Finland’s Creoir has received investment from Swedish VC Gungnir Capital as part of a Seed round targeting €2 million, which the company expects to close by the end of the year. The funding will be used to double down on defence applications for its on-device speech technology.
Creoir, founded in Oulu in 2012, is not a typical startup. The company has spent years developing voice interface technology for mobile, IoT and embedded devices, working as a product development partner for firms such as NXP and Infineon to deliver speech-to-text and other voice capabilities that run on-device rather than in the cloud.
Creoir’s EdgeVUI for mission-critical on-device speech
Creoir’s product, EdgeVUI, is an on-device Voice AI designed for speech-driven human-machine interfaces in mission-critical environments, with processing performed locally. That on-device approach is positioned as particularly relevant where connectivity may be restricted or compromised, such as hardware intended for combat environments.
Antti Lilja, CEO and co-founder, said the company pivoted into a product house in 2020: “In 2020 we decided to pivot into a product house. So we created our own product called Offline Voice Solution back then, which was later rebranded and further developed to become EdgeVUI.” Creoir accumulated customers in industrial automation, robotics, warehousing and logistics before identifying demand in the defence sector.
Creoir first explored defence opportunities in 2024 through a paid pilot with Saab, arranged via a former colleague. “They were interested in building this capability as part of their 9LV Combat Management System,” Lilja said. That engagement prompted Creoir to focus on licensing its technology to run on mission-critical systems.
Getting Gungnir Capital to lead the still-open Seed round is being treated as validation of that sector shift. “We are now going to fully focus on defence, bringing this capability to defence primes, system integrators and contractors to be their trusted speech technology partner,” Lilja said.
Gungnir’s managing partner Max Villman framed the operational case for voice on the battlefield: “I have sat in a cockpit where cognitive overload is a bigger threat than most adversaries. Modern command systems drown the operator in information, and whoever can control their systems by voice, offline and in the noise of battle, wins tempo. Creoir solves a real operational problem with technology already in projects with Europe’s leading defence primes, and that is exactly the kind of company Gungnir Capital exists to back.”
Pilots, customers and commercial plans
Creoir has ongoing pilots with Saab, Leidos and ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS), plus others that have not been disclosed. Lilja said early references such as the Saab pilot have eased access to prime contractors and helped open doors, while the company also maintains direct dialogue with end users. “We have direct dialogue with the Finnish defence forces, and we were selected to participate in a NATO Innovation Range,” he noted.
Feedback from pilots has been encouraging, Lilja said: “I can see that we are now really on the right path.” The company plans to exhibit its technology at EURONAVAL in November and to concentrate on converting pilots into commercial deployments by strengthening sales, marketing and product commercialisation. Lilja also acknowledged that procurement cycles and budgets in defence will influence the pace of adoption.
Creoir will further its exposure to defence tech later in the year by joining the next cohort of the Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) Estonia. Lilja described his decision to apply after meeting Artur Kamberg at the ARCTIC15 investor event in Helsinki: “I must be honest – I did not know anything about the Creative Destruction Lab accelerator program before I met Artur Kamberg at ARCTIC15 investor event in Helsinki.” He added: “I think we are now in just the right phase to join the cohort, as we are accelerating market entry and scaling the company. I’m sure there will be valuable mentorship available to support our journey. And of course, it will be nice to meet other participating companies and extend the network.”
The CDL Estonia cohort was heavily oversubscribed, with around 70 applicants for about 20 places. The selected cohort includes startups from Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Germany, Ukraine, Poland, Norway, Sweden and the UK.
Creoir’s immediate priorities are to finalise the Seed round, deepen engagement with defence primes and convert pilot projects into commercial deployments while advancing its on-device speech technology for mission-critical use.
