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Malmö Startups to Watch in 2027: 9 Verified Companies in Health Tech, AI, Proptech, Food and Games, Where Founders Get Support and What Happened to the Old List

Malmö Startups to Watch in 2027: Verified Companies in Health Tech, AI, Proptech, Food and Games

Malmö is Sweden's third-largest city and sits across the Öresund Bridge from Copenhagen, with Lund University a short train ride away. Its startup scene is smaller than Stockholm's, but it has produced companies in digital health, AI, property tech, plant-based food and games. The 2026 version of this article listed ten names. When we checked them, only two still had a confirmed Malmö address and still operated; the others were based elsewhere, had gone bankrupt, had been bought or had gone quiet. For this 2027 edition we checked each company on its own website or in its own press release on 2 November 2026: that it still operates, that its address is in Malmö, what it sells and what it publishes about its funding. What happened to the old names is listed near the end.

Quick answer: the Malmö startups to watch in 2027 are Minut (sensors for rental properties), Flow Neuroscience (at-home depression treatment), Joint Academy (digital care for joint pain), Lightbringer (AI patent service), Oplane (AI security for engineering teams), Sproud (pea protein drinks), Dead Astronauts (open-world games), Avionero (flight search) and BookaBoat (electric boat rental). Flow Neuroscience got US FDA approval in December 2025, and Lightbringer announced a $10 million Series A in 2026. For support, start with Minc, the city's startup house, and Lund University's innovation office.

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Why Malmö Matters for Founders in 2027

Malmö gives founders a university town with deep research next door in Lund and a bridge to Copenhagen, so a startup here can hire and sell on both sides of the Öresund. Several companies on this list were started by people with experience at large game, tech or medical organisations, and they stayed in Malmö as they grew. Minc, the city's startup house, says it hosts more than 100 active startups a year and that 40% of them are female-founded.

If you plan to visit, our guides to startup events in Sweden, startup events in Copenhagen and startup events in Stockholm list where founders and investors meet. For other northern European cities, compare our lists for Trondheim, Berlin, Aachen, Eindhoven, Rotterdam and Zurich.

Malmö Startups to Watch in 2027 Compared

Company	What it does	Malmö base	Latest funding we cite
Minut	Sensors and software that alert hosts to noise, smoke, occupancy and climate in rentals	Baltzarsgatan 23	$19M Series B, 2023
Flow Neuroscience	Brain stimulation headset and app to treat depression at home	Södra Tullgatan 3	Not published
Joint Academy	AI platform for digital treatment of joint and back pain (MSK care)	Stortorget 31	Not published
Lightbringer	AI-native patent service with attorneys who sign off on filings	Jagaregatan 4	$10M Series A, 2026
Oplane	Continuous threat modelling and security checks for AI-first engineering teams	HQ in Malmö	Not published
Sproud	Plant-based drinks made from pea protein	HQ in Malmö	Investors named, no amount
Dead Astronauts	Game studio building the open-world game HAEX	Stortorget 3	€4M seed, February 2025
Avionero	Flight search by country, continent, interest and flexible dates	Baltzarsgatan 18	Not published
BookaBoat	Self-drive electric boat rental on Malmö's canals	Malmö canals	Not published

Sources: each company's official website, legal notice, about page or own press release, checked 2 November 2026.

The Malmö Startups to Watch in 2027

1. Minut: sensors that protect rental properties

Minut sells a small sensor and software that send real-time alerts about noise, smoke, occupancy and climate, used by short-term rental hosts and property managers to prevent parties and damage without cameras. Its about page says it was founded in Malmö in 2014, after its founders met at the HAX hardware accelerator in Shenzhen, opened a London office in 2018, raised an $8 million Series A in 2019 and a $19 million Series B in 2023, and added cigarette smoke detection in 2024. Its homepage says it is trusted by more than 50,000 property operators in over 100 countries, and its Malmö office is at Baltzarsgatan 23.

Lesson for founders: Minut solved one painful problem for one group, hosts who fear parties, and made privacy part of the product. A narrow use case and a clear trust promise can turn a hardware gadget into a subscription business.

Best for: founders in proptech, IoT hardware and travel tech.

