Oslo’s ONiO raises €5M to scale MCU that cold-starts under 1µW, runs on ambient energy

Oslo-based ONiO, a fabless IoT company specialising in ultra-low-power microcontrollers, has raised €5M led by Stockholm-based node.vc, with Helsinki’s Maki.vc as co-lead.

Node.vc is an early-stage venture capital firm based in Stockholm, investing in groundbreaking tech startups across the Nordic and Baltic regions.

The firm manages a €80M fund backed by over 70 prominent tech founders.

“ONiO represents the kind of breakthrough technology we look for at node.vc,” says Mårten Skogö, Partner at node.vc. “Their ability to power a microcontroller entirely from ambient energy is not only technically impressive — it’s fundamentally changing how we think about sustainable IoT. The team has proven that the technology works in real-world applications, and now it’s time to scale. We’re excited to support ONiO as they bring this game-changing chip to market.”

Existing investors EIC Fund and MP Pension matched the investment and doubled down.

Fund utilisation

The funding will accelerate the production of ONiO.zero, an innovative wireless microcontroller that starts with less than 1µW and operates on ambient energy.

It can harvest energy from various sources, including solar, RF, thermal, and piezo, without needing batteries, though it can collaborate with them if required.

This technology represents a significant advancement in eco-friendly IoT solutions, enabling practical and sustainable applications across different industries.

ONiO’s primary goal is to reduce the number of batteries that end up in oceans and landfills, and ONiO.zero is successfully contributing to that mission.

ONiO: Revolutionising ultra-low-power microcontrollers for IoT

Led by Kjetil Meisal, ONiO is a fabless IoT company specialising in ultra-low-power microcontrollers, including the world’s most power-efficient MCU.

Designed to harness ambient energy, ONiO.zero operates on as little as 22µW/MHz, redefining how IoT devices are powered.

ONiO.zero is a power-agnostic, general-purpose microcontroller capable of running on virtually any RF, thermal, solar, or piezo signal.

Whether eliminating the need for a battery or dramatically extending battery life, ONiO.zero enables smarter, more efficient, and more sustainable designs.