At just 19 years old, Nils Samrud is leading one of Europe’s most ambitious green hydrogen startups. Today, his company Lavoit announced it has raised €1.2 million from ReGen Ventures, Starship Ventures, Project Europe, and Wave Ventures to scale its AI-powered hydrogen production system.
The vision started humbly. At 16, Samrud built his first electrolyzer in his grandparents’ barn. That project, called 2Salke, later won the 2023 Youth Innovation Award in Sweden, where the jury praised his ability to tackle one of the defining challenges of our time — climate change — through a creative hydrogen solution.
Now, just a few years later, Samrud is taking that passion to a commercial level. With Lavoit, he and his team are aiming to become the world’s largest producer of green hydrogen by 2030. Their approach is to make hydrogen production not only greener but smarter. By designing an AI-first system that optimizes electricity use in real time and integrates full-stack control, Lavoit is directly addressing the single biggest cost driver of hydrogen: power.
The company already has two pilot projects running and is in active discussions with dozens of industrial plants across Europe. Backed by leading venture investors, Lavoit is positioning itself at the forefront of a sector where timing is critical.
The Bigger Picture: Where Green Hydrogen Stands
Green hydrogen has been hailed as a cornerstone of the energy transition, capable of decarbonizing heavy industries such as steel, chemicals, and shipping. Yet, the market is still in its early stages. Most forecasts suggest global production could reach 10–16 million tons annually by 2030, a dramatic increase from today’s small base, but still below the levels many policymakers hope for.
Like solar power in its early years, the sector faces a familiar trajectory: high upfront costs, reliance on subsidies, and questions around scalability. But history suggests that bold bets today can pay off tomorrow. Just as early solar pioneers paved the way for cheap, ubiquitous solar panels, green hydrogen innovators like Lavoit may be setting the stage for a breakthrough decade.
For Samrud, the journey has only just begun. From a barn experiment to pilots with European industry and the support of world-class investors, his story embodies both the youthful ingenuity and long-term persistence needed to make hydrogen a real force in the climate fight.
“This is just the beginning — let’s build,” Samrud says.
