Oslo, a city steeped in the paradox of being a leading oil and gas producer while simultaneously championing an audacious green transition, recently threw open its doors to the future.
The 21st iteration of Oslo Innovation Week, a vibrant confluence of 15,000 minds from business, public institutions, investment, and academia, wasn’t just another conference.
It was a potent demonstration of how research and raw entrepreneurial drive are converging to forge scalable climate solutions.
The air buzzed with a tangible sense of urgency, underpinned by the city’s ambitious target to slash emissions by at least 55% by 2030, relative to 1990 levels (Oslo Climate Strategy).
The financial currents are certainly flowing in the right direction.
Oslo’s annual venture capital has surged an astounding 13-fold since 2014, hitting $650 million this year.
This remarkable growth isn’t accidental; it’s a deliberate investment in the very sectors poised to redefine our relationship with the planet: clean and green technology, maritime innovation, and life sciences.
Yet, as the latest State of the City report wisely notes, Oslo must shrewdly decide which sustainability advantages to double down on, a strategic imperative if it is to truly meet its formidable decarbonization goals (Oslo’s Climate Budget).
The solutions on display spanned a fascinating spectrum of industries, each tackling a critical facet of the climate crisis.
From reimagining food systems to de-carbonizing tourism and quantifying environmental risk in real estate, the ingenuity was palpable.
These weren’t just abstract ideas; they were tangible, market-ready innovations, spearheaded by visionaries acutely aware of the ticking clock.
Take NoMy, for instance, the deserving winner of the Oslo Innovation Award 2025.
This company is on a mission to revolutionize the food industry by transforming what was once waste—side streams from sugar and dairy supply chains—into nutrient-rich mycoproteins using fungal mycelium.
It’s a bold move, leveraging unique AI-driven fermentation technologies to create a high-fiber, protein-packed ingredient for meat alternatives (Sustainable Food System Innovations).
With €1.25 million recently secured to expand commercialization and a strategic partnership already forged in Japan, NoMy’s global potential is undeniable.
CEO and co-founder Ingrid Dynna articulates a clear vision: “To meet the growing demand for 15% more protein globally, we need to find different ways to produce food, approaches that stay within planetary boundaries.”
Her philosophy isn’t about replacing existing proteins but complementing them, fundamentally decoupling environmental impact from food production itself.
NoMy’s ambition is nothing short of deploying its technology across numerous markets, addressing food security and building a more resilient global food system.
Then there’s Avisomo, tackling the perennial challenges of food waste and inefficient supply chains with modular vertical farming.
Their hands-off, robot-automated systems promise high-quality fresh produce with minimal resource input. (Impact of Vertical Farming)
The company’s €5.2 million funding, including a grant from Innovation Norway, underscores the confidence in their approach.
Chief Commercial Officer Endre Thesen Harnes is keenly aware of vertical farming’s energy footprint.
“The primary driver of the environmental impact is related to energy use, so integrating renewable energy into operations is a clear step,” he explains, highlighting Norway’s abundant hydropower as a natural advantage.
Avisomo’s experimentation, from selecting optimal plant breeds to fine-tuning light frequencies, irrigation, and nutrient mixes, showcases a meticulous dedication to efficiency.
Their pilot with Coop, one of Norway’s largest grocery retailers, is particularly insightful, demonstrating how vertically farmed leafy greens, grown adjacent to a distribution center on Oslo’s periphery, can replace imports, drastically reduce transport emissions, and improve forecasting to minimize waste.
This is not just about growing food; it’s about rewiring local supply chains for sustainability.
Celine Sandberg, CEO and founder of material innovator Agoprene, offers a stark reminder: “We’re sleeping on oil and most people don’t realize.”
Her company confronts the ubiquity of petroleum-based foam found in everything from mattresses to fashion accessories. (Agoprene Seaweed Foam)
Agoprene’s ingenious solution is a sustainable alternative derived from seaweed foam, entirely free of petrochemicals and toxic chemicals.
What began as an idea for wetsuits has expanded to meet the needs of furniture and packaging manufacturers, leveraging locally sourced seaweed and crab shell waste.
With a recent EU grant and the successful launch of automated production, Agoprene is poised for scale.
Sandberg emphasizes the critical difference: “Unlike traditional versions, this foam doesn’t introduce new carbon into the system.
Even if it’s burned, it won’t release additional carbon beyond what’s already circulating.”
She points to corporate targets, like IKEA’s plan to replace petroleum-based foam by 2030, as a powerful market driver.
Agoprene isn’t just selling a product; it’s enabling a systemic shift.
Oslo, recognized as one of the top five maritime cities globally and a leader in sustainable tourism (Electric Boats for Sustainable Tourism), faces its own unique environmental challenges, particularly concerning the health of its fjords.
Waste and noise pollution threaten these pristine ecosystems.
Enter Brim Explorer, whose hybrid electric boats offer a silent, emission-free way to experience Norway’s majestic waters.
This isn’t just good business; it’s a response to groundbreaking policy: by 2026, fjord zones will become zero-emission areas for tourist ships and ferries.
CEO Agnes Árnadóttir and co-founder Espen Larsen-Hakkebo recount the early hurdles, noting the non-existence of suitable electric fleet technology when Brim started in 2018.
Their solution involved partnering with an Italian electric motor producer, a testament to cross-border collaboration.
With 40 million NOK secured to build the world’s first all-electric high-speed trimarans, Brim’s trajectory is clear.
Beyond its innovative vessels, Brim leverages tourism as a platform for advocacy, employing marine biologists as crew to educate passengers and consciously eschewing meat on board.
“The message we want to share is one of technological optimism,” Árnadóttir affirms, “we want to demonstrate that there are solutions and reasons to be hopeful.”
Finally, Telescope, founded in 2022, offers a crucial tool for navigating the escalating risks of a changing climate.
CEO Gustav Haaland describes their AI-driven platform as a “Google Maps for climate risk,” translating complex environmental data—from extreme weather to biodiversity loss—into actionable insights for real estate portfolios.
This is not merely an academic exercise; as Allianz SE’s chairman of the sustainability board, Günther Thallinger, articulated, climate change is a systemic risk threatening the very foundation of the financial sector. (AI for Climate Risk Management)
Telescope’s €3.7 million funding round underscores the market’s recognition of this imperative.
Haaland explains that by simply entering an address, their platform can screen for physical risks like flooding and biodiversity loss, while also fetching energy performance data.
What sets Telescope apart is its granular, local precision, capturing hazards like quick clay landslides in Norway that international systems often miss.
Haaland and CFO Marit Bjerkreim credit Oslo as an exceptional incubator: “Executives are approachable and feedback is accessible.
The city provides the right conditions to validate ideas and value propositions before entering other markets.”
Oslo Innovation Week wasn’t just a showcase; it was a powerful narrative of a city and a nation grappling with its industrial legacy while fiercely embracing a greener future.
The innovators highlighted here are more than just startups; they are crucial enablers of a global transition, demonstrating that with strategic investment, collaborative spirit, and unwavering ingenuity, the daunting challenges of climate change can indeed be met with scalable, impactful solutions.
The optimism emanating from Oslo is not naive; it is hard-earned and deeply rooted in tangible progress.
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