Sweden’s next generation of startups is already taking shape behind departure announcements, early hiring plans and quietly assembled founding teams. Among the people building them are repeat entrepreneurs, experienced technology executives and operators stepping out of some of the ecosystem’s best-known companies.
Startup Researcher has selected 32 Sweden-based founders to watch as they develop ventures with limited public product disclosure. Their backgrounds span companies including Klarna, Legora, Reddit, Sana and GetAccept, alongside investment firms, financial institutions and industrial technology businesses. Together, they offer an early view of the experience and working relationships feeding new company formation in Sweden.
The Experience Behind Sweden’s New Stealth Ventures
Repeat Founders Are Returning to Company Building
Several people in this selection have already experienced the demands of founding, financing and developing a business. Patric Palm previously built Hansoft and Favro, Mikael Söderberg co-founded Pelagicore, and Fredrik Strömsten co-founded Qasa before taking senior roles at Sana.
Their previous journeys cover different outcomes and stages of development. The former Oterlu founders worked together at Reddit after its acquisition of their team, while Tom Johansson is building again following Hooked Foods’ closure. These backgrounds bring experience with recruitment, product development, customers and organizational change, although the new ventures will still need to establish their own commercial foundations.
Established Working Relationships Are Producing New Teams
Several ventures reunite people who have already worked together. Alexander Gee, Ludvig Gee and Sebastian Nabrink are building again after Oterlu and Reddit. Adam Wenhov, Jonatan Tegen and Joakim Sörensen bring complementary commercial and engineering experience from GetAccept.
Other teams connect Alexandra Aldous and Maja Lehbert from Legora, and Fredrik Strömsten and Oscar Täckström from Sana. These relationships give the new companies a shared working history from the outset, combining familiarity with different professional responsibilities.
AI Is Being Applied to Specific Operating Problems
Among the ventures whose direction has been disclosed, AI is being applied to specific industries and workflows. The GetAccept alumni behind Trailed are addressing customer retention and expansion, while Eren Idil and Elias Stove are developing computer-vision technology for physical security. Other founders are exploring ways to reduce the cost of running language models or to improve accounting and financial reporting.
The selection also extends into financing, consumer social products and precision health. These early descriptions suggest an emphasis on applying technology to problems the founders understand through previous work. The depth of disclosure varies considerably: some teams have described customers and pilots, while others have shared little beyond their sector and founding team.
32 Stealth Founders to Watch in Sweden
Adam Wenhov
Adam Wenhov spent a decade at GetAccept, working across sales and revenue operations as the company developed its B2B software business. He is now building Trailed with former colleagues Jonatan Tegen and Joakim Sörensen, focusing on customer retention, expansion, and revenue growth after a contract is signed. The team combines his commercial experience with engineering leadership and has begun recruiting across product development.
Ahmad Ghazawneh
Ahmad Ghazawneh combines entrepreneurship with academic research into digital platforms, innovation and business ecosystems. His previous ventures include Comodus, while his professional profile identifies a new CEO and founder role in stealth mode beginning in April 2026. Based in Lund, he brings experience spanning technology research and operating a business, with the new venture’s product still largely undisclosed.
Alexander Gee
Alexander Gee co-founded and led Oterlu, which developed machine-learning tools for content moderation, after earlier work in online safety at Google. The Oterlu team joined Reddit in 2022, where he subsequently worked on machine-learning systems for platform safety. He is now building a new AI venture with former co-founders Ludvig Gee and Sebastian Nabrink, extending a working relationship across three companies.
Alexandra Aldous
Alexandra Aldous was Legora’s first compliance counsel, working on the legal and compliance requirements of a growing AI company. She left in 2026 to build a consumer social venture with Maja Lehbert, with their public descriptions pointing toward the creator, curator and publishing ecosystem. The move takes her from supporting an enterprise technology business into developing a consumer product at its earliest stage.
Amir Salim
Amir Salim previously worked as an engineer at Lovable and founded Education Geeks, which he has described growing into a bootstrapped business with approximately US$5 million in revenue and a 25-person team. In November 2025, he announced that he was leaving Lovable to build his third company. His new venture remains lightly disclosed, bringing together previous founding experience and recent exposure to AI product development.
Ashley Lundström
Ashley Lundström moved into founding after approximately a decade at EQT Ventures, where she became a General Partner. Her current stealth co-founder role began in January 2026, marking a transition from evaluating and supporting technology companies to building one herself. The company’s product and sector remain undisclosed, making her investment experience and familiarity with startup development the clearest public foundations of the story.
Cecilia Tran
Cecilia Tran previously worked at Talentium, with responsibilities spanning investor materials, operations, product, and customers. Her earlier experience includes work on the relaunch of Fika in Vietnam, giving her exposure to both internal startup operations and consumer-facing execution. She began a new stealth co-founder role in September 2026, with the product and wider founding team still largely undisclosed.
Elias Stove
Elias Stove brings an engineering background that includes AI development at Capgemini and data engineering at Lunicore Student Consulting. He became a stealth co-founder in July 2026 and is identified as CTO alongside co-founder and CEO Eren Idil. Their Stockholm-based venture is developing physical AI for security and intelligence applications, including computer vision and the detection of behavioral patterns and anomalies.
