Jorn Lyseggen
About Jorn Lyseggen
Jørn Lyseggen is a Norwegian serial entrepreneur and the founder and Executive Chairman of Meltwater and of the Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology (MEST). He studied at Iowa State University. Wikipedia says he worked as a research scientist in artificial intelligence and machine vision at the Norwegian Computing Center before moving into startups.
His first company was an internet consultancy founded in 1995 and sold in 1997. He then became CEO of Mogul AS, sold in 1999, and later CEO of Mogul Group AB, which listed in 2000. He founded Meltwater in Oslo in 2001, and the company is now a media, social and consumer intelligence business headquartered in San Francisco. Per Penguin's author page, he started it with $15,000.
Verdane describes Fountain Venture as his investment firm. Verdane announced an investment in a Fountain Venture portfolio of two software companies, Meltwater and Jobylon.
NFX Signal lists four angel investments on record for him, and Pitchbook lists one. Dated entries on NFX Signal are MeQasa (seed, January 2015), Kudobuzz (seed, September 2017), Boostmate (pre-seed, August 2023, $100K round) and Hive (seed, July 2026). These databases are incomplete and he has not published a full list.
Startupintros says MEST, his pan-African incubator, has invested in more than 80 early-stage technology startups. That figure comes from a third-party profile, not from MEST.
His most recent AI deal on the Lounge deals desk is Hive, a $15M (GBP 11.2M) seed round in July 2026. Press coverage lists him as an angel investor in the round, described as the founder of Meltwater. SuperSeed led, with Veriten, Skyfall and Nysnø participating. Medallia founder Børge Hald also invested as an angel.
Hive was founded in 2022 in Norway and is headquartered in London. It is building what it calls a silicon brain for industrial machines, so they can perceive, decide and act on their own in warehouses, production lines and construction sites. Funds are for platform development, hiring in AI and robotics, and more commercial deployments.
The public record shows seed and pre-seed investments. The deals found are in African startups through MEST and in a European physical AI company. Third-party profiles describe his interests as B2B SaaS, media intelligence and African tech, but he has not published a thesis. He has not made his check size public, and none is stated here.
- Hive: London-based physical AI platform for industrial machines. He joined its $15M seed round as an angel in July 2026.
- Boostmate: listed by NFX Signal with a pre-seed round in August 2023. NFX gives no other details.
- Kudobuzz: listed by NFX Signal with a seed round in September 2017.
- MeQasa: listed by NFX Signal with a seed round in January 2015.
- Meltwater: media intelligence company he founded in 2001, where he is Executive Chairman.
- MEST: Meltwater Entrepreneurial School of Technology, which he founded.
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%B8rn_Lyseggen
- signal.nfx.com/investors/jorn-lyseggen
- pitchbook.com/profiles/investor/166970-89
- eu-startups.com/2026/07/london-based-hive-raises-e13-1-million-to-buil
- uktech.news/ai/hive-secures-11-2m-to-build-silicon-brain-for-industria
- therobotreport.com/hive-brings-in-15m-to-build-physical-ai-for-industr
- verdane.com/verdane-invests-in-fountain-venture-portfolio-partnering-w
- penguin.co.uk/authors/127451/jorn-lyseggen
Investing activity
Jorn Lyseggen appears in 1 AI deal tracked by the Lounge deals desk, rounds totalling $15M. The rounds are mostly Seed, with a median round size of $15M. The most recent is Hive (Seed, $15M (GBP 11.2M), Jul 2026).
Jorn Lyseggen most often invests alongside SuperSeed Ventures, Veriten, Nysnø and Borge Hald, and the companies they back on Lounge are mostly in AI.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about Jorn Lyseggen
Who is Jørn Lyseggen?
He is a Norwegian entrepreneur who founded Meltwater in 2001 and MEST, and is Executive Chairman of Meltwater. He also invests as an angel.
Has Jørn Lyseggen invested in AI startups?
Yes. He was named as an angel in the $15M (GBP 11.2M) seed round for Hive, a physical AI company, in July 2026. SuperSeed led that round.
What is Jørn Lyseggen's typical check size?
It is not public. NFX Signal lists a $100K round for Boostmate, but that is the round size, not his check.
What stage does Jørn Lyseggen invest in?
The records found show pre-seed and seed deals between 2015 and 2026. He has not published a stage policy.
What is Jørn Lyseggen's background in AI?
Wikipedia says he was an AI and machine vision research scientist at the Norwegian Computing Center before starting companies. Meltwater, which he founded, sells data and media intelligence software.
How can founders contact Jørn Lyseggen?
His public LinkedIn profile is the only contact route found. No personal website or X account turned up. A warm introduction from a co-investor or a Meltwater or MEST contact is likely better than a cold pitch.
Is Jorn Lyseggen an angel investor?
Yes. Jorn Lyseggen invests personally as an angel.
What AI companies has Jorn Lyseggen invested in?
Jorn Lyseggen's AI investments include Hive. The 1 round on Lounge are listed on this page with amounts, dates and co-investors.
What stage does Jorn Lyseggen invest at?
In the rounds tracked on Lounge, Jorn Lyseggen has invested at Seed, with a median round of $15M.
Who does Jorn Lyseggen co-invest with?
Jorn Lyseggen's most frequent co-investors on Lounge are SuperSeed Ventures (1 deal), Veriten (1 deal), Nysnø (1 deal), Borge Hald (1 deal) and Skyfall Ventures (1 deal).