Ignite Sweden Helped Mimbly Go Global – Now Founder Joins the Board to Pay It Forward

This new board role marks a natural next step following years of collaboration with the organization. The partnerships and business opportunities gained through Ignite have played a key role in taking her company global.

“I truly believe in Ignite Sweden as a platform. It’s a faster way for startups to reach decision-makers, customers, and partners — and it actually works. We’ve seen that proven time and again,” says Isabella.

From Pilot to Global Partnership

Mimbly began as a student project at Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg in 2017 and has since developed solutions to reduce water usage and microplastic emissions from washing machines — an innovation that has gained international recognition.

But without the right connections, Mimbly’s expansion would have taken much longer.

“Through Ignite Sweden, we met the facility management company Coor in 2018, which is now one of our biggest customers. That meeting might never have happened otherwise.”

During the initial pilot project in 2019, Mimbly tested its main product, the Mimbox, at Coor’s head office in Kista. The Mimbox connects to commercial washing machines and enables both water reuse and microplastic filtration — an innovation designed to conserve resources and protect the environment.

This pilot project was a major turning point in Mimbly’s early-stage startup growth and their ability to validate the product in real environments.

“Since then, we’ve installed products together in several countries and continued to develop the collaboration,” explains Isabella.

That concrete path to business is what makes Ignite Sweden so crucial for Swedish startups, she believes.

“It’s all about the right match. Ignite facilitates curated meetings where both sides are genuinely eager to connect. That saves a tremendous amount of time for a small company.”

A New Role, A Greater Responsibility

With firsthand experience scaling a cleantech company, Isabella Palmgren brings valuable innovation leadership to Ignite Sweden’s board. She looks forward to contributing her perspective as a startup founder and CEO with a background in both hardware and software development.

“I’ve worked with everything from production and partnerships to distribution and a broad customer base. I started out in a university-linked incubator, so I understand both sides of the table. I hope to contribute as a problem-solver and through my network.”

Mimbly’s CEO describes Ignite Sweden as a bridge-builder between different worlds.

“We’re good at many things in Sweden, but we’re not always the best at connecting large companies with startups. In other countries, people move more freely between roles and may have a better understanding of each other’s motivations.”

A Catalyst for the Entire Ecosystem

Ignite Sweden’s recent transition to an independent company opens up new opportunities, both nationally and internationally.

“I think we’ll see hundreds—maybe thousands—of successful collaborations in the coming years. Real partnerships that lead to business, new companies, even jobs. That ripple effect we’re aiming for, where one collaboration sparks something even bigger.”

Isabella Palmgren sees Ignite as as an essential part of Sweden’s innovation system, particularly for publicly funded actors like incubators and science parks:

“They often focus locally or regionally. Ignite breaks through that – it can connect you with companies from all over the world. Those kinds of connections aren’t always available within a single incubator. We need to collaborate to go further.”

Mimbly’s founder concludes with a vision for the future:

“My hope is that ten years from now, Ignite will be the go-to hub in Sweden’s startup and innovation landscape for connecting with potential customers — independent, cross-border, and full of proof that collaboration drives real results. We need each other, and Ignite is one of the best ways to find the right partners.”