Four Norwegian tech startups secure EU funding

The four companies now receiving EU support are Muzziball, Variment, Innsikt.AI and Lithium367. As Women TechEU recipients, they will each receive €75,000 in funding to scale up further, as well as coaching and accelerator services. They will also gain access to a range of competence-building and networking events across Europe. We are the national contact point for Women TechEU in Norway and can help companies with their applications when needed.

Muzziball CEO Ingerine Dahl is delighted to have made it through the highly competitive Women TechEU selection process (read the other winners' reactions later in the article).

'For Muzziball, such a unique product, to be recognised as a deep-tech product at European level is a major achievement and puts us in a completely different league. This recognition, along with the opportunity to receive coaching on entering the European market, is hugely important to us,' says Ingerine Dahl.

After Women TechEU's third open call closed on 17 March 2025, the EU-funded programme received a record 1,038 applications from 43 eligible countries, the highest number of submissions to date.

'It is exciting to see Norwegian entrepreneurs holding their own among Europe’s leading companies. The fact that four of the forty awards have gone to Norwegian, women-led companies shows that Norwegian entrepreneurs play an important role in shaping the future of European business,' says our CEO, Håkon Haugli.

Women TechEU was launched in 2022 to increase the number of women-led technology companies in Europe. To apply for funding, your company must have been founded or co-founded by a woman who holds a leadership position in the company, and women must own at least 25 per cent of the company when you apply.

‘Women TechEU offers women-led companies a valuable opportunity to raise their profile internationally while gaining access to capital, expertise and networks. We look forward to following these companies on their growth journey,’ says Haugli.

Muzziball AS was founded in early 2023 by entrepreneur and CEO Ingerine Dahl. Together with COO Aleksandra Jankovic, she is a driving force behind the Stavanger-based company. The company is developing Muzziball, an interactive deep-tech sensor ball. This health and education technology product uses deep-tech IoT and big data to combine movement, light and sound, stimulating physical, cognitive and emotional activity. Muzziball is motion-controlled and comes with an app offering a growing range of tailored programmes developed by specialists. This enables targeted use in education and healthcare, particularly in dementia care and for people on the autism spectrum. Many people with dementia, autism or multisensory challenges respond poorly to traditional treatments or stimuli, or do not have regular access to them. Muzziball provides an interactive, multisensory experience that encourages movement and creates opportunities for positive moments and cognitive learning through AI-powered data content structured around emotional and physiological responses. Muzziball is being further developed with research partners including the University of Oslo, RITMO, Trinity College Dublin, Toyo University in Tokyo, and the company's own PhD candidate and COO, Aleksandra Jankovic, at the University of Stavanger.

'We are incredibly proud to be a health technology company that bridges the gap between art, health and emerging technology. Through our support from Innovation Norway and collaboration with academic partners, we have received valuable guidance and access to testing environments that have strengthened our development. It is especially motivating to have been selected for the third Women TechEU call from among 1,038 applicants across 42 countries,' says CEO Ingerine Dahl.

Variment develops AI-based role-play simulations that help health and care professionals improve their communication and interpersonal skills. Poor communication in the sector currently has serious consequences, including misdiagnoses, conflicts and high staff turnover – all of which come at a significant cost to both services and patients. Unlike traditional training methods such as VR simulations and on-site courses, Variment offers a realistic, accessible and highly scalable solution. The technology has the potential to halve training costs while improving quality. The company has already received support from us, Lundin Foundation, Loyal VC and the Oslo Regional Research Fund.

‘Receiving Women TechEU support is an important milestone for us. We are currently running pilot projects with public and private health and care organisations. Our next step is to launch and commercialise. Women TechEU provides not only the funding, but also the network and recognition we need to achieve our goal,’ says CEO Mai Phan.

Innsikt.AI grew out of a research project led by Gunn Astrid Baugerud, Professor of Psychology and Child Welfare at OsloMet. Working with researchers from OsloMet and SimulaMet, the team has developed an AI-based avatar that helps police and child welfare professionals practise their skills in interviewing and questioning children. The idea arose from the need to rethink training. For more than 30 years, research has shown a significant gap between best-practice guidelines and how professionals interview and question children in practice.

The research project ended in March 2023, and the startup has continued to develop the AI-based training platform. Today, it is also relevant for other professionals who need to practise conducting information-gathering interviews with children and young people, including healthcare professionals, teachers, early years educators, lawyers and judges.

‘The support from Women TechEU is an important recognition of Innsikt.AI’s work and vision to bring an AI-based conversational training platform into practice. The aim is to strengthen professionals’ skills in conversations with vulnerable children, helping to ensure that every child’s story is heard and that they receive the help and follow-up they need,’ says founder Gunn Astrid Baugerud.

Lithium367 AS is developing a patent-pending process to recover and upgrade materials from used batteries. Its innovative water-based process produces high-purity lithium products and battery-grade iron phosphate without acids or harmful chemicals, enabling a more sustainable and circular battery value chain. Founded in 2023, the company’s team has more than 50 years of combined experience in materials science, hydrometallurgy and business development. Samaneh Etemadi is one of the co-founders and the company’s CEO. Lithium367 has been recognised as one of the top 25 Nordic cleantech companies and has received national grants from the Research Council of Norway and Innovation Norway.

‘Being selected for Women TechEU is an important milestone for us. It gives us both recognition and resources to accelerate the commercialisation of our technology, while providing access to valuable networks and mentors across Europe. This support strengthens our mission to make battery recycling truly sustainable and position Norway as a key player in the circular battery economy,’ says CEO Samaneh Etemadi.