Spoor, an Oslo-based startup specializing in AI software for biodiversity monitoring, has successfully secured an €8 million Series A investment. The funding will drive global expansion, support new hiring, and accelerate the deployment of their technology, which helps wind farms monitor and protect wildlife. The round was led by SET Ventures, with participation from EnBW New Ventures, Ørsted Ventures and Superorganism. Existing backers, including major Nordic investors Futurum Ventures and the state-owned climate fund Nysnø, also supported the round.
“Our technology has reached a point where it can deliver the accuracy and reliability that wind developers have been waiting for,” says Spoor CEO, Ask Helseth.
The challenge: scaling wind energy responsibly
The wind industry is at a pivotal juncture. According to company data, installed wind capacity is projected to jump from 1.3 TW today to 2.1 TW by 2030, representing an increase of approximately 810,000 new turbines. However, this growth faces regulatory friction. Over the last five years, at least ten countries have mandated continuous wildlife monitoring. Mitigation and “Shutdown on Demand” (SDoD) protocols have become standard in key markets, including Germany, Poland, Spain and large parts of the USA. Developers are under increasing pressure to balance massive infrastructure growth with strict biodiversity protection.
“We already see that Spoor’s digital, software-driven solution is replacing manual processes, as well as expensive radar systems and high-end proprietary (thermal) camera installations that exist today,” says Julia Padberg, Partner at SET Ventures. “With long implementation cycles and conservative procurement behaviour, trust is difficult to earn in the wind sector, but with contracts across the entire lifecycle of a project with 20+ top-tier customers, it’s clear that Spoor has crossed that threshold. We’re excited to help the company scale even further.”
Founded in 2020 by CEO Ask Helseth and CTO Helge Reikerås, Spoor replaces expensive hardware with intelligent software. The system uses a small number of standard, off-the-shelf cameras rather than proprietary hardware. Spoor’s patented computer vision models draw on a database of over 1 million bird observations to integrate directly with wind farm control systems. This allows the software to detect, classify and track species from long range. By monitoring up to 100 times more airspace per camera than conventional systems, the technology allows for deployments that are reportedly faster and significantly lower in cost.
Spoor currently holds contracts across both pre- and post-construction phases with industry giants such as Ørsted, RWE, Vattenfall, TotalEnergies, Equinor, GE and Fugro.
“Developers already rely on Spoor as a seamless part of their operations, and this funding allows us to grow our team and deepen our integrations with wind farm control systems. The industry is moving toward 24/7, data-driven intelligent wildlife protection, and we are ready to support that shift at a global scale,” says Helseth. “This marks a new phase for Spoor. We’re growing from early- stage projects into long-term partnerships with some of the world’s leading wind developers. Our focus now is scaling responsibly, strengthening the team, deepening our integrations, and delivering on the trust our customers have placed in us.”
