KTH Holding transitions to KTH Ventures
KTH Holding, the venture capital arm of KTH Royal Institute of Technology officially transitioned to KTH Ventures on Tuesday 27 May during an event held in the historic reactor hall beneath KTH, marking a fundamental shift in translating breakthrough academic research into scalable solutions.
Responding to unprecedented innovation speed
"This isn't just a name change," said Lisa Ericsson, CEO of KTH Ventures and Head of KTH Innovation. "We're declaring a fundamental shift. The urgency, the pace of innovation today - it demands a completely new approach. With KTH Ventures, we're building a new foundation to help the most groundbreaking research actually reach society."
The transition comes as Europe faces what experts call a "polycrisis" - climate change, energy transitions, health challenges, and geopolitical tensions occurring simultaneously, all accelerated by AI's revolutionary impact on science itself. The symbolic venue choice - KTH's reactor hall where Sweden's atomic energy pioneers explored the boundaries of possibility in the 1950s - underscored the organization's continued commitment to pushing scientific frontiers.
New model for deep tech commercialization
Working hand-in-hand with KTH Innovation, KTH Ventures will focus on translating breakthrough research into scalable solutions faster, at scale, and with precision. While KTH Innovation continues its open-to-all, collaborative, early-stage work, KTH Ventures builds upon that foundation through strategic investment and venture creation in strategic technologies.
"We're positioned right at the intersection between breakthrough science and cutting-edge startups," Ericsson explained. "What we're proving is that academic excellence and commercial success together create something way more powerful than either could achieve alone."
European collaboration at core
The initiative extends beyond national borders through strategic partnerships across Europe, including RiseEurope, the network of leading European ecosystem builders, strengthening European competitiveness in the global innovation landscape.
"Europe's competitive edge isn't going to come from working harder. It's going to come from breaking down barriers and working smarter, together", Ericsson noted.