Name

Proneo

Legal name

Proneo

Website

https://proneo.no

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Proneo is a not-for-profit innovation company in Trøndelag, Norway, providing business incubation, consulting, training, and acceleration programs to startups, SMEs, municipalities, and growth-stage companies across the region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Vårdal

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Public funding and government grants: Proneo is a not-for-profit innovation company. Its primary financial model is a blend of public funding (Innovation Norge for incubator operations, Trøndelag Fylkeskommune for training courses) and ownership contributions from its shareholders (municipalities, Siva SF, NTE Holding, Aker Solutions, SpareBank 1 SMN, Midt-Norsk Gjensidig Brannkasse). Revenue is not generated from product/service sales to end customers but from grants, mandates, and shared-cost service delivery.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Proneo provides business development, commercialization, process, and project management services to entrepreneurs, startups, growth-stage companies, established SMEs, and Tr\u00f8ndelag municipalities. Core offerings include a business incubator with pre-incubator, structured startup training courses (Etablererkurs), defense and security export program (IndustriX), strategic growth program (ScaleUp), accelerator (KLP Trykktanken), mentor-based startup course (Gr\u00fcnder Innherred), one-to-one consulting (R\u00e5dgiving), and operation of business parks with meeting room rentals.

Product overview

Proneo is a not-for-profit innovation company based in Trøndelag, Norway, offering a portfolio of business development services including the Proneo Inkubator (business incubation program), Etablererkurs (entrepreneur training courses), IndustriX (defense and preparedness export program), ScaleUp (strategic growth program), KLP Trykktanken (acceleration program), and Gründer Innherred (mentor-based entrepreneur course). The company also provides consulting services (Rådgiving) for business development and operates Næringspark (business parks) with office spaces and meeting rooms. Founded in 2007, Proneo supports over 300 businesses annually in their startup and growth phases, focusing on four strategic areas: green transition, experience industry, defense, emergency preparedness, and societal security.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Proneo Inkubator Business incubation program for startups and scaleups in Tr\u00f8ndelag offering one-to-one advisory, access to specialist expertise, and networks of industry partners, investors, and academic institutions, with a mandatory 3\u20136 month pre-incubator phase before formal admission at 3,750 NOK/month excl. VAT.
• Etablererkurs Structured startup training course spanning 5 evenings of 3 hours each plus up to 4 hours of mentoring, covering market analysis, business modeling, company establishment, and financial management for aspiring entrepreneurs; participant fee 1,250 NOK (digital variant 1,000 NOK).
• IndustriX 16-month defense and security export program (2025\u20132026) for SMEs seeking export and internationalization in defense and preparedness markets, developed in cooperation with NORDSEC and partially funded by Stiftelsen teknologiformidling.
• ScaleUp Strategic growth program jointly developed by ProtoMore and Proneo for ambitious companies seeking structured direction, execution capability, and growth in strategy, operations, and commerce; priced at 30,000 NOK per company plus 6,000 NOK per additional participant beyond three.
• KLP Trykktanken Acceleration program providing competence, resources, and networks to business ideas with international growth potential, selecting four cases per cohort to receive dedicated CoFounder resources for critical business plan elements.
• Gr\u00fcnder Innherred Entrepreneur course co-organized by Proneo, Innherred N\u00e6ringsforening, and Sparebank 1 SMN where each participant is assigned a personal mentor to guide their specific project through three sessions.
• R\u00e5dgiving (Business Consulting) One-to-one business consulting and development services for active company development, including strategic work, product development, market development, new sales approaches, and identification of new collaboration constellations for active SMEs.
• N\u00e6ringspark (Business Parks) Development, operation, and maintenance of business parks with associated facilities in Verdal (VIPsenteret, 7,500 sqm) and Stj\u00f8rdal (over 2,000 sqm of office space, meeting rooms, and common areas), including meeting room rentals at hourly rates of 350\u2013750 NOK.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 300 businesses assisted annually
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and major.

