Sofia Graflund married Peter Carlsson in summer 2024.
At the end of November, Northvolt began its chapter 11 restructuring in the US. At the same time, it was announced that Peter Carlsson would step down as CEO of the battery company he founded nearly a decade ago.
– It has been incredibly tough, Carlsson said, describing his last days at Northvolt.
– The past year has been very demanding personally, he added.
A possible sign that he is looking ahead again is the recent formation of a new company, Ekenäs Venture AB, where his wife, Sofia Graflund, serves as chair.
Carlsson remains tight-lipped about the new venture.
– No real news but yes, we’ve set up a company, and if and when we start operations in Ekenäs, you’ll know, he wrote in a text message to Breakit, a Swedish tech and startup news website.
Documents filed with the Swedish Companies Registration Office in January suggest that Ekenäs Venture is an investment firm, as hinted by the “venture” in its name. This raises the possibility that some of the vast sums funnelled into Northvolt may now be redirected elsewhere in the business world.
Between 2019 and 2022, Carlsson sold shares in Northvolt worth up to 200 million kronor, according to a report by Dagens Industri in late 2023. While Carlsson later claimed the amount was somewhat lower, he did not deny that it was a substantial figure.
– The money has since been used to invest in new Swedish startups, he told Agenda in November, though he declined to specify how much had already been reinvested.
Carlsson has held, and likely still holds, shares in Northvolt through his company Rocarma Consulting. His stake in Ekenäs Venture, meanwhile, is owned through another entity, Rocarma Holding AB, which controls half the company. The remaining shares belong to Sofia Graflund, whom Carlsson married in the summer of 2024.
Graflund is currently affiliated with EQT Ventures. She previously worked at the electric aviation company Heart Aerospace and, between 2018 and 2022, served as general counsel at Northvolt.
Carlsson was in a playful mood with the Breakit journalist who asked about the origin of the new company name.
Carlsson declined to explain the origin of the company's name, "Ekenäs." While it's a town in southern Finland, it also refers to a 17th-century castle in Östergötland.
– Haha, that's for you to figure out, he laughs when asked about the company name.
Despite stepping down as CEO, Carlsson remains on the board of Northvolt AB. However, in recent weeks, he has resigned from the board of two Northvolt subsidiaries, Northvolt Ett, which operates the battery factory in Skellefteå, and Northvolt Labs, which runs the research facility in Västerås.