NitroCapt works on a solution that can both decarbonise one of the world’s most polluting industries and strengthen regional food security. Its process uses air, water and renewable electricity to create nitrate-based fertiliser, entirely without fossil fuels. Here, Founder and CEO Gustaf Forsberg talks about his personal journey.
Even as a little boy, Gustaf Forsberg was building things. While some people are drawn to invention, for Gustaf, it was simply a way of being. “I grew up on a farm, and we were always there on weekends,” he says. This is where his curiosity found a natural playground.
That curiosity became a lifelong thread connecting engineering and agriculture. “When I came to university, I realised the huge challenges we have to protect nature and fight climate change. That made me start to engage in trying to find solutions within the space of agriculture using technology.”
A layoff as a chance to develop the idea that would become Nitrocapt
Forsberg’s career path didn’t immediately lead to entrepreneurship, even though the seeds were always there.
“I had an idea that I would either be a professor at a university or have my own company making some kind of machinery,” he says.
He went on to work in another emerging technology for 24 years. But everything changed when the company was sold.
“I was laid off because the company that was buying it was in another country, so they closed the whole office. That gave me six months of opportunity to explore what I really wanted to do.”
At that time, Forsberg turned to his notebook of ideas. “I had a long list of ideas that I had collected throughout my previous career… and I made an inventory of these ideas to rank them. The winner, by far, was the idea that would become NitroCapt.”
A zero-emission process to create nitrogen-based fertiliser
NitroCapt’s SUNIFIX® process fixes nitrogen directly from the air. It uses air, water and renewable electricity to create nitrate-based fertiliser, entirely without fossil fuels. At its core is an energy-efficient plasma reactor that can run on wind or solar power enabling local, modular production instead of centralised, high-emission plants. The result is a solution that can both decarbonise one of the world’s most polluting industries and strengthen regional food security.
That ambition stems from a simple truth. Nitrogen, Forsberg says, “is one of the most important, if not the most important, plant nutrients to make crops yield so that we can feed the world population.”
But producing nitrogen fertilisers comes with a major cost. “The current production scheme is completely based on fossil-based raw materials, which are causing more than two and a half per cent of the global greenhouse gas emissions from fossils.”
NitroCapt’s answer is radical in its simplicity: “Our technology is 100% electric, it’s basically a zero-emission process.”
There’s also a geopolitical dimension. “About 30% of the nitrogen fertilisers used in Europe come from Russia,” Forsberg says. “All the nitrogen fertilisers being produced inside of Europe are based on fossil gas… from areas like the Middle East, which are also highly exposed to geopolitical tensions that put food production at risk.”
His goal is independence: “Our solution is a production that is self-sufficient, where everything needed is available locally or regionally.”
Collaborations with experts and universities validated the idea
Forsberg had been nurturing the idea of Nitrocapt for years. “I had been collecting articles and patents for almost a decade,” he says. But it wasn’t until his layoff that he finally had the time to develop it. “The first thing I did after leaving my previous job was to meet with a number of experts, including Peter Baeling who later joined me as my co-founder, to understand whether my idea had real potential. And I was overwhelmed by their positive reactions.”
Collaborations with universities also validated his concept. “We were able to show in experiments together with universities that this pressurised plasma is really adding what we were expecting,” he says.
InnoEnergy – “It’s a fantastic ecosystem to be in”
Forsberg credits InnoEnergy as a cornerstone of NitroCapt’s success. “At the very early stage, when InnoEnergy convinced me to enter its Highway program, I had no money,” he says. “As soon as we wanted to do something that cost money, InnoEnergy stood there and helped me.”
They financed the first patent applications and even a business coach, Björn Lindh, who later became their strategy director. “He was one of the first investors in the company.” Together, they raised three million euros for the company at the beginning of 2022.
Building on that momentum, NitroCapt recently won the Food Planet Prize 2025 (USD 2 million) in Stockholm in June, and was recognised for its potential to decarbonise fertiliser and strengthen regional food security.
“I’m very glad for the support that we are getting from InnoEnergy, not only at the earlier stage, but very much at all the stages following. It’s a fantastic ecosystem to be in.”
Leading with “quiet conviction” and shared joy of invention
Forsberg leads with quiet conviction. He describes himself as “very much of a learner,” someone who listens deeply to his management team, his board, and advisors, approaching leadership with humility. He also recognises that one of this journey’s greatest gifts is “being surrounded by remarkably competent and dedicated people” who choose to build NitroCapt alongside him.
In the early days, he was hands-on with every detail, but as NitroCapt has grown, his focus has shifted toward vision and inspiration. “Now it’s more about pointing out the direction, moving faster than the competition and trying to inspire,” he says. What drives his team is the shared joy of invention, “working with advanced technologies where everyone can have a personal influence.”
There’s resilience in that spirit, too: “Every time you solve a problem, you just expect the next one will come. You need to find joy in every problem you solve.”
And when challenges arise or setbacks occur, they gather for a team pizza night to celebrate their most recent win.
“Taking an extra evening to celebrate something keeps the team together,” he says with a smile.
“Don’t just sit on an idea”
Reflecting on his journey, Forsberg’s advice to others is simple but powerful:
“Don’t just sit on an idea. Get an NDA and talk with people about it.
Use all those advisory organisations for startups. They will inspire you and help you find ways forward.”
For Gustaf, progress starts with curiosity. And invention isn’t just about solving problems.
It’s about finding joy in solving them, together.