Emil Fröberg
Emil Fröberg co-founded and served as CEO of Vectorview, subsequently Andon Labs, a company from Y Combinator’s Winter 2024 batch. Before founding, he worked in product and data at Klarna, building experience relevant to the development and adoption of AI products. His new stealth role began in December 2025, following an announcement that he was stepping down as CEO to build another venture focused on accelerating AI-agent adoption.
Eren Idil
Eren Idil co-founded Maia Genomics, later known as Omika Health, which developed AI software for analyzing genetic information. He is now CEO and co-founder of a Stockholm-based physical AI venture alongside CTO Elias Stove, developing computer-vision technology for security and intelligence applications. Swedish company records connect the pair to Delonar AB, established in 2026, while the venture's specific product capabilities remain only partially disclosed.
Erika Eliasson Ekberger
Erika Eliasson Ekberger previously served as Deputy CEO of Lendify, founded Arith and chaired the Swedish Fintech Association. She is now developing a venture within 0TO9 that aims to connect household capital with financing for European small and medium-sized businesses. Her background brings together fintech operations, financial-market infrastructure and industry representation, while the new company continues to develop in stealth.
Filip Stål
Filip Stål co-founded Bluebook as CTO, helping develop an AI accounting company that joined Y Combinator’s Winter 2025 batch and attracted backing from EQT Ventures. His LinkedIn profile lists a new stealth co-founder role beginning in July 2026. That same month, Acilio AB was registered in Sweden, with Stål named as a board member. Acilio’s website also identifies him as CTO of its AI platform for commercial planning and promotion management in the consumer goods industry. The timing and corporate records establish a strong connection, although they do not explicitly confirm that Acilio is the venture referenced in his stealth listing.
Fredrik Said
Fredrik Said co-founded PodX and previously led global expansion at Acast, building experience in international growth, partnerships and media businesses. He began a new stealth founder role in September 2026, based in Stockholm. The venture’s sector and product remain undisclosed, while his previous work provides a substantial commercial and company-building background for the new undertaking.
Fredrik Strömsten
Fredrik Strömsten co-founded and led Qasa before serving as Chief Product Officer and Chief Strategy Officer at Sana. His earlier career also includes investment experience at Cevian Capital, combining financial analysis with product and operating leadership. He is now building Bliss, previously known as Fermi, with former Sana Chief Scientist Oscar Täckström. The venture is developing software for accounting and financial reporting and was reported in April 2026 to have raised SEK 125 million (approximately US$13.4 million), although its specific product capabilities remain largely undisclosed.
Joakim Sörensen
Joakim Sörensen joined GetAccept as its fourth engineer in 2019 and subsequently became an Engineering Lead. He is now building Trailed with Adam Wenhov and Jonatan Tegen, applying the team’s experience to post-sale customer management and revenue growth. His background brings hands-on software development and engineering leadership to a founding team with a clear commercial understanding of the problem.
Jonatan Tegen
Jonatan Tegen spent eight years at GetAccept, following earlier experience leading consultants at Lime. His career combines software development, engineering leadership, and work with business customers. He announced his departure to build in stealth with Adam Wenhov and Joakim Sörensen, forming the team behind Trailed’s focus on customer retention and expansion.
Lars Backman
Lars Backman was Legora’s first security hire and Security Lead, with earlier experience at Juni, Tink and WithSecure. His work covered security engineering, governance and enterprise requirements as Legora expanded. After leaving in summer 2026, he announced plans to build something of his own and now lists a stealth startup, with the new product still undisclosed.
Ludvig Gee
Ludvig Gee co-founded Oterlu before becoming a Senior Software Engineer at Reddit following the acquisition of its team. His background combines early-stage company building with experience developing software inside a global consumer platform. He is now building another AI venture with Alexander Gee and Sebastian Nabrink, continuing the founding partnership established at Oterlu.
Maja Lehbert
Maja Lehbert built Legora’s customer-enablement function after previously spending four years at Klarna. She left Legora in 2026 to co-found a consumer social company with Alexandra Aldous, publicly describing an interest in the creator, curator and publishing ecosystem. The team has sought early users and technical talent while keeping the wider product proposition under wraps.
Maria Söderholm
Maria Söderholm previously led SEB’s digital workplace, with responsibilities spanning enterprise technology, adoption, security and service delivery. Her career also includes Microsoft-related customer and technology leadership, giving her experience with the practical requirements of deploying software across large organizations. She is now a co-founder of a stealth AI venture, bringing that enterprise perspective into early-stage company building.
Maya Garkusha
Maya Garkusha’s background includes Spotify, where she worked across Nordic automation and EMEA partner sales, alongside broader experience in programmatic advertising. She has also served on the board of Stockholm AI, connecting her commercial career with the local AI community. Her stealth co-founder role began in October 2026, with the company’s product and target market still undisclosed.
