Combient Foundry, the pan-European venture client alliance backed by the Wallenberg ecosystem, today announced its expansion into Denmark with the opening of a Copenhagen office. The move marks the alliance’s first dedicated Nordic expansion outside Sweden and Finland, bringing a structured, proven model for corporate-startup collaboration to the Danish market.
Leading the expansion is Jakob Gaard, appointed Managing Director Denmark. Jakob has spent years at the center of Silicon Valley’s startup economy, gaining first-hand insight into how the world’s most advanced companies identify, engage, and adopt emerging technology. He subsequently brought that experience back to Denmark, building and running corporate innovation programs that moved large organisations like Grundfos and COWI from startup interest to real business outcomes. His background spans corporate innovation, venture capital, and strategic partnerships across Europe and North America.
CEO Lauri Lehtovuori (left) welcomes Jakob Gaard (right) as Managing Director Denmark to Combient Foundry.
The Venture Client Model: From Program to Practice
Combient Foundry operates on the venture client principle: corporations become early customers of startups – not investors, not accelerator sponsors – acquiring startup solutions to solve real business problems at speed. The model bypasses the delays and misalignments that typically slow corporate-startup engagement, and delivers measurable value to both sides.
Combient Foundry is part of the Combient group – a Nordic alliance of leading industrial companies like Scania, SKF, Husqvarna Group and Kion Group, working together to strengthen long-term competitiveness through shared platforms, knowledge, and innovation infrastructure. Through Combient Foundry, member corporations gain access to a structured venture client methodology, a curated startup pipeline, and a peer network of practitioners across Europe – built on years of experience working with some of the continent’s most demanding industrial organisations.
The Venture Alliance builds on that foundation. Instead of each company developing capabilities entirely in isolation, the alliance connects industrial players across organisational and national boundaries. Members share operational learnings, evaluation frameworks and supplier insights. The objective is practical: reduce duplication, strengthen execution and increase speed.
“I spent years in Silicon Valley watching how the world’s most advanced companies access and adopt new technology. The gap between what is available out there and what Danish industry is actually capturing is enormous. The venture client model is the fastest and most structured way I know to close it. That is the mission.” Jakob Gaard, Managing Director Denmark at Combient Foundry
Denmark: A Strategic Expansion Market
Denmark is home to a concentration of globally competitive industrial companies operating in sectors where startup-driven innovation is increasingly decisive – energy transition, logistics, life sciences, agriculture, and advanced manufacturing. With the Copenhagen office, Combient Foundry will work directly with Danish corporations to build and mature venture client capabilities as an operational discipline, not a one-off initiative.
As a first signal of intent, Combient Foundry will host a closed roundtable for senior technology leaders in Copenhagen, bringing together executives from Danish industry to explore how the venture client model applies to their sectors and innovation priorities.
“Denmark is a natural next step after the work we’ve built in Sweden, Finland, and Central Europe. And we’re already seeing real interest from Danish industrials in venture clienting. The co-creation opportunities in deeptech, AI, energy, and other areas where transformation is happening run not only across industrial companies but into the startup ecosystem. We need both sides.” Lauri Lehtovuori, CEO of Combient Foundry
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About Combient Foundry
Combient Foundry is a pan-European venture client alliance that enables leading industrial corporations to adopt startup technologies as early customers. The alliance operates a structured venture client methodology, a curated startup pipeline, and a practitioner network across Europe. Combient Foundry is part of the Combient group and backed by the Wallenberg ecosystem.
For press requests, please contact: Sylvia Paersch, Head of Marketing at Combient Foundry
Børsen published an article on the Denmark expansion.
