Sofia Hjelmberg appointed CEO of GoWest AB

..............................................................

GU Ventures shares news and information about its operations, portfolio companies and alumni companies:

..............................................................

Sofia Hjelmberg has been appointed CEO and will lead the continued development of the venture capital forum GoWest, which GU Ventures has organised and developed for five years – and which has now been spun out and given a permanent structure as a separate company. For the past five years, Sofia has played a central role in GoWest’s development and has helped build the forum into one of the Nordic region’s leading meeting places for venture capital.

We asked Sofia seven quick questions about the journey so far, her new role and the ambition to further develop GoWest into an international premium forum for capital, innovation and growth together with all partners and financiers.

Read this article in Swedish here.

At the latest GoWest 2026, more than 1,000 participants from around 20 countries gathered in Gothenburg. Among them were more than 250 investors, and approximately 2,500 one-to-one meetings were booked over the three days – individual meetings between investors, startups, scaleups, industry representatives and other parts of the innovation ecosystem.

As GoWest now enters its next phase with a permanent corporate structure, the forum will continue to develop together with its partners and financiers. Sofia Hjelmberg, who over the past five years has helped build GoWest within GU Ventures in her role responsible for Investor Relations, will continue to lead the work – now as CEO of GoWest AB.

The ambition is to continue developing GoWest as an international venture capital forum while also strengthening the position of Gothenburg and West Sweden as a hub where capital, entrepreneurship, innovation and industry come together.

1. How does it feel to step into the role of CEO of GoWest?

It feels really exciting – and actually quite natural. After several years of work, GoWest has established a clear position and strong foundation for entering its next phase, with solid backing from academia, the city and the region. Being given the opportunity to lead that development forward at a time when capital, innovation and competitiveness are so high on the agenda feels both important and highly motivating.

2. What does GoWest mean to you personally, and what are you most proud of?

I worked with the ventures capital forum even before GoWest became GoWest, and was then given the opportunity to further develop it within GU Ventures. That makes my relationship with it personal, but GoWest is also very closely connected to what I have built my professional experience around for many years – creating value-generating meeting places, developing strong relationships within business and capital, and bringing investors and entrepreneurs together. Above all, I am proud that together we have built an international meeting place that people actually choose to travel to Gothenburg to attend.

3. GoWest is becoming a separate company. Why now, and what does that mean?

Until now, GoWest has been run as a time-limited project, and that project has now been completed. GU Ventures has therefore decided to spin it out into a separate company together with partners. As GoWest has developed, it has also naturally outgrown its original project format.

A separate company gives us better conditions for building for the long term and for developing international contacts and partnerships on a permanent basis. The next step is to scale GoWest while maintaining the quality that makes it a forum people prioritise attending. At the same time, we will retain the strong roots in the innovation ecosystem, as well as in academia, the city and the region, which have been crucial to GoWest’s development.

4. What do you want to develop further as CEO?

We have high ambitions, and my focus is on strengthening GoWest’s position as an international premium forum. We want to attract even more leading investors, LPs investing in venture capital funds, industry players and startups to Gothenburg, while continuing to develop GoWest as a place where investors, entrepreneurs and other decision-makers actually meet – and where concrete relationships, investments and collaborations emerge. We can already see clear results from the meetings that take place at GoWest, and the ultimate proof is when business deals and transactions emerge from the connections that have been made.

5. What role can GoWest play for West Sweden and the Nordic innovation ecosystem?

GoWest is based in West Sweden, but our perspective extends across Sweden, the Nordic region and Europe. We aim to connect capital with strong companies, new technologies and investment opportunities – and to serve as a natural gateway for international investors and partners looking for their next investment or collaboration here.

At a time when Europe needs to mobilise more capital for innovation and growth, that role is becoming increasingly important. A number of parallel events and side events surrounding the main conference further strengthen the overall offering. An important opening to GoWest is Investor Day, which is exclusively for investors, as well as a policy forum for decision-makers and policymakers within the ecosystem.

6. What will you take with you from GU Ventures?

A great deal. Above all, an understanding of what it takes to move innovation from research and idea to company and growth – and just how crucial access to the right capital and networks is. I also take with me fantastic relationships and the experience of seeing the enormous power that can be created when academia, business, investors and other parts of the ecosystem join forces around a common goal.

7. What are you looking forward to the most right now?

Building the next chapter in GoWest’s success story. We have a very strong foundation, but we have still only scratched the surface of what GoWest can become. There is an incredible amount happening right now, and I look forward to building the organisation and seeing all the discussions and opportunities we are working on come together in a really strong GoWest 2027, 13–15 April. A very warm welcome to you all!!

GU Ventures thanks Sofia for her outstanding work and for a highly successful GoWest investment

GoWest 2026 was held in January as the fourth and final conference within GU Ventures’ KRAFT project, financed primarily through ERDF funding via the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth, Region Västra Götaland, GU Ventures, around 50 partners and ticket revenues.

GU Ventures CEO Klementina Österberg has been involved in GoWest’s development since its inception and in transitioning it into a separate company. She is now Chair of the Board of GoWest AB. As Sofia Hjelmberg leaves her previous role as Investor Relations Manager to take up the position of CEO, Klementina says on behalf of the entire team:

“Sofia has been an incredibly strong driving force in the development of GoWest and, together with the team and all our partners, has built the meeting place into the position it holds today. That she is now taking on the role of CEO as GoWest moves forward as a separate company feels both natural and very exciting, even though it is sad that this also means she will be leaving her employment with us at the end of the year. In addition to GoWest, Sofia has also contributed to many other successful achievements within GU Ventures, including the day-to-day capitalization of our portfolio companies, building relationships with investors, and the establishment of the entirely new investment company, Vasa Angels.We are so proud of the journey we have made together and look forward to continuing to work with Sofia and GoWest as it enters its next phase together with everyone involved”, says Klementina Österberg, CEO of GU Ventures and Chair of the Board of the new GoWest AB.