> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.swedishtechnews.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # News December 9, 2022: Housecar, Sally R, Neo4J, IamIP, Zimpler and more - URL: https://www.swedishtechnews.com/news-december-9-2022/ - Published: 2022-12-09T15:26:13.000Z - Updated: 2023-09-24T14:48:09.000Z - Description: Here are today's news from Sweden's startup and tech sector, sent as daily email newsletter exclusively to subscribers of Swedish Tech News. - Author: Martin Weigert - Tags: Daily (PRO), mycamper, sally r, Neo4j, iampip, Zimpler, Spotify, housecar, ebbefos holding, exits Here are today's news from Sweden's startup and tech sector, exclusively for subscribers of Swedish Tech News. 💡 This post has been unlocked and made available for free a month after publication. [Subscribe to Swedish Tech News](https://www.swedishtechnews.com/#/portal/signup) to get access to a ****daily newsletter** that brings you a brief overview of news from the Swedish startup & tech sector, curated by [Martin Weigert](http://www.twitter.com/martinweigert). Or, if you prefer a ****free weekly newsletter**, [subscribe to Swedish Tech Weekly](https://swedishtechweekly.com/)! ### Mergers & acquisitions - [Housecar](http://www.housecar.se) (Uppsala, sharing platform for motorhomes) was acquired by Swiss competitor [Mycamper](https://mycamper.com/se). Financial terms were not disclosed. The brand Housecar is being phased out. The acquistion follows a strategic investment by Mycamper in Housecar which was announced in May 2021 ([English](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/housecar-se%5Fmycamper-housecar-campersharing-activity-7006699957415993344-mALs/) / [Swedish](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/housecar-se%5Fmycamper-housecar-campersharing-activity-7006699957415993344-mALs/)). ### Funding news - [Sally R](https://sally-r.com) (Västerås, cloud-based optimization of HVAC systems for energy efficiency): €1.1M ($1.2M) seed funding from new and existing investors. The round was led by Ebbefos Holding. The funds will be used to scale up energy-saving SaaS in the commercial property sector ([English](https://sally-r.com/blog/sally-r-closes-seed-round-with-ebbefos-foundation-as-lead-investor)). \>> Daily updated, subscriber-exclusive [Google sheet](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/19CzBwRojH%5FK8zin277bpLJ8KCgEUp2AWw%5F%5FJuFUujAs/edit?usp=sharing) with all funding rounds raised by private Swedish startups and scaleups. ### News from Swedish startups, the tech sector and VCs - According to a Hacker News discussion thread, Malmö-founded, Silicon-Valley based graph database firm [Neo4j](https://neo4j.com/) just laid off 10% of its staff. Other information bits shared by commentators also don't sound too positive about the state of the company, although it's hard to judge their substance ([English](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33916240)). - [IamIP](https://iamip.com/), Stockholm-based patent search & monitoring platform, announced a new feature called "smart monitoring", which utilizes AI to search through millions of patents and automatically identify relevant documents. According to the company, this allows for time savings of 70% when monitoring patents ([Swedish](https://www.industrinyheter.se/20221205/35433/de-lanserar-ai-baserat-ip-bevakningssverktyg-traditionell-industri), [machine translation](https://www-industrinyheter-se.translate.goog/20221205/35433/de-lanserar-ai-baserat-ip-bevakningssverktyg-traditionell-industri?%5Fx%5Ftr%5Fsl=auto&%5Fx%5Ftr%5Ftl=en&%5Fx%5Ftr%5Fhl=en&%5Fx%5Ftr%5Fpto=wapp)). - [Zimpler](https://www.zimpler.com/), Stockholm-based provider of account-to-account payment solutions for merchants, is facing criticism for offering its service to gambling websites that lack a Swedish gambling license. The company defends itself by noting that those sites don't target users in Sweden ([Swedish](https://www.di.se/digital/betaltjanstbolaget-vi-foljer-svensk-lag/) / *Di Digital paywall*). - Spotify published its 2022 podcast trends report ([English](https://megaphone.spotify.com/learn/2022-podcast-trends-report)). - Volvo Cars opened its new tech hub in downtown Stockholm this week ([English](https://www.automotiveworld.com/news-releases/new-volvo-cars-tech-hub-in-downtown-stockholm-opens-its-doors/)). 💡 This week, I've added **15 new Swedish early-stage tech startups** to my [subscriber-exclusive tracker](https://www.swedishtechnews.com/startup-updates-list/) (log in with your subscriber email). ### Other interesting things from the startup/VC world & beyond - Major consolidation in the rapid grocery delivery space: [Getir](https://getir.com/) acquires German competitor [Gorillas](https://gorillas.io/) in a $1.2B deal. 14 months ago, when Gorillas raised $1B, it held a $3B valuation ([English](https://tech.eu/2022/12/09/getir-acquires-germany-competitor-gorillas-in-1-2-billion-deal/)). - Founder advice on first-time fundraising ([English](https://klinger.io/posts/first-time-fundraising-is-hell)). - Generative AI might just save Venture Capital ([English](https://blog.aaronkharris.com/generative-ai-might-just-save-venture-capital)). - AI's “capability overhang”: "For years, researchers have been on a tear, pumping out new models faster than they can be commercialized. But in 2022, a glut of new apps and programs have suddenly made these skills available to a general audience, and in 2023, as we continue scaling this new territory, things will start changing — fast" ([English](https://www.theverge.com/2022/12/8/23499728/ai-capability-accessibility-chatgpt-stable-diffusion-commercialization)). - Insightful piece by Kevin Kelly on what AI-generated art means for human creativity: "It's a team sport: The human artist and the machine artist are a duet" ([English](https://www.wired.com/story/picture-limitless-creativity-ai-image-generators/)). ### Other interesting things related to Sweden - Sonos and IKEA announced the latest addition to their collaborative Symfonisk product lineup: a floor-standing lamp speaker. It will be available from January ([English](https://www.theverge.com/2022/12/8/23497606/ikea-sonos-symfonisk-floor-lamp-speaker-announced-price-features)). - Swedish prime minister urges energy restraint to prevent shortages ([English](https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/swedish-prime-minister-urges-energy-restraint-to-prevent-shortages)). - Ericsson and Apple end patent-related legal row with license deal ([English](https://www.reuters.com/legal/ericsson-apple-end-patent-related-legal-disputes-with-patent-license-deal-2022-12-09/)). +++ That's it for today.