2. Flow Neuroscience: treating depression at home

Flow Neuroscience makes a headset that delivers mild brain stimulation (transcranial direct current stimulation) together with a therapy app, as a medication-free treatment for depression at home. Its about page says it was co-founded by clinical psychologist Daniel Månsson and engineer Erik Rehn, who launched Flow in January 2016, and shows investors such as Khosla Ventures, SOSV and Global Brain. Its legal notice gives Flow Neuroscience AB at Södra Tullgatan 3 in Malmö. Its site lists US FDA premarket approval (P230024) dated 11 December 2025 for adults with moderate to severe major depressive disorder who are not treatment-refractory, plus a CE mark for Europe, and it sells the headset with a 30-day money-back guarantee. It does not publish funding totals.

Lesson for founders: Flow took the slow road of clinical trials and the strictest FDA route for its device. In health tech, regulatory approval is a moat that copycats cannot buy quickly.

Best for: founders in medtech, mental health and consumer health devices.

3. Joint Academy: digital care for joint and back pain

Joint Academy started as a digital treatment for joint pain and now sells an AI platform for musculoskeletal (MSK) care that clinics, insurers and health systems use to deliver exercise-based treatment remotely. Its about page says it was founded in 2015 by Jakob Dahlberg, who left his computer science studies to build it with his father Leif Dahlberg, a professor of orthopaedics, and that it has treated more than 200,000 patients, is used by more than 10,000 clinicians and is backed by over 40 scientific publications. Its contact page lists offices at Stortorget 31 in Malmö and in San Francisco, and a banner on its homepage says it reported $40 million in revenue for 2025.

Lesson for founders: Joint Academy paired a founder who could build software with a clinician who knew the evidence. In health tech, a credible medical co-founder opens doors to clinics and insurers.

Best for: founders in digital health, physiotherapy and B2B health platforms.

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4. Lightbringer: an AI-native patent service

Lightbringer drafts and files patents with AI agents, while its own patent attorneys review and sign off on every filing, at fixed prices instead of billable hours. Its site says it was founded in Malmö in 2023, gives Lightbringer AB's address as Jagaregatan 4 in Malmö, lists further offices in Palo Alto, London, Stockholm and Cambridge, and says it is trusted by more than 200 deep tech companies in the US and EU. Its pricing starts with a free Starter plan; the Pro plan costs $2,400 per quarter (20,000 SEK). Its homepage announces a $10 million Series A; according to tech.eu, the round was co-led by 6 Degrees Capital and Newion and announced on 16 June 2026 to fund US expansion and the platform.

Lesson for founders: Lightbringer did not replace patent attorneys; it gave them AI and sold the result at a fixed, published price. Transparent pricing is a strong weapon against incumbents who bill by the hour.

Best for: founders in legal tech, AI agents and services for deep tech companies.

5. Oplane: security built into AI-first engineering

Oplane describes itself as an always-on security expert for AI-first engineering teams. It maps a product's architecture, models threats continuously, analyses pull requests and plugs security checks into AI coding tools through MCP. Its company page says it was founded in 2022, has its headquarters in Malmö and a team of 10, and its homepage shows customer logos including Miro, Tandem Health, Remotive Labs and fellow Malmö company Lightbringer. It does not publish funding figures on its site, so we cite none.

Lesson for founders: Oplane rode a new wave, code written with AI assistants, and positioned security as part of that workflow instead of an annual audit. New tools create new risks, and new risks create new markets.

Best for: founders in cybersecurity, developer tools and AI infrastructure.

6. Sproud: plant-based drinks made from peas

Sproud makes plant-based drinks and other products from pea protein, which it markets as high in protein and free of sugar. Its about page says it was started in 2018 by a group of entrepreneurs based in Malmö, where it has its headquarters, with commercial offices in London and Warsaw, and that it exports to 30 countries. It names its investors, London growth investor VGC Partners, Malmö family investment company Findeln Holding and Swedish investment group Dream Beverage, but not the amounts. It says it was verified under ISO 26000 in 2023 and certified as a B Corp in 2025.

