By harnessing air, water, and renewable energy, NitroCapt creates nitrate-based fertiliser entirely without fossil fuels, cutting emissions in one of the world’s most polluting industries.
Gustaf Forsberg, Founder and CEO of NitroCapt, started at a very young age to biuld things. He grew up on a farm, where he and his family spent most weekends. This is where his curiosity found a natural playground. That curiosity became a lifelong thread connecting engineering and agriculture.
Forsberg’s career path didn’t immediately lead to entrepreneurship, even though the seeds were always there. He went on to work in another emerging technology for 24 years, but everything changed when the company was sold. He was laid off because the acquiring company was based in another country and decided to close the entire office. That moment gave him six months to explore what he truly wanted to do. At that time, Forsberg turned to his notebook of ideas. He had a long list of ideas collected throughout his previous career and made an inventory 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 is one of the most important, if not the most important, plant nutrients needed to ensure high crop yields and feed the world population. But producing nitrogen fertilisers comes with a major cost. The current production scheme relies entirely on fossil-based raw materials, responsible for more than two and a half per cent of global fossil-related greenhouse gas emissions.NitroCapt’s answer is radical in its simplicity. The company’s technology is fully electric and operates as a zero-emission process.
There is also a geopolitical dimension. About 30% of the nitrogen fertilisers used in Europe come from Russia, and all nitrogen fertilisers produced within Europe depend on fossil gas from regions such as the Middle East, which are highly exposed to geopolitical tensions that put food production at risk. His goal is independence: the solution is a production process that is self-sufficient, with everything needed available locally or regionally.
EIT Community: a Fantastic Ecosystem to Join
At the very early stage, when InnoEnergy convinced him to enter Innoenergy Highway Program, he had no funding.
Innoenergy financed the first patent applications and even a business coach, Björn Lindh, who later became their strategy director and one of the first investors in the company. Together, they raised €3 million for the company at the beginning of 2022.
Building on that momentum, NitroCapt recently won the Food Planet Prize 2025 ($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.
Gustaf Forsberg, Founder and CEO of NitroCapt
A Piece of Advice for Everyone Who Would Like to Start a Startup
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.
Gustaf Forsberg, Founder and CEO of NitroCapt
For Gustaf, progress starts with curiosity. And invention isn’t just about solving problems. It’s about finding joy in solving them, together.
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