• Innherred NæringsforeningminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 31 March 2026Innherred Næringsforening co-organizes Gründer Innherred with Proneo and SpareBank 1 SMN, a startup course with assigned mentors for each participant.
• ProtoMorecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 February 2026ProtoMore and Proneo jointly developed the ScaleUp strategic program for ambitious companies seeking structured growth. ProtoMore contributes program methodology and strategic frameworks; Proneo contributes regional presence and client network in Trøndelag.
• CoFoundercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2025CoFounder is a company builder and early-stage investor with extensive experience building companies from research and industry. CoFounder and Proneo co-organize KLP Trykktanken, an acceleration program for business ideas with international growth potential. CoFounder provides dedicated resources for analysis and discussions around critical business plan elements.
• Tindved AS (Tindved Kulturhage AS)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Proneo acquired all shares of Tindved Kulturhage AS in January 2026 (announced 27 January 2026, effective mid-February 2026). Tindved is one of three national business gardens with a focused profile on cultural industries and experience-based value creation. The acquisition strengthens the innovation environment in Innherred and Trøndelag, combining Proneo's industrial and technology expertise with Tindved's creative industry strengths.
• NORDSEC (Nordic Security Cluster)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Proneo collaborates with NORDSEC on IndustriX, a 16-month program (2025–2026) for export-oriented growth in defense and security. NORDSEC provides access to national and international security and defense networks, while Proneo contributes its team including Defense Coordinator Jens Christian Junge. The two organizations also co-hosted the Defence Startup Night at DIGS in Trondheim.
• Lithuanian Agency for Science, Innovation and TechnologyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Proneo cooperated with this agency in 2017 to implement an acceleration program for Lithuanian green technology startups, initiated by Lithuania's Ministry of Economy and Innovation Norway.
• Aker Solutions VerdalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAker Solutions Verdal is both a shareholder in Proneo and a key industrial partner operating a major yard in Verdal Industripark. Leiv Låte serves as Yard Director at Aker Solutions Verdal and is a member of the Proneo team. Aker Solutions contributes industrial expertise, networks, and R&D collaboration opportunities to the Proneo ecosystem.
• Norsk Katapult / Katapult TrøndelagcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProneo AS, in partnership with Aker Solutions, Rørosklyngen, and Skogmo Industripark, was admitted as a pilot node of Norsk Katapult. Proneo holds project management responsibility. The katapult provides SMBs with access to internationally leading test infrastructure and expertise, complementing the five national catapult centres.
• DigitalNorwaycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProneo was the first innovation environment in Norway to sign a partnership agreement with DigitalNorway – Toppindustrisenteret AS (2017), renewed and strengthened in 2018. The partnership provides small and medium-sized businesses in Trøndelag with digital transformation expertise, resources, and networks. Projects include digitalization consulting for Arkplan Arkitektkontor and competency mapping for Levanger municipality.
• SINTEFcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSINTEF is Norway's largest independent research organization. Reidar Bye, Vice Group CEO at SINTEF, serves as Chairman of Proneo's board. SINTEF provides Proneo's clients with access to cutting-edge research, R&D collaboration, and technology validation capabilities.
• NTNUcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNorwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) is a key academic partner. Through connections at Kavli Institute for Neuroscience (led by Nobel laureates May-Britt and Edvard Moser), NTNU contributed to the founding of Proneo-assisted startup Yatek. NTNU provides research collaboration, student talent, and technology transfer opportunities to the Proneo ecosystem.
• Innovation Norway (via Latvian projects)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerProneo, in cooperation with the Lithuanian Agency for Science, Innovation and Technology, implemented an Acceleration Programme (2017) initiated by Lithuania's Ministry of Economy and Innovation Norway. Proneo also contributed to launching the Latvian Green Innovation Incubation Centre (2014–2015).
• NORDSEC (co-organizer of Defence Startup Night)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerProneo Incubator and NORDSEC co-hosted the first-ever Defence Startup Night at DIGS in Trondheim (May 2025), with support from Startup TRD. Approximately 45 founders, investors, and interested parties attended.
• Siva SF (Verdal Eiendom AS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSiva Verdal Eiendom AS owns and operates VIPsenteret in Verdal Industripark. Knut Baglo served as Managing Director of Siva Verdal Eiendom AS. Siva provides property infrastructure and strategic alignment with national innovation policy.
• Kongsberg GruppencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKongsberg Gruppen is a major Norwegian defense and aerospace company and an industrial partner of Proneo. As an industry partner, Kongsberg contributes expertise, potential procurement relationships, and technology collaboration opportunities for defense-sector startups and established companies in Proneo's ecosystem.
• NTEcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNTE (Nord-Trøndelag Elektrisitetsverk) is both a shareholder (16.23%) and an industrial partner of Proneo. NTE contributes energy sector expertise, regional networks, and potential collaboration opportunities for Proneo clients in the green transition and energy sectors.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Innovasjon Norge: Norway's national innovation agency and the primary public funder of Proneo's incubator. Operates across the country with a much broader mandate (financing, advisory, internationalization), making it an incumbent umbrella over regional players like Proneo.
• Siva SF: State-owned innovation infrastructure company that owns 16.23% of Proneo and funds incubators/business gardens nationwide. Acts as both shareholder and a broader portfolio operator of innovation properties.

Direct peers

• Kjeller Innovasjon: Innovation company operating an incubator near Oslo with deep academic and industrial ties (including to SINTEF). Mirror of Proneo's regional-innovation-company structure with combined incubator and consulting offerings.
• Norsk Katapult: National innovation catapult program in which Proneo is a pilot node. Comparable as a Norwegian public-private incubator/advisor network serving industrial SMEs with advanced testing infrastructure.
• StartupLab: Oslo-based Norwegian startup hub and accelerator offering structured programs, advisor networks, and corporate partnerships. Closest national analog to Proneo's incubator plus corporate-partnership ecosystem.
• Aleap: Norwegian incubator/accelerator operating healthtech and tech programs with a similar model of public-private funding, advisor-led programs, and designated-innovation-company status. Directly comparable business model to Proneo's incubator-plus-mandate structure.

Emerging players

• Smart Innovation Norway: Norwegian innovation hub focused on smart cities, energy, and applied AI, operating a cluster/hub model with EU and public funding. Comparable regional-innovation-company model with grant-driven revenues.
• CoFounder: Norwegian company builder and early-stage investor that co-runs KLP Trykktanken with Proneo. Comparable in mission (commercializing research-stage ideas) but operating through investment rather than advisory mandates.

Others

• ProtoMore: Norwegian strategy consultancy that co-developed Proneo's ScaleUp program. Functions as a methodology partner rather than direct competitor, but operates in the overlapping strategy/advisory layer for growth-stage SMEs.

Regional players

• DIGS Trondheim: Trondheim-based startup hub co-located with Proneo's DIGS office and used for events such as Defence Startup Night. Overlapping regional ecosystem serving Trøndelag founders.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/proneoas
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/proneo-as

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Proneo