Multiple award-winning cultivation company Vissheim from Linköping takes in new capital and is investing heavily in growth with its smart plant furniture. The financing comes from a new share issue, where both three existing and one new owner invested in the company, growth loans from Almi and Swedbank and innovation grants from Vinnova.
“This means that we have the resources and conditions to really take advantage of the great opportunities in the market we have identified, take the next step with the company and start focusing intensively on growth,” says Vissheim’s co-founder & CEO Erik Söderby
Vissheim has won several prizes in the past year and has been recognized in the media for its cultivation innovations, and despite limited resources, has made significant progress and linked to several large customers and strategic collaborations. Now the company is shifting up and investing in strong long-term growth – with the help of funding from several different directions.
– It is honorable that our external owners, with Mannerson’s Real Estate at the forefront, believe in us so much that they want to reinvest in the company, and that we also get a new owner with experience from the furniture and manufacturing industry feels really fun and exciting. We are fortunate to be surrounded by so experienced and committed people, they have certainly helped us reach where we are today, Erik continues.
The financing consists partly of a new share issue, where three existing and one new owner buy shares in the company, as well as growth loans from Almi and Swedbank and innovation grants from Vinnova. The new owner is Markus Strand, the CEO, and co-owner of Garpco AB, who owns and develops small and medium-sized industrial companies. Garpco AB owns companies within office furnishings business that are similar to Vissheim’s products.
– For a company to be successful, a stable market idea, and a management that is both knowledgeable and committed are needed. After meeting with the founders of Vissheim and seeing their products, I am convinced that this company has the future for itself, and it will be interesting to be involved and contribute to Vissheim’s exciting future, says Vissheim’s new partner Markus Strand.
Johannes Walfridsson and John-Åke Svensson, chairman and member of Vissheim’s board also reinvest in the company. Johannes and John-Åke, like Mannerson’s Real Estate, also invested in the company last year and have since 2017 been active advisors in Vissheim.
Vissheim develops technology for automated cultivation and designs smart plant furniture for offices, restaurants and public environments. The big vision is that the cities of the future will be green, sustainable experiences with small independent crops of edible plants just about everywhere, and Vissheim’s mission is to create technology and solutions for this to be realizable. Vissheim, which was founded in Linköping 2016 by Erik Söderby, Josefin Persson and Tobias Hultqvist, has plant furniture on the market and just launched its second – the modular and hydroponic plant shelter Vimur.
