Young Aarhus founders make exclusive Forbes list and move into the absolute European tech top class

Two of the most prominent startup teams in the Aarhus ecosystem in recent years have just been recognized on the prestigious Forbes 30 under 30 list in the Technology in Europe category. The founders of software companies Kanpla and Formalize have just been announced as part of the exclusive list, which celebrates the most promising young entrepreneurs under 30.

Peter Bæch, Jonas Gøttler and Robert Wolf are behind Kanpla. Their platform digitizes canteen solutions with a focus on food waste, sustainability and user experience. Formalize is founded by Jakob Lilholm and Magnus Boye and offers a compliance platform that helps companies manage whistleblower schemes and cybersecurity, among other things.

Being selected for the Forbes list is not only a personal pat on the back, but also a seal of approval for the fast-growing companies, both of which have made a name for themselves in the tech world – both domestically and internationally.

From canteen food to global scalability

Kanpla was founded in 2020 by childhood friends Peter Bæch and Jonas Gøttler. The idea was born out of Bæch’s wonder at the high food waste in the school canteen. Today, over 3,800 canteen kitchens and 400,000 users use the Kanpla app, which allows you to order food, see information about carbon footprint and allergens, earn points and report meals.

The platform is sold as a white-label solution, with revenue primarily coming from subscriptions paid by restaurants and caterers. With 52 employees and its first US customer in place, Kanpla is in the midst of an ambitious international expansion. Most recently, the company raised DKK 60 million in a Series A round led by Dutch fund HenQ to support growth in Europe and North America.

“We’ve seen a huge demand for digital transformation across Europe’s contract catering sector. Our platform helps caterers deliver more personalized experiences, better manage varying customer flows and reduce food waste,” Peter Bæch said at the time about the investment.

Compliance without complexity

Formalize was founded in 2021 by Jakob Lilholm and Magnus Boye, who took the plunge into startup life as high school students. Their platform helps larger companies deal with the EU’s stricter compliance requirements, especially around whistleblower schemes, cybersecurity and data protection.

Previously known as Whistleblower Software, the company has quickly attracted international attention. In 2024, they raised 112 million DKK in a Series A round and the team now numbers over 150 employees across four countries.

Formalize has ambitions to become Europe’s leading provider of compliance software and today automates workflows related to GDPR, NIS2 and ISO27001, among others. The platform is already used by more than five million employees globally and is distributed by consultancies such as PwC and Bird&Bird.

“We are delighted to have an investor who shares our ambition to become Europe’s leading provider of compliance software. The demand for a tool that can simplify compliance work has never been greater and will continue to grow,” said Jakob Lilholm in connection with the large capital injection last year.

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