node.vc invests in Norwegian ONiO®
ONiO has raised €5 million to ramp production of ONiO.zero — the first general-purpose microcontroller that cold-starts from under 1µW and runs entirely on ambient energy. The round was led by Stockholm-based node.vc with Helsinki’s Maki.vc as co-lead. Existing investors EIC Fund and MP Pension matched the investment and doubled down.
"ONiO represents the kind of breakthrough technology we look for at node.vc," said Mårten Skogö, Partner at node.vc. "Their ability to power a microcontroller entirely from ambient energy is not only technically impressive — it's fundamentally changing how we think about sustainable IoT. The team has proven that the technology works in real-world applications, and now it's time to scale. We're excited to support ONiO as they bring this game-changing chip to market."
The funding will accelerate volume production of ONiO.zero — a one-of-a-kind, power-agnostic wireless microcontroller that cold-starts from less than 1µW and operates entirely on ambient energy. Whether solar, RF, thermal, or piezoelectric, ONiO.zero can harvest it — requiring no batteries, though it can integrate with them when needed.
This innovation is poised to be a game-changer for green IoT, enabling highly practical and ultra-sustainable solutions across industries and verticals. ONiO’s mission from the outset has been to address the environmental impact of battery waste, aiming to prevent millions of batteries from ending up in oceans and landfills. ONiO.zero is already delivering on that promise.
Everything is integrated into a single die: a RISC-V CPU, radios, power management, security, memory, and more. What once required dozens of components is now consolidated into one chip. It has already been tested in solar keyboards, electronic shelf labels, air quality sensors, asset trackers, and agricultural soil sensors — most of which run entirely on harvested energy. In hybrid scenarios, ONiO.zero significantly extends battery life, sometimes indefinitely.
This technology is the result of years of development, deep expertise, and tens of thousands of engineering hours. Now, customers are working with functional prototypes and pilot products. The performance benchmarks speak for themselves — 22µW/MHz and 181 Coremark/mJ, with cold-start capability below 1µW (source).
ONiO is now scaling production, supported by development kits and reference designs that enable engineers to build tailored applications. The chip delivers on its promise. The demos are compelling. The benchmarks are industry-leading. And the customers are ready.
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