PSV Hafnium is the first Danish venture fund dedicated to deep tech innovation. The fund will support research-based deep tech companies primarily in Denmark and the rest of the Nordic region. 65% of the start-up companies that receive support must focus on climate action and environmental sustainability.
PSV Hafnium has a close connection to DTU, which means, among other things, that the foundation is very close to scientific experts and innovation. DTU has one of the most well-developed ecosystems for innovation and entrepreneurship among European technical universities.
Marianne Thellersen, Senior Vice President for innovation and entrepreneurship, sees a strong connection between DTU's innovation ecosystem and the new fund:
"At DTU, we strive for a sustainable future. We do this, among other things, by creating technological innovation and research breakthroughs for the benefit of society. I look forward to seeing what the collaboration with the new PSV Hafnium fund can lead to. I am sure that among DTU's researchers and students, there are deep tech solutions and ideas that can greatly benefit from the new fund. Strong forces are behind it, and the deep tech part suits DTU very well".
The fund's investments will be early capital injections for companies in their start-up phase. These will typically be startups based on technology validated in a laboratory and run by teams with a solid scientific background. In this way, the foundation can use its connections to Danish universities to gain access to an extensive portfolio of scientific inventions and provide support to the companies that receive support.
At DTU, President Anders Bjarklev looks forward to having an actor like PSV Hafnium, as the focus on investments in science and engineering-based technology companies is entirely in line with DTU's work:
“DTU's vision is to create value for society and the world through research that solves global challenges and supports inventions towards the market. Building bridges between university and venture environments is absolutely essential, which is why it has been crucial for us to support PSV Foundry and the Managing Partners in creating a fund with a 100% focus on deep tech."