Lesson for founders: Sproud picked one ingredient, peas, and built its whole brand around it. In crowded consumer categories, a single clear difference is easier to sell than a long list of benefits.

Best for: founders in food tech, consumer goods and sustainable brands.

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7. Dead Astronauts: a new open-world game studio

Dead Astronauts is a game studio founded in 2024 by veterans of Massive Entertainment, Ubisoft and Epic Games. Its privacy policy gives Dead Astronauts AB at Stortorget 3 in Malmö. In its own press release datelined Malmö on 6 February 2025, it announced a €4 million seed round led by Behold Ventures with Lifelike Capital, 1Up Ventures and Acequia Capital, when it was a core team of four. Its homepage now promotes HAEX, which players can wishlist on Steam and the Epic Games Store, and a news post says the game was announced at Summer Game Fest in 2026. No release date is published.

Lesson for founders: Dead Astronauts raised money on the track record of its founders before it had a finished game. In creative industries, a team that has shipped big titles is often the product investors buy first.

Best for: founders in games, interactive media and creative tech.

8. Avionero: flight search by interest, not only by city

Avionero is a flight search site that lets travellers search by country, continent or interest instead of a single city and date, compare date combinations in calendars, filter destinations by weather and theme, and keep several trip plans in tabs. Its footer gives Avionero AB at Baltzarsgatan 18 in Malmö, and the site is still live with a copyright line running from 2018 to 2026. It publishes no funding figures or user numbers.

Lesson for founders: Avionero competes with travel giants by changing the question from "where and when" to "what kind of trip". A different starting point can make a crowded market feel new.

Best for: founders in travel tech and consumer search.

9. BookaBoat: self-drive electric boats on Malmö's canals

BookaBoat rents small electric boats that guests drive themselves on Malmö's canals, with no previous boating experience needed. It sells sightseeing trips, family outings, team kick-offs, parties and gift cards. Its site says the 2026 season is over and that it will be back in April 2027. It is a small local business rather than a venture-backed startup, and it publishes no funding figures.

Lesson for founders: BookaBoat turned a city feature, its canals, into a seasonal experience business. Local assets that tourists and residents already love can be a simple place to start.

Best for: founders in tourism, leisure and local experience businesses.

Where Malmö Startups Get Support

Minc: the startup house of Malmö runs an incubator, the Minc Accelerator Fast-track Malmö and Minc Scale, with access to mentors and investors. It reports more than 100 active startups a year, 40% of them female-founded, and 200 alumni, with financial support from the City of Malmö, Region Skåne, the EU and Vinnova.
LU Innovation: Lund University's innovation office helps students and researchers verify ideas, protect IP and find funding, runs an incubator at X-lab in Lund, and builds companies with researchers through LU Ventures. It says it supports more than 800 researchers and students a year.
Vinnova: Sweden's innovation agency funds innovation projects, has a dedicated area for incubation, startups and scaleups, and publishes new calls for proposals throughout the year.
Almi: offers loans, venture capital and business development for small and medium-sized companies in Sweden.
City of Malmö business support: Företagslotsen, the city's business guide, helps with permits, rules and the right contacts, and Invest in Malmö offers free help to companies that plan to invest in or move to Malmö.

Malmö Companies From the Old List That Changed or Could Not Be Verified

The 2026 version of this article listed ten names. Here is what we found when we checked each one in November 2026:

Kept: Avionero and BookaBoat still operate in Malmö.
Heart Aerospace: the electric aircraft maker's own site now gives its headquarters in Torrance, California, not Malmö.
Voi: Malmö is one of many cities where its e-scooters run, but Voi is a Stockholm company according to company databases, so it is not a Malmö startup.
Northvolt: never a Malmö company, and in March 2025 the battery maker filed for bankruptcy in Sweden, with the court filing made in Stockholm.
Debricked: the Malmö software security company's own site says it is now part of OpenText.
Youcruit: its web address now forwards to a different company's site (Lanefinder), so we could not confirm that it still operates as Youcruit.
MoveByBike: it still delivers by electric cargo bike in Stockholm, Malmö and Copenhagen, but its site shows no Malmö headquarters, so we left it out of the list.
Anatomic Studios: its website did not load when we checked, so we removed it.
Midnight Hub: a real Malmö indie studio founded in 2015, but its site lists one game and its newest news post is from June 2020, so we could not confirm current activity.

