Einride Founders Launch Navisalma VC Firm

Just months after the public debut of their electric and autonomous freight company, Einride's co-founders, Robert Falck and Linnéa Kornehed Falck, have unveiled a new venture capital firm named Navisalma. They are joined by Robert Westerdahl, a former McKinsey partner and co-founder of Material Economics, to establish this European frontier technology scaling platform. The trio aims to address what they perceive as a significant challenge in Europe: translating world-class research and engineering into globally dominant companies.

Navisalma's core thesis posits that while Europe excels at innovation, it often falters in commercializing and scaling these advancements. The firm intends to bridge this gap by integrating investment, product development, design, branding, and scaling operations into a unified platform. This approach moves beyond a purely technology-centric view, emphasizing that leading global companies are defined by more than just their underlying tech. Linnéa Kornehed Falck highlighted that design is integral, not merely an add-on, to building category leaders.

The firm's operational model is designed to function as a hybrid, blending the innovative mindset of venture capital with the value-creation strategies typically associated with private equity. This dual focus is intended to nurture deep-tech startups from their early stages through to significant market expansion. Navisalma plans to raise approximately €450 million over the next three years, targeting European deep-tech ventures, particularly in fields like robotics. An initial fund of around €40 million, largely committed by the founders and early investors, will cover initial operational costs and seed investments.

The ambition is clear: to cultivate ten new global market leaders within a decade. The firm has already made its first investment in Abundry, a Swedish startup utilizing AI and decision intelligence to enhance the performance of existing energy infrastructure. This initial portfolio company aligns with Navisalma's objective of backing innovative technologies with strong scaling potential.

The genesis of Navisalma is closely tied to Einride itself. Recently, Einride divested its design division to Navisalma Design, a newly formed entity led by Kornehed Falck and partners. This unit, responsible for product, industrial, and creative design, had been fielding increasing external client interest. The transaction was structured as a business transfer at market value, with Einride retaining a minority stake and a multi-year brand and design services agreement.

This strategic move by the Einride founders comes shortly after the company's Nasdaq listing in June via a SPAC merger with Legato Merger Corp. III, achieving a valuation of $1.35 billion. While Robert Falck transitioned from CEO to Executive Chairman prior to the IPO, his continued involvement underscores the founders' commitment to fostering technological advancement. The launch of Navisalma so soon after Einride's public market debut signals a dynamic period for the founders and a renewed focus on building the next generation of European tech giants.