According to Sifted, Sweden’s AI-native startups have absolutely exploded this year, raising over €454 million across 28 deals tracked so far in 2024. That’s a massive jump from just €124 million across 16 deals in all of last year. The funding surge is being driven by multiple huge rounds from industry leaders like vibe coding platform Lovable, which raised $15 million in January and another staggering $200 million in July. Legal tech startup Legora also pulled in two massive rounds – $80 million in May followed by $150 million in October. The country’s AI ecosystem is clearly maturing fast, with Swedish companies taking three of the top five spots on Sifted’s list of Europe’s fastest-growing agentic startups by headcount.
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Sweden’s secret sauce
Here’s the thing – Sweden has always produced tech giants like Spotify and Klarna, but this new AI wave feels different. Project Europe’s Jade Yarrow points to something special happening there: “There is a very big culture for young people to build great things.” Basically, they’ve created an environment where 19-year-olds can jump into hacker houses and engineers from companies like Lovable might just pop in to collaborate. It’s that kind of informal, accessible ecosystem that you don’t really see in places like London. And when you combine that with visible role models who’ve actually built massive companies, you get this perfect storm of ambition and capability.
Beyond the big names
While Lovable and Legora are grabbing the headlines with their monster rounds, there’s serious depth in Sweden’s AI scene. You’ve got Tzafun, an AI research lab packed with ex-Google DeepMind and Palantir talent, raising $9.7 million in July. Then there’s Strawberry, this “Chrome killer” AI browser that just pulled in $6 million from heavyweights like General Catalyst and EQT Ventures. And Normain’s CEO Sara Landfors notes how much the ecosystem has matured in just the past decade. It’s not just one or two companies succeeding – there’s a whole generation of founders who believe they can build the next big thing from Stockholm rather than Silicon Valley.
Why this matters
Look, Europe has been playing catch-up in tech for years, always watching the real action happen in the US and China. But what Sweden is proving is that you can build world-class AI companies without moving to San Francisco. These aren’t just copycat businesses either – we’re talking about fundamental infrastructure like Lovable’s vibe coding platform and Strawberry’s attempt to completely reimagine web browsing. The funding numbers tell the story: when investors see real innovation, they’ll write big checks regardless of geography. And with programs like Project Europe actively hunting for the continent’s next $100 billion companies, Sweden’s positioned to be at the center of Europe’s AI revolution.