We also removed the old article's third-party ranking claim and its links to third-party startup lists.

Which Malmö Startup Should You Learn From?

You build health tech: study Flow Neuroscience for using regulatory approval as a moat and Joint Academy for pairing a software founder with a medical expert.
You build B2B software or AI: study Lightbringer for fixed, published pricing against hourly-billing incumbents and Oplane for building on a brand-new workflow.
You build hardware: study Minut for picking one painful problem and making privacy part of the product.
You build consumer products: study Sproud for a brand built on one ingredient and Avionero for changing how people search.
You build games or creative tech: study Dead Astronauts for raising on the team's track record.
You are just starting: apply to Minc's incubator in Malmö, or, if you study or research in Lund, start with LU Innovation.

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How Founders Use Malmö's Startup Scene

Notice the pattern: many companies here were started by people who learned their trade at larger employers or at Lund University, used local programmes such as Minc first, and then sold far beyond Sweden from day one. Compare programmes in our guides to startup incubators in Europe and see where research-heavy companies cluster in our guide to deep tech cities in Europe. For money, see grants for early-stage startups in Europe, angel investors for early-stage startups in Europe and grants for female entrepreneurs.

If you are still choosing a base, compare Sweden with other options in our guide to the best countries for startups in Europe.

Before you copy any of these business models, validate your startup idea with real customers. Buyers and investors research you long before they call, so you need to be easy to find online: list your startup in the F/MS marketing directories, publish your startup press release, and write about your product with the F/MS AI SEO Tool so customers, investors and AI assistants can find you.

FAQ About Malmö Startups to Watch in 2027

Which Malmö startups should I watch in 2027?

Our verified list: Minut, Flow Neuroscience, Joint Academy, Lightbringer, Oplane, Sproud, Dead Astronauts, Avionero and BookaBoat. Each still operates and shows a Malmö base on its own site, checked in November 2026.

Which Malmö startup has raised the most money?

Of the rounds the companies publish themselves, Minut's $19 million Series B in 2023 is the largest single round we can cite, followed by Lightbringer's $10 million Series A in 2026. Flow Neuroscience, Joint Academy and Oplane do not publish funding totals on their sites.

Are there health tech startups in Malmö?

Yes. Flow Neuroscience makes an at-home brain stimulation treatment for depression with US FDA approval from December 2025, and Joint Academy runs an AI platform for joint and back pain that has treated more than 200,000 patients.

Are there AI startups in Malmö?

Yes. Lightbringer uses AI agents to draft patents that its attorneys sign off, Oplane builds AI-era security for engineering teams, and Avionero uses AI in flight search.

Is Malmö good for game studios?

Yes. Dead Astronauts, founded in 2024 by veterans of Massive Entertainment, Ubisoft and Epic Games, raised a €4 million seed round in February 2025 for its open-world game.

Where can founders in Malmö get support?

Minc for incubation and acceleration, LU Innovation for Lund University students and researchers, Vinnova for innovation funding, Almi for loans and venture capital, and the City of Malmö's business guide for permits and contacts.

Is Malmö a good city for female founders?

Minc, the city's startup house, reports that 40% of its startups are female-founded. For funding, combine local support with programmes for women founders across Europe.

What happened to the startups on the old list?

Avionero and BookaBoat stay. Heart Aerospace is now headquartered in California, Voi is a Stockholm company, Northvolt filed for bankruptcy in 2025, Debricked is part of OpenText, and we could not confirm Youcruit, MoveByBike, Anatomic Studios or Midnight Hub as active Malmö companies.

What can founders learn from Malmö startups?

Solve one painful problem, use regulation or evidence as a moat in health tech, publish clear prices, and sell beyond Sweden early.

Where can I get a backlink by writing about my startup?

You can publish a guest post in one of the Fe/male Switch startup blogs, which rank in Google and in AI tools. Get a quality backlink.

About the Author

Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.

Violetta Bonenkamp

2026-11-02 19:51 Best Startups