Frequently Asked Questions

Almi’s loans are available to small and medium-sized businesses across all industries in Sweden. Your company should have up to 250 employees and either an annual turnover not exceeding EUR 50 million or total assets of no more than EUR 43 million.

To be eligible, you also need to show that your full capital needs can’t be met through other sources, such as a bank – and that your business idea has potential for development and profitability.

Learn more here

No – you can apply even if your company hasn’t been registered yet.

However, the business must be registered before a loan can be paid out.

No, Almi does not offer loans to private individuals. We only provide loans to businesses with up to 250 employees. The company does not need to be registered at the time of application, but it must be registered before an approved loan can be paid out.

Sometimes it’s easy to think that a loan is the answer to everything. But running a business is about so much more.

We know this because we meet thousands of entrepreneurs across Sweden every year. That’s why it’s important for us to understand your unique needs – and why we want to meet you, either in person or digitally, even when you’re applying for a loan.

Prepare the following before starting your application:

If your company has completed an annual financial statement, please include:

• the most recent annual accounts – even if they haven’t been audited
  current interim figures
• if the annual accounts are older than four months, both a profit and loss statement and a balance sheet

If your company does not yet have an annual financial statement, please include:

• a budget
• interim figures, if available

When submitting interim figures, please also include a comparison with the same period the previous year (profit and loss statement and balance sheet). This helps us understand how your business may have developed and speeds up the processing of your loan application.

You can read more about what to consider when applying for a loan.

Venture capital is equity investment in scalable companies with strong growth potential. In exchange for capital, investors receive shares in the company, and founders need to give up part of their control to new owners.

The goal is to develop the company successfully together and achieve a positive exit within 5–7 years. An exit can take place, for example, through an IPO or an industrial sale.

Almi Invest invests in Swedish startups with scalable business models and national as well as international market potential. Almi Invest is sector-agnostic and operates across the country through eight regional venture capital companies.

Venture capital means selling a share of your company to an investor who, in exchange for capital, receives equity. A loan, on the other hand, must be repaid over time.

A venture capital investor typically takes an active ownership role – for example, by joining the company’s board of directors.

Tell us how you want to change the world and accelerate your company’s growth by submitting your pitch.

Our investment criteria:

• New, unique, and innovative Swedish startups with global market potential
• Teams with a strong mix of skills, working styles, and experience
• Scalable business models with unique technologies or niche offerings
• Solutions that address real, significant customer problems and open up
• new market opportunities

Our GreenTech Fund specifically invests in innovative, climate-smart companies focused on CO₂ reduction.

Read more about the GreenTech Fund here.

Almi Invest invests in only around seven percent of the companies we assess each year.

Does your business stand out and offer a solution that is ten times better than what’s currently available? Is there strong growth potential? If so, venture capital with active ownership might be the right fit for your company.

A venture capital investment can give you and your company the opportunity to grow rapidly – not just through the capital itself, but also through the investor’s industry experience and network.

Almi Invest manages approximately SEK 3.5 billion and has, since its founding, invested in around 900 startups. Our most successful portfolio companies have been acquired by the likes of Google, Microsoft, Qlik, and Apple, or have reached billion-kronor valuations on the stock exchange.

As a government-owned, sector-agnostic venture capital company, our role is to bridge the gap to private capital and help create a well-functioning venture capital market throughout Sweden. Over the years, Almi Invest has co-invested with more than 2,000 business angels and institutional investors. Almi Invest is owned by Almi AB, which is ultimately owned by the Swedish government, and is co-financed by the EU, Almi Företagspartner, and regional organisations.

Our GreenTech Fund, totalling SEK 1.2 billion, focuses specifically on climate-smart, CO₂-reducing investments.

Examples of areas we invest in:

Tech
Enterprise and consumer software, media tech, data & security, eCommerce, FinTech, VR/AR, IoT, gaming, HR tech

Life Science
Medtech, drug development, eHealth

GreenTech
Renewable energy, energy efficiency, recycling systems

Industry
Industrial equipment, advanced materials, agritech, 3D printing

With Almi Invest as an investor in your company, you gain an active owner who contributes to your company’s development – often through involvement on the board. Our experienced and professional Investment Managers are engaged through both the ups and downs of your business journey.

We also offer access to a broad network of investors, which is valuable when your company is ready for follow-on investments. Almi Invest has made early investments in companies that have gone on to billion-kronor stock market success or been acquired by companies like Google, Microsoft, and Apple.

Almi can help finance the start-up of your business, but we do not offer general start-up advice.

If you're new to entrepreneurship and want to learn more, you’re welcome to join one of our Start Seminars.

We also offer several useful templates, such as business plan and budget templates, which you can download for free (in Swedish).

If you need help writing your business plan or have questions about budgeting, taxes, or VAT, you can contact Nyföretagarcentrum or another local support organisation in your region.

If you have an innovative idea for a new product or service and want to build a growing business around it, you can access our free advisory services.

Read more about how we can support you here.

For hands-on support, you can turn to Nyföretagarcentrum or other local organisations that offer free start-up advisory services.

Almi also provides several templates – including a business plan and budget template – which you can download free of charge. Please note that the templates are currently available in Swedish only.

Almi does not offer services related to accounting, auditing, or tax returns. Please contact an accounting firm for support.

Almi generally does not offer advisory services for those looking to sell their business. However, in some regions, there are local projects that provide support for succession planning. Select your region to see what services are available locally.

Almi does not offer advisory services for closing down a business.

To request a loan statement, use our online service by clicking here. There you’ll find more information about the process and what details you need to provide.

The statement is sent by post and costs SEK 250.

If you are authorised to sign on behalf of the company, you can view your company’s loan details and download invoices via Mina Sidor (My Pages). Simply log in securely using BankID. Once logged in, go to Mina Sidor > Mina Lån > Visa lån (My Pages > My Loans > View Loan) to access your invoices.

If your company is connected to Kivra, you’ll also find your loan invoices in your Kivra inbox.

If you’re having trouble making payments according to your current repayment plan, Almi gives you the option to apply for a deferment or partial repayment on your loans for three or six months.

Please note that a deferment or partial repayment may affect the total loan term.

You can log in to our online service using BankID and select the loan(s) you wish to apply for deferment on.

Go to the online service

A prepayment fee is only charged if the loan is repaid within 12 months from the disbursement date. The fee is 1 percent of the outstanding loan amount.

No prepayment fee applies to Microloans, Green Loans, Innovation Loans, or any loan where this condition has been specifically waived.

An authorised signatory with access to BankID must contact Almi’s Loan Administration by phone to receive the necessary repayment details.

Once the payment has been made, Almi may contact you with questions regarding the origin of the funds, in accordance with the Swedish Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act (2017:630, Chapter 3, Section 13).

Loan Administration can be reached at +46 (0)63-453 03 00 on weekdays (excluding public holidays) between 09:30–12:00 and 13:00–16:00.