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NORRSKEN/100
The Norrsken/100 is a list of the world’s 100 most promising early-stage impact startups, as curated by Norrsken Foundation and our friends. It exists to give you hope and positive inspiration, and to remind you that even when things look pretty bleak, there are some incredible role models out there, and they deserve our praise and recognition. Scroll down for 100 ways to fix the future.
The list
The 2025 Norrsken/100 was compiled from over 1400 nominations sourced from 50 nominators, among them some of the world’s top investment funds, academic institutions and NGOs.
Candidly
Helping people not get completely screwed over by their student loans.
C The Signs
What if, we use big data to find cancer early?
Brimstone
What If, We Build Houses That Clean The Air?
Brighte
Makes it possible for anyone to afford a transition to solar.
Boston Metal
Making metal sustainable by decarbonising the steel industry.
Blykalla
Introducing small modular nuclear reactors: compact technology with a massive impact on the future of energy.
Bluum Bio
Boosting nature’s cleanup crew with biotech that cleans soil, air, and water faster than a jet sweep.
Bluu Seafood
Actual real seafood without killing any fish.
Bloom Biorenewables
What if, we could use plants instead of petroleum to make the stuff we need?
BlocPower
What if, we could make every apartment block run on solar energy?
Bionaut Labs
Sending tiny robots into your body to deliver medicine.
Biofourmis
What if, we could predict and prevent serious medical problems with the help of data science and wearables?
Biobot Analytics
Turning wastewater into a frontline defense against COVID-19, RSV, and more, protecting communities with recycled water.
Big Health
What if, we use digital therapeutics to treat insomnia and anxiety?
Beyond Aero
Making hydrogen-powered jets that travels five times farther than battery planes.
BeZero Carbon
A credit ratings agency for carbon credits, to prevent climate fraud.
BanQu
What if, we use a blockchain to protect the world's poorest from fraud?
Bamboo
Bringing Wall Street to the African continent, one trade at a time.
Back Market
What if, we could make second hand gadgets the first hand choice?
BURN
What if, we could save lives by making cheap and energy-efficient cookstoves available at scale?
BIORESTORE
What if, we make people buy less clothes by creating better detergent?
Azimov
Turning genetic engineering into a precise science, making DNA design as easy as software coding.
Autochek
Making electric car ownership in Africa as simple and affordable as a few clicks.
Axmed
Makes sure life-saving medicine gets to people who need it, no matter where they live.
Auron Therapeutics
Flipping cancer treatment by turning malignant cells back to normal.
Augmenta
Using AI to automatically design sustainable houses in just a few hours.
Astranis
Satellites to connect billions of people without access to internet.
Asimov
Turning genetic engineering into a precise science, making DNA design as easy as software coding.
Asilimia
What if, we build a cutting-edge digital finance platform for small-time businesses in Africa?
Arcadia
Connects people who cannot afford solar with access to clean energy sources.
Arpeggio Bio
Leveraging AI to find a cure for cancer.
Arborea
What if, we could slow down climate change by growing edible superfoods?
Antora Energy
Storing and distributing renewable energy through blocks of glowing carbon.
Apollo Agriculture
Helping small farmers in Africa grow their harvest and revenue with financing, insurance, and training.
Andes
What if, we create crops that clean the air as they grow?
Ampersand
Doubles drivers' incomes with electric motorcycles while leapfrogging Africa into a zero-carbon future.
Altruistiq
Leaving companies with no excuse to not lower their carbon footprint.
Allozymes
Creates custom enzymes that make manufacturing things cleaner and greener across all industries.
Alight
What if, large corporations could go green and energy-independent by building their own solar parks?
Aleph Farms
Producing actual, real beef with no kills.
Alchemab Therapeutic
Designs antibodies that stop hard-to-treat diseases before you can say "hard-to-treat".
Airloom Energy
Harvests wind energy with tech that delivers turbine power at a fraction of the cost.
AirForestry
Thinning forests from above with giant zero-emission drones, like a tweezer.
Air Protein
What If, We Use Carbon Captured From The Air To Create Food?
