovation environment operator linked to major universities. Comparable because both operate innovation infrastructure (offices, labs, programs) that bridge academic, startup, and SME communities, though Forskningsparken operates at larger scale around the university ecosystem.

Emerging players

• Aleap: Norwegian health-tech focused startup hub and pre-accelerator based in Oslo. Comparable because Kunnskapsparken Vestland explicitly partners with the Norwegian Smart Care Cluster to build health innovation capacity, and both serve founders of Norwegian health and life science ventures with mentoring, programs, and investor introductions.
• Katapult Ocean / Katapult: Norwegian impact-focused accelerator and ocean-tech specialist. Comparable because Blue Breeder, a Kunnskapsparken Vestland incubator company, is part of the Katapult Ocean Innovation program — both organizations serve deeptech and impact founders with program structure and capital network access.
• StartupLab: Leading Norwegian tech startup accelerator and co-working hub in Oslo. Comparable because it serves the same Norwegian founder population with acceleration, mentorship, and investor networks; competition is most acute for high-quality Vestland founders who can relocate.

Others

• Norwegian Smart Care Cluster: Norwegian health-tech cluster organization explicitly partnered with Kunnskapsparken Vestland. Comparable because it complements Kunnskapsparken Vestland's health-program efforts with a national industry cluster platform, and both deliver networking, capability building, and project support to Norwegian health entrepreneurs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/kpvestland

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Kunnskapsparken Vestland