Meysam Sadegh
Meysam Sadegh previously founded Texelio and Noteful AI, combining product development with company leadership. His earlier career includes corporate strategy and M&A at GE Healthcare Life Sciences, alongside strategic consulting work for businesses including Securitas and Husqvarna. He added a stealth co-founder role in January 2026, bringing both previous founding experience and an understanding of enterprise decision-making to the new venture.
Mikael Söderberg
Mikael Söderberg co-founded automotive software company Pelagicore, which was acquired by Luxoft in 2016. He subsequently held senior technology and product responsibilities at companies including Tibber, Northvolt and Scoutbee, spanning industrial systems, energy and software businesses. Since December 2025, he has been building a new venture at the intersection of hardware, software and AI, with the product still largely undisclosed.
Niklas Lohmann
Niklas Lohmann co-founded and led community-platform company Haaartland and founded Super8, building experience across digital products, communities and B2B marketing. Since March 2026, he has listed himself as founder of a stealth AI startup. His stated direction concerns an LLM business with a different approach to compute costs, although the underlying technology and product have not been publicly explained.
Oscar Täckström
Oscar Täckström was Chief Scientist at Sana, following earlier research experience at Google and Inceptive. He is now co-founding Bliss, previously known as Fermi, alongside former Sana product and strategy executive Fredrik Strömsten. The company is developing software for accounting and financial reporting and was reported in April 2026 to have raised SEK 125 million (approximately US$13.4 million). The venture combines Täckström’s machine-learning expertise with Strömsten’s product and company-building experience, while detailed product information remains limited.
Patric Palm
Patric Palm previously built Hansoft and founded Favro, giving him extensive experience developing software businesses and products for organizational collaboration. He has since described ending the Planner8 project and moving into a new AI company that remains in stealth. The new undertaking draws on a career spent working on how teams coordinate, manage projects and organize complex work.
Patrick Wadström
Patrick Wadström’s background includes software engineering and the CTO role at SAFE Asset Group. He began a stealth AI co-founder role in February 2026, adding early-stage company building to his technology leadership experience. He is also CEO of Buyra Labs AB, whose public materials describe an AI platform for retail insights, reporting and analysis, although the connection between Buyra and his stealth listing has not been explicitly confirmed.
Rami Ballout
Rami Ballout founded management consultancy Dyve and has invested in early-stage AI companies through TREBL Ventures. His background also includes startup coaching and participation in KTH’s 2026 Venture Builder cohort. He is now concentrating on a new venture, with a stealth AI role listed from May 2026 and a recent announcement that he would devote his full time and focus to building it.
Sebastian Nabrink
Sebastian Nabrink co-founded Oterlu and subsequently worked at Reddit, with earlier machine-learning experience at Stena IT. He is now building a new stealth AI company alongside Alexander Gee and Ludvig Gee, reuniting the former Oterlu founding team. His experience connects applied machine learning, startup development and work inside a large-scale technology platform.
Sofia Svanteson
Sofia Svanteson has approximately 25 years of entrepreneurial experience and has co-founded companies including Ocean Observations, Elsa Science and Axial Cell Systems. She is now co-founder and CEO of Somen, which she has publicly described as building infrastructure for preventive care centered on patients. Elected to the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences in 2025, she brings a background spanning design, technology and health-related company building.
Tom Johansson
Tom Johansson co-founded and led Hooked Foods, gaining experience in fundraising, product development, team building and retail distribution before the company closed. He is now building a B2B AI venture and has publicly reported more than 100 users and its first paying customers. Despite sharing those early milestones, he has disclosed limited information about the product’s identity and broader positioning.
Zakaria Hersi
Zakaria Hersi previously held growth, partnerships and business-development responsibilities at Truecaller and Rebtel, including work across African and Middle Eastern markets. He later worked in investment and portfolio management at The Inner Foundation, alongside founding initiatives including Orten.io. His Stockholm-based stealth co-founder role began in September 2026, bringing together international operating experience, entrepreneurship and early-stage investing.
Methodology
This selection is based on publicly available information reviewed through October 24, 2026, including professional profiles, founders’ own announcements, company materials, institutional biographies and credible reporting.
The research focused on Sweden-based founders developing new ventures during 2026, with selected 2025 starts also included. Where available, dates refer to the individual’s current venture or founding role rather than the registration of a legal entity.
For this mapping, stealth refers to founders who publicly identify their current ventures as operating in stealth or whose new company-building activity was initially disclosed only in limited terms. Independent research sometimes uncovered registered companies, founding teams and product information not identified in those initial announcements. These findings were included where supported by public evidence. A publicly known company name, financing, recruitment activity, pilots or paying customers did not automatically disqualify a founder.
Selection considered previous company-building experience, operating responsibilities, technical expertise, and the substance of the available background information. The list is alphabetical and is not a ranking. Each individual is counted separately, including people working on the same founding team.
As these ventures disclose more, attention will shift toward their products, customers and ability to execute. For now, their founders’ backgrounds provide an early basis for following what comes next: experienced teams returning to company building, operators taking on founding roles and new businesses emerging from relationships formed across Sweden’s technology ecosystem.