STOCKHOLM, Sweden, October 24, 2025 — The inaugural Angel Prize Summit brought together over 300 Nordic investors, business leaders, and policymakers in Stockholm who arrived optimistic about AI but left focused on the urgent need for coordination.
The closed-door summit convened leaders from the AI, energy, infrastructure, defence, and capital sectors to address fragmentation across the Nordic region. Speakers included Karl Nehammer, Vice President of the European Investment Bank; Erna Solberg, former Prime Minister of Norway; and Peter Bartram, Chairman of MW Group and former Chief of Defence, Denmark.
Pre- and post-summit polling showed a shift in participant priorities. Before sessions began, "AI" and "competitiveness" dominated responses when leaders were asked what would most impact the Nordic region. After a day of discussions on AI, energy, infrastructure, defence, and capital deployment, "cooperation," "collaboration," "coordination," and "political leadership" rose to the top.
Discussions pointed to a shared conclusion: that Nordic countries need better structures for working together to maintain competitiveness and build resilience.
Former Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg called for renewed political courage:
"Populist politics have overtaken long-term thinking on energy. We must protect the Nordic energy market from being fragmented by short-term political decisions."
Karl Nehammer of the European Investment Bank emphasised the strategic stakes:
"Energy is the base for investments in innovation, and in these times, energy investments also mean investments in independence. Security and competitiveness are two sides of the same coin. We need a systemic approach with energy, infrastructure, and security all belong together."
Peter Bartram, former Chief of Defence for Denmark, reframed the modern challenge:
"Modern conflict is no longer armies fighting armies; it's societies up against societies. We need a whole-of-society approach—investors, innovators, and institutions working together to build resilience."
Next Steps
“The summit proved there’s a clear willingness to collaborate. Now it’s about setting the right structures in place to actually execute,” said Ash Pournouri, Co-founder & Chairman of Nordic Angels.
"What has started is a shift from fragmented initiatives to a shared direction. The next phase is turning that alignment into concrete action," added Andreas Grape, Co-founder & CEO of Nordic Angels.
Angel Prize Summit serves as the foundation for continued Nordic coordination. Nordic Angels leads efforts to develop solutions for cross-border collaboration in capital deployment, strategic infrastructure, and policy alignment.
Press Contact
Emma Lilliequist
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About Nordic Angels
Nordic Angels is an independent initiative uniting angel investors in a high-trust network to catalyse collaboration, spark innovation, and build a more resilient Nordic economy. Founded in 2020, Nordic Angels has grown to become the largest investor network in the region.