40 years of innovation – stories from Linköping Science Park
David Löwenbrand is a serial entrepreneur who co-founded the technology company Kreatel, which specialized in streaming media . He maintains close ties with Linköping Science Park and Linköping University, an affiliation that began during his studies . Today, Löwenbrand is focused on his latest company, Sensorbee .
Löwenbrand’s chapter details the dynamic yet unstable conditions of the late 1990s tech boom . Kreatel, founded in 1996, secured its first deal shortly after and found its primary market by investing in the growing field of IPTV . Following an injection of 100 million SEK from venture capital, the company was driven by the principle to “Think bigger, Move faster” . This era encouraged rapid expansion and significant spending . Löwenbrand describes the culture during this period of acceleration:
“The more money we burned, the more praise we received from the board, as they saw it as a sign that good things were happening.”
The dot-com crash of 2001 halted this growth, replacing the expansion focus with a mandate prioritizing profit and profitability . Kreatel faced immediate difficulty, reducing its workforce from 150 to just 35 employees . Löwenbrand emphasizes the importance of accountability for leaders and owners during such periods . Kreatel managed to survive, benefiting from ecosystem support – such as neighbor Sectra taking over the contract for their newly built property – before Motorola acquired the company in 2006 .
Löwenbrand remains involved in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, participating in Linköping Science Park’s development programs with his current company, Sensorbee . Sensorbee offers an all-in-one system for analyzing and monitoring air quality in cities . Löwenbrand values the concentration of expertise and the ease of collaboration between local companies and the university, noting it is simple to engage students for thesis projects and part-time work . While acknowledging that starting a new venture is demanding, Löwenbrand is motivated by the drive for new breakthroughs.
This text is part of the article series based on Linköping Science Park’s 40-year book, which is available here
