The Swedish Startups That Raised $1.3B This Year

Jan de Vries · 2026-08-14

Stockholm's Lovable just announced a massive Series C, and it got us thinking: what's really going on in Sweden's startup scene right now? Turns out, a lot. Sweden has quietly become one of Europe's hottest spots for big funding rounds, with Stockholm-based companies pulling in most of the cash. From HealthTech and AI to FinTech, LegalTech, and consumer brands, Swedish startups are attracting serious money across every sector. We dug through EU-Startups' funding coverage from January 1 to August 14, 2026, and ranked the biggest rounds by Swedish startups and scale-ups. To keep things fair, we excluded VC fund closes, acquisitions, grants, loans, and credit facilities. If a round was an extension, we only counted the new money announced in 2026. All together, the top ten rounds add up to about $1.3 billion. The two biggest – Neko Health and Lovable – account for roughly 79% of that total. And here's a fun fact: eight of the ten companies are based in Stockholm. ### 10. Lightbringer – $9.3M Series A Malmö-based LegalTech startup Lightbringer raised $9.3M in June to fuel its US expansion and product development. The round was co-led by 6 Degrees Capital and Newion. This follows their $4.5M round back in 2024. ### 9. Bits – $13M Series A Stockholm-based FinTech infrastructure startup Bits secured $13M to automate financial crime and compliance workflows, expand product capabilities, and add more European data coverage. Alstin Capital led the round, with help from Cherry Ventures, Unusual Ventures, and Alliance Ventures. Bits previously raised $4.3M in 2023. ### 8. Pit – $14.7M Stockholm's Pit came out of stealth in May with $14.7M led by Andreessen Horowitz. Founded by former leaders from Voi, Klarna, and iZettle, Pit is building AI-native software for enterprise operations – think of it as an "AI product team as a service." ### 7. AlixLabs – $16.2M Series A Lund-based semiconductor startup AlixLabs closed a $16.2M Series A in Q1 2026. The money will speed up product development, boost technical capabilities, and strengthen ties with semiconductor manufacturers. Most of the round ($15.2M) was already subscribed by November 2025. ### 6. Quartr – $16.8M Stockholm's Quartr, a financial data company, closed a $16.8M round in August to accelerate product development and expand global coverage of public-company data. Altos Ventures led the round, with SEB joining as a new investor. Quartr had previously raised $5.8M from Altos in 2024 and $7.6M in 2022. ### 5. Legora – $45.3M Series D Extension Legal AI company Legora announced $45.3M in additional funding in April, extending its Series D to a total of $553M and valuing the Stockholm-based company at $5.1B post-money. New investors include Atlassian and NVentures (NVIDIA's VC arm). We only counted the new money for this ranking. Legora had raised a $75.5M Series B in 2025. ### 4. Lassie – $68.2M Series C Stockholm-based pet InsurTech Lassie raised $68.2M in February to expand across Europe and boost its AI capabilities. Balderton Capital, Felix Capital, Inventure, Passion Capital, and Stena Sessan all participated. We've covered Lassie before, and it's great to see them growing. **What's driving this momentum?** A few things: deep tech expertise, a strong talent pool, and a culture that encourages bold ideas. Plus, investors are clearly confident in Swedish startups' ability to scale globally. **What does this mean for you?** If you're watching the European startup scene, Sweden is a name to remember. These aren't just small bets – they're signals of a thriving ecosystem that's producing real, global companies. So, whether you're an investor scouting opportunities or a founder looking for inspiration, keep an eye on Sweden. The next big thing might just come from there.