The Swedish founder fixing Europe’s grid with flexible power
ot many people would choose to spend their early twenties writing theses on renewable energy optimisation. John Diklev, Founder and CEO of Flower, didn’t just write a thesis on it, he started a company to solve it, and it is growing extremely fast. In 2025, it was the third fastest-growing company in the Nordics.
Flower is a portmanteau of two words - Flexible Power - but it’s also a nod to the problem they’re solving: the fragility of the energy system, dependent on intermittent power from the sun and wind. Flexible power is the solution to protecting civilization from the collapse of the modern grid.
Flower's rapid growth
Flower ranked 13th fastest growing, in Sifted 250 - Europe’s 250 startups with the highest percentage revenue growth over the past three financial years
“Our partnership with the team at Giant is one we value highly, defined by quality, trust, and a shared ambition for lasting impact.”
Flower has built world-class machine-learning software for managing energy assets that is generating tens of millions in revenue. Flower makes sure power is delivered to the grid when, and where, it is needed. They achieve this by developing grid-scale batteries and energy storage systems. Their AI-driven software optimises renewable energy generation and storage assets across Europe.
This is an important problem to solve. In the first half of 2024 wind and solar provided more energy in Europe than fossil fuels. Wind and solar are sustainable but intermittent sources of energy. Without batteries to store energy at times when supply outstrips demand, we can face a renewable power shortage.
The number of electrified assets connected to the grid has also increased dramatically. Solar installations increased over 3x, heat pumps more than 2x, and EVs almost 4x between 2019 and 2023. These assets both increase overall demand strain on the grid and transmission lines, and they are decentralised. Decentralisation makes the balancing equation harder for local grid operators to manage as the system is now more complex.
Batteries are in the crucible of this complexity. Batteries can provide power at peak times, they can be a guaranteed source of energy ahead of time, they can regulate the frequency of the whole grid by ensuring demand and supply are matched, and they can effectively “trade” the energy markets by drawing electricity when prices are low and distributing it when prices are high. But batteries cannot do all of these things simultaneously. Optimising a battery means monitoring the energy market in real-time and tasking the battery with the highest revenue-generating activities accordingly. Flower handles this in an automated way for batteries and other renewable assets, creating value for the entire grid.
Taking on grid-scale energy challenges and working with major utilities companies is hugely ambitious and requires great execution. The scale Flower has achieved in such a short time and the trust they have won from some of Europe’s largest energy companies are testaments to John’s tenacity and drive.