AgroLeague
What if, we connect small-scale farmers with agricultural experts over the internet?
African Management Institute (AMI)
Empowers African businesses with hands-on learning tools that boost revenue and drive real growth.
AMPD
Building mega-batteries that power entire buildings, 100% fossil-free.
1KOMMA5
Makes powering up your house with solar actually accessible.
011h
Makes construction net-zero, better, faster, stronger (oh, and way cheaper).
Absolute
AI using mother nature’s intelligence to grow fruits and veggies way faster.
Ada Health
Saving patients years of life by shortening the time to diagnosis and treatment through AI.
Aclarity
Removes "forever chemicals" from your water like they were never there.
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Company Name
100
/100
The jury
The final curation was done by Norrsken Foundation and a hand-picked jury.
Partners
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Podcast
Want to hear more about these cool ideas? Lucky for you - we made a podcast about the Norrsken/100 with Alexander Skarsgård. Don't worry - this isn't yet another boring podcast about climate change. No this one is... a little bit different.
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faq
The Norrsken/100 is curated by Norrsken Foundation. It is compiled from nominations made by our partners. This year, our team processed 1400+ nominations from 50 hand-picked nomination partners, among them some of the world's most prominent venture capital firms.
An impact startup is a fast-growing company where positive impact forms an intrinsic and non-negotiable part of the business model. We are particularly interested in companies that leverage scalable technology to solve global problems. We define impact as driving meaningful and measurable progress towards one or several of the UN global development goals. If you want to learn more about how we define and measure impact, check out Norrsken VC:s annual Impact Report at norrsken.org/about.
It’s hard to say! It might be that our team looked at the company and decided it wasn’t right for the list, at this point in time at least. Or - it might not have been nominated at all. We’ve done our best to source as many relevant nominations as possible, to cover a wide spectrum of companies, problems and solutions. But there will of course be cases we’ve missed, and calls made where you’ll disagree with us. If you’re a startup founder - don’t hesitate to let us know if you think you deserve a spot on the list. Or - if the Norrsken ecosystem can support you in any other way: info@norrskenfoundation.org.
Glad you asked! Norrsken is a global community of founders, funders, thinkers and doers, united by a shared belief in entrepreneurship and innovation as forces for positive change. We run award-winning Norrsken Houses in Stockholm, Sweden, Brussels, Belgium, Kigali, Rwanda, Barcelona, Spain and Amsterdam, Netherlands. Norrsken’s five funds have raised >750mUSD to back exceptional entrepreneurs who combine profit with positive global impact: Norrsken VC, Norrsken22, Norrsken Accelerator, Norrsken Launcher and Norrsken Africa Seed. Norrsken is a non-profit, non-partisan and non-religious foundation. It was founded by Niklas Adalberth, co-founder of payment services unicorn Klarna.
The Norrsken/100 is an annual list of the world’s most promising impact startups, compiled by Norrsken and our nomination partners. It exists to highlight the power of entrepreneurship to drive positive change, and to celebrate the individuals brave enough to try and change the world for the better. In other words: It’s 100 ways to fix the future. Pretty cool, right?
The Norrsken/100 consists of: Early-stage impact companies, meaning companies where positive global impact is an intrinsic and non-negotiable part of the business model. High-risk, high-potential ventures that aim to leverage scalable technology to do business and drive positive impact. Businesses with a scalable business model and a proven ability to combine growth with positive global impact. Companies that have delivered at least an MVP product to market and/or raised at least seed/series A-funding and at most series B-funding. Impact is defined as driving measurable, positive progress against the 17 sustainable development goals.
The Norrsken/100 is not ranked. Simply being on the list means you’re a winner. It means you’ve been selected by the world’s leading venture capital funds and NGOs as a future impact unicorn - a company that could positively impact the lives of 1 billion people.
Our team evaluated more than 1400 nominations this year.
Glad you like it! We’re always looking for more partners to help us source relevant nominations and give the Norrsken/100 companies the attention they deserve. Get in touch and we’ll make something cool happen. Email us at info@norrskenfoundation.org.
