Real Deals' annual one-day forum bringing together Nordic and international private equity professionals in Stockholm.
The Nordic Private Equity Forum, branded as the Real Deals Nordic Forum, is an annual one-day conference held in Stockholm that convenes general partners, limited partners, and advisors operating in the Nordic private capital market. Organised by Real Deals Media, a London-based PE trade publisher and events company, it is now in its fourth edition. The forum combines curated panel sessions with extended networking time, and admission is free for GPs and LPs, with a paid tier for service providers.
Real Deals Media was founded with a stated mission to inform, challenge, celebrate, and connect the private equity markets in Europe. Beyond the flagship Real Deals publication, the group operates The Drawdown (focused on private markets operations professionals) and the Growing Business Awards, as well as a portfolio of annual summits and awards spanning the continent. The Nordic Forum fits within that conference portfolio as the group's geographic extension into Scandinavia, mirroring formats it runs in the UK and broader Europe.
Stockholm is the natural host city for a pan-Nordic PE forum. Sweden's institutional investor base, which includes AP fund capital at scale, sits alongside a dense GP community anchored by firms such as Altor, IK Partners, Verdane, and Nordic Capital. The city functions as the region's primary financial centre, with cross-border deal flow connecting Sweden, Denmark, Norway, and Finland. For international managers, Stockholm offers efficient access to Nordic LP relationships and co-investment partners in a single geography.
The Nordic market has attracted sustained attention from European and global GPs for its exit consistency, governance standards, and the maturity of its institutional LP community. The Forum addresses the factors that drive Nordic PE performance, from macroeconomic positioning to sector concentration in technology, healthcare, and the green transition.
The forum draws around 250 delegates from across the Nordic region and international markets with active Nordic exposure. GPs active in Scandinavia form the largest group, ranging from regional specialists such as Axcel, Bridgepoint's Nordic team, and Cubera Private Equity to international managers with Nordic mandates. Nordic institutional investors, including pension funds and sovereign-aligned vehicles, attend on the LP side. A third tier of service providers (legal advisers, placement agents, fund administrators, and consultants) participates on a paid-ticket basis.
The free GP and LP admission policy is deliberate: Real Deals positions the forum as a community-building exercise, not a pay-to-attend lead generation event, which shapes the quality of networking relative to its size.
The 2026 agenda runs from morning registration through early evening drinks, structured around keynotes, panel debates, and concurrent sector streams. Confirmed session themes include the exit timing question for Nordic portfolios, the Nordic secondaries market, AI's effect on portfolio company valuations and operational complexity, ESG reporting under evolving LP expectations, and LP portfolio rebalancing. Concurrent afternoon streams address healthcare, private wealth, and defence/impact investing separately.
The 2026 confirmed speakers include Christopher Parmo (COO, Verdane), Jonatan Lund Kirkhoff (Managing Director, Altor), Alan Gauld (Senior Investment Director, abrdn), Ali Sangari (Principal, Hayfin), and Stina Vallfors (Partner, Cubera Private Equity), with further names expected closer to the date.
The forum does not include a dedicated awards ceremony. Real Deals runs its flagship European PE awards separately under the Real Deals Private Equity Awards brand, which is a distinct London-centred event.
Real Deals Media is a London-based trade publisher and events company serving the European private equity industry. Its flagship publication covers deal flow, fundraising, and industry news across the asset class. The Nordic Forum is one of several geography-specific annual conferences in the Real Deals events calendar, alongside pan-European summits and sector-focused gatherings. It focuses on content and networking rather than deal origination or matchmaking.
Not as a standalone event. Real Deals operates the Real Deals Private Equity Awards, which cover European PE broadly and are hosted separately in London. No dedicated Nordic awards ceremony is attached to the Stockholm forum.
The Real Deals Nordic Forum is an editorial and networking event: the agenda is media-curated, attendance is free for GPs and LPs, and the format prioritises curated panel discussion. The Nordic Fundraising Summit and the Nordic Private Equity Summit (NPES) are primarily matchmaking or LP access formats where the structure and pricing reflect deal facilitation goals. The Real Deals forum is closer to a trade conference with a strong editorial identity.
If the primary goal is structured LP meetings or deal origination, this forum is not the right format: it has no pre-scheduled meeting system. It is best suited to practitioners who want calibration on Nordic market conditions, exposure to peer perspectives across the GP/LP divide, and informal relationship-building in a manageable group size.
Real Deals Media is headquartered at 120 Moorgate, London, and has operated in the European PE media space for over two decades. The group organises multiple events annually, including PE Live, the Value Creation Summit, and the Sustainable Investment Awards, in addition to the Nordic Forum. The Drawdown, a sister brand focused on operations and fund management professionals, runs its own summits and awards. Real Deals is known for intimate, curated formats that attract senior practitioners rather than volume attendance.
Contact for sponsorship and commercial enquiries: sales@realdealsmedia.com. Contact for registration clarifications: Jen.Rodrigues@realdealsmedia.com.
The Real Deals Nordic Forum occupies a clear niche in the Nordic PE calendar: a one-day, media-organised gathering that is genuinely free for fund managers and investors, keeps the room at a size where conversations happen, and delivers a curated agenda rather than a commercial exhibition floor. Four editions in, it has established itself as a credible annual touchpoint for the Nordic PE community, though its small scale means it complements rather than replaces the region's larger gatherings.
Registration is available directly on the event website at realdealsnordics.com. GPs (fund managers) and LPs (institutional investors) claim complimentary places through the site. Service providers and advisors pay £1,999 plus VAT, with an early bird rate of £1,599 plus VAT available until 29 May 2026. Eligibility questions can be directed to Jen.Rodrigues@realdealsmedia.com.
The 2026 edition is held at Hotel at Six Stockholm. The 2024 inaugural edition was held at Grand Hotel Stockholm. Hotel at Six is a contemporary hotel in central Stockholm, within walking distance of the main financial district.
Yes. All sessions are in English, reflecting the international composition of the attendee base: Nordic GPs regularly transact with UK and continental European counterparts, and the LP community includes non-Swedish institutional investors.
No formal seniority requirement is stated. In practice, the curated free-access model draws predominantly senior practitioners, as service providers and junior staff from commercial organisations attend on paid tickets rather than complimentary places.
| Official website | https://realdealsnordics.com/ |
| Agenda | https://realdealsnordics.com/live/en/page/agenda |
| Speakers | https://realdealsnordics.com/live/en/page/speakers |
| Register / book | https://realdealsnordics.com/live/en/page/book |
| Real Deals Media (organiser) | https://realdealsmedia.com/ |