ABOUT US
UU Invest is an early-stage investor with a longer exit strategy compared to many other venture capital firms. UU Invest supports researchers and students in validating technology, markets, and business models, and also invests in projects before companies are formally established. A collaboration with UU Invest means a long-term commitment and access to a broad network of expertise and capital.
Through UU Invest, Uppsala University contributes to the establishment of new research-based companies. Since its founding in 1995, UU Invest has invested more than SEK 100 million in over 100 companies. Today, UU Invest is a shareholder in more than 40 companies across a wide range of industries.
LET’S TAKE YOUR RESEARCH FURTHER TOGETHER — CONTACT US TODAY.
OUR SUBSIDIARIES
UPPSALA UNIVERSITET PROJEKT AB
Through our project company, we can offer pre-incubation where a business idea is analyzed and validated against the market and different technical solutions before a company is potentially formed.
INSTITUTET FÖR PERSONAL- OCH FÖRETAGSUTVECKLING (IPF AB)
Through our project company, we can offer pre-incubation, where a business idea is analyzed and validated against the market and various technical solutions before a company is potentially established.
UPPSALA UNIVERSITET RESEARCH INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AB (RIP AB)
Through our project company, we can offer pre-incubation, where a business idea is analyzed and validated against the market and different technical solutions before a company is potentially formed.
UPPSALA INNOVATION CENTER (25% OWNERSHIP)
Through our project company, we can offer pre-incubation, where a business idea is analyzed and validated against the market and various technical solutions before a company is potentially established.
MANAGEMENT
Gunilla Lundmark
Chief executive officer
gunilla.lundmark@invest.uu.se
070 974 9057
CEO of Uppsala University Invest since 2018. Gunilla Lundmark has held leading positions in the life science sector for more than 25 years, most recently as CEO of Pharmanest AB, where she led the development of a women’s health product from idea to commercialization phase. She is a board member of Chordate Medical Holding AB (publ.), IPF AB, Lipidor AB (publ.), and Uppsala Innovation Centre (UIC) AB, Combigen AB (publ.), as well as Chair of the Board at Strike Pharma AB. Gunilla holds a bachelor’s degree in medical science and an Executive MBA from Uppsala University.
Mateo Santurio
Investment manager
mateo.santurio@invest.uu.se
0703 163 572
Mateo is an Investment Manager and advisor in the companies and projects that UU Invest and UU Projekt invest in. He has 20 years of experience working actively with university innovations through startups, patent sales, and industrial collaborations with global industry companies. Mateo holds a Master of Science in Engineering Physics and is an alumnus of the School of Entrepreneurship at Uppsala University.
He is a board member of Oncodia AB, AvuLotion AB, Rx Dynamics AB, and EduQuality AB.
Simon Granit
Chief financial officer
simon.granit@invest.uu.se
070 588 4322
Since 2021, Simon has been CFO and brings extensive experience in financing, business development, and management. He spent five years at the venture capital firm Ledstiernan, working as an analyst, investment manager, and CFO. Simon also has experience from the manufacturing industry, real estate, and the chemical industry in roles such as Deputy CEO, CFO, and Business Developer. He holds an M.Sc. in Industrial Engineering and Management from Chalmers and has studied at Stanford and Bocconi.
Simon is Chairman of the Board at Scaleout Systems AB and Granit AB, and a board member of Intelligence Lab AB and HyEnGen AB.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Rolf Marquardt
Chairman
Elected in 2025.
Rolf holds a PhD in Business Administration from Uppsala University, where he earned his degree in 1994. He has extensive experience in banking—primarily related to financial matters, risks and risk management, regulation, as well as initiating and leading large-scale development projects. Since 2020, Rolf has been Group Chief Risk Officer at Swedbank.
Charlotte Platzer-Björkman
Professor of Solid State Electronics, Vice Principal, Uppsala University
Elected in 2023.
