BizMaker and Vinnova Innovativa Startups 2025 is this year’s initiative that gives two startups in the region the opportunity to take the next step. Collecct and ITSL Solutions have each been awarded SEK 500,000 in this year’s call. This is an important success both for the companies and for the regional innovation environment. In total, three companies in Västernorrland received funding, making the region one of the most successful in northern Sweden in this round.
Vinnova’s Innovativa Startups program targets young companies developing solutions with strong societal benefits and clear market potential. This year’s call received 1,037 applications. Only 103 were funded. That two of the approved applications come from the BizMaker network clearly shows that the targeted support for applications made a real difference.
What BizMaker Vinnova Innovativa Startups means for the region
The outcome is not just a win for the two companies but also proof that Västernorrland has taken significant steps forward as an innovation region. Securing funding from Vinnova’s early programs is challenging. It demands clarity in problem analysis, strong technical merit, a verifiable business model and a credible plan for project execution. For that reason, these grants are regarded as a clear mark of quality for the entire regional innovation system.
For several years, BizMaker has worked to strengthen the startup environment in northern Sweden through partnerships with RISE Processum and other regional actors, creating improved conditions for early-stage companies to compete at the national level. This year’s results demonstrate that the model works.
Targeted effort from BizMaker improved application quality
Ahead of this year’s call, BizMaker carried out a targeted, structured initiative to help startups in its network shape stronger applications. The work rested on three main pillars. The first was workshops in which companies received support to identify the core of their problem, solution and market. The second pillar consisted of individualized advice where BizMaker’s funding experts reviewed each application in depth and highlighted what needed clarification. The third pillar provided expert feedback from business developers and technical specialists.
Erica Markusson, funding advisor at BizMaker and initiator of the effort, describes the process as more complex than the writing itself.
It’s rarely the act of writing that takes the longest. The words can be shaped with the right support. The difficult part is clarifying what the company actually knows about the problem, the solution and the business model. That’s where the difference is made. When a program also allows funding for early personnel costs, which is uncommon, competition increases significantly. The application work sharpens the companies and often improves their chances of securing other funding.
BizMaker’s efforts enabled several startups to present their ideas in a more strategic and convincing way, improving their chances of passing Vinnova’s selection process.
ITSL Solutions develops safer cloud management for the public sector
ITSL Solutions is a technology company focused on strengthening security and control around cloud management within the public sector. Their solution offers a model where authorities and other public organizations can enjoy the simplicity of cloud-based systems while retaining full control over their data to meet high security requirements.
With the SEK 500,000 grant, the company can develop a strategically important part of its platform that otherwise could not have been prioritized now.
Fredrik Jonasson, CEO and founder, explains the importance of the support.
The funding makes it possible to develop a strategically crucial part of the company that would not have been feasible at this moment. We continue to build a safer type of cloud service where organizations get the simplicity of the cloud but the security of managing data themselves. Sensitive information must always be protected, including from us as a provider. BizMaker’s support during the application process has been decisive.
The need for secure digitalization in the public sector is growing quickly. ITSL Solutions’ focus is therefore well-timed.
Collecct drives digitalization of circular material flows
The other awardee, Collecct, develops a digital service that helps businesses and organizations manage materials and waste more efficiently and in a more circular way. Their goal is to provide tools to track, measure and optimize flows so resources are used better and waste volumes are reduced.
The grant enables the company to make a much larger step forward in its development than would otherwise have been possible.
Daniel Pluntky, CEO of Collecct, describes what the support means.
The funding allows us to move to the next stage much faster and to invest fully in innovation instead of relying solely on customer-funded development. Now we can further develop and test our software and demonstrate how circularity can be both measurable and profitable. BizMaker brought the right expertise around us and helped lift the application to the next level.
Circular economy is becoming increasingly important across both the public and private sectors. Collecct provides a digital tool that makes it easier to take concrete steps toward more sustainable and cost-effective material flows.
Regional collaboration strengthened the applications
BizMaker’s initiative was carried out in close collaboration with RISE Processum and several of the region’s incubators and innovation actors. This broad cooperation made it possible to combine technical and commercial competence, which in turn improved the quality of the applications.
For early-stage startups, this type of collaborative process can be decisive. By connecting different areas of expertise, companies gained the ability to view their projects from multiple perspectives and refine their strategies. The result was stronger applications that held up well in Vinnova’s selection process.
The funding opens new opportunities for both companies
Having to choose between product development and customer-driven projects is a common dilemma for early startups. With Vinnova’s support, both ITSL Solutions and Collecct can now accelerate development and focus on the parts of their solutions that have the greatest long-term potential to deliver value.
For ITSL Solutions, the support means the company can continue building safer digital solutions for the public sector. For Collecct, it provides an opportunity to scale up innovation within digital circular flows. Together, the two examples clearly illustrate how crucial early-stage funding is for building the companies of the future.
This year’s Innovativa Startups call shows that northern Sweden continues to strengthen its position as an innovation region. Through targeted support, strategic coaching and regional collaboration, BizMaker has helped two promising companies take the next step in their development. Funding from Vinnova is not only financial; it also signals that these companies have strong business ideas, high technical quality and promising future potential.
With Collecct and ITSL Solutions as examples, it is clear that the region’s innovation environment continues to produce companies with ambitious goals and the potential to make a tangible difference.