Charlotte conducts research in solar cell materials. She earned her M.Sc. in Engineering Physics in 2001 at Uppsala University, where she also completed her PhD in 2006. Charlotte carried out her postdoc at the Institute for Energy Technology in Kjeller, Norway. She later returned to Uppsala and has been a professor since 2016
Tomas Nygren
External Board Member
Elected in 2023.
Tomas Nygren holds a degree in Economics from Uppsala University. For over 40 years, he has worked hands-on with financing and business development and has built a successful career both in the private sector and within the innovation support system. Most recently, he served as CFO at Industrifonden and previously as Group CFO at Almi and Deputy CEO at Innovationsbron.
Gisela Sitbon
Gisela Sitbon
External Board Member
Elected in 2023.
Gisela holds a PhD in Medical Sciences from Karolinska Institutet and has since worked in and for innovative startups and growth companies both nationally and internationally. Other assignments: Chair of Emplicure AB, Gradientech AB, and Nanologica AB, as well as Board Member of Annexin Pharmaceuticals AB and Encare AB.
Malin Graffner Nordberg
Head of Department, UU Innovation
Elected in 2024.
Malin Graffner Nordberg, born in 1967, is a licensed pharmacist and holds a PhD in Pharmaceutical Chemistry from Uppsala University, as well as an Executive MBA from Stockholm University. Since 2012, Malin has worked at UU Innovation, Uppsala University’s innovation office. In addition to various board assignments and ownership of pharmacies, she has served as Project Manager at Biovitrum AB, followed by CEO of Innoventus Project AB.
News
Visa:
Development is progressing rapidly at the new company Duck Technologies. If everything goes according to plan, the hope is that the company’s first product will be ready for the market within two years. What remains is to scale up and package a new opportunity to save energy by reducing heat intake through, among other things, windows in buildings and cars.
Mesenkia Therapeutics, backed by UU Invest, is developing a groundbreaking treatment for glioblastoma, the most aggressive brain cancer. The startup is preparing clinical trials to create a drug aimed at extending patients’ lives.
SoundSim360, developed by Professor Ken Mattsson and Dr. Gustav Eriksson, is an advanced sound simulation tool for precise sound level predictions that handles complex acoustics, including low-frequency sounds for wind turbines, arenas, and home theater systems.
UU Invest hosts your project so that you can establish necessary agreements with collaborative partners, hire key personnel to investigate or develop the concept, and also assist ‘hands on’ in negotiations and strategic work.
Ida-Maria Sintorn, along with her colleagues in the SimSearch project, is developing new technology for image processing of microscopic images. The focus is to make it easier, faster, and safer for researchers to extract relevant information from large amounts of data while retaining control over their own data.
Oscar Verho and his research network are focused on creating more efficient ways to produce fuels from water. The path involves advanced interdisciplinary development and a sustainable, efficient electrode with the potential to make green hydrogen production more cost-effective.
PapersHive is one of UU Invest’s 55 portfolio companies. With an AI-based search technology, the company collects information from all medical databases in one place. This saves both time and money for pharmaceutical companies, CROs and medical technology companies.
Applications for VentureChallenge 2023 are now closed. A new call for applications will open again in the first quarter of 2024.
Up to 500,000 SEK for your research-based business idea. UU Invest, in collaboration with UU Innovation, is now conducting a call for start-up capital of up to 500,000 SEK for your research-based business idea.
Meet Gunilla Lundmark, CEO of UU Invest, and Malin Graffner Nordberg, Head of UU Innovation. With different roles and expertise, they work towards the same overall goal – to contribute to Uppsala University’s efforts to take research forward and utilise knowledge in society.
Ulf Landegren och hans forskningsgrupp ligger bakom banbrytande forskning som lett till nya innovationer som framgångsrikt förvaltats och utvecklats i en rad olika bolag. Rarity Bioscience med vd Linus Bosaeus är ett av de senaste i raden.