9 Best Venture Capital (VC) Firms in Helsinki
Are you on the hunt for the best VC investors in Helsinki to fuel your startup’s growth? This article delivers a detailed rundown of Helsinki’s standout venture capital firms, known for their keen investment strategies and commitment to startup success. Whether you’re seeking funding, expertise, or an expansive network, these VCs can help transform your vision into reality. Let’s dive into who they are and what makes them tick so that you can find your ideal investment match.
3TS Capital Partners
3TS Capital Partners is a prominent European venture capital and private equity firm focusing on technology. 3TS focuses on high-growth small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), either proven businesses becoming local leaders or innovative global challengers. The firm has managed funds totaling over €400 million, with investors including the European Investment Fund (EIF). The firm is stage-agnostic in its investments, typically investing between € 300,000 and €10 million to finance expansion plans, acquisitions, and buyouts.
Headquarters: Austria
Investment Geography: Austria, USA, Poland, Romania, Czech Republic, Netherlands, France, Finland, Germany, UK, Bulgaria, Slovakia
Operating since: 1999
Investment Focus: Technology & Internet (Software, Hardware, Mobile, E-commerce), Media & Communications (Digital Media, Operators), Tech-Enabled Services (Consumer & Business Services, HealthCare Services)
Stages: Series A, Series B
Number of investments: 81
Number of exits: 21
Check size: $300k – $10million
Notable investments: LogMeIn, ShiftMed,
Founders/Key People: Pekka Mäki, Zbigniew Lapinski
Website: https://3tscapital.com/
Icebreaker.VC
Icebreaker.VC, established in 2016, is a Helsinki-based venture capital firm that supports the inception, development, and scaling of strong tech companies. Primarily investing in Finland, Estonia, and Sweden, Icebreaker.VC’s initial investments range from €150k to €800k, targeting teams at any stage, especially those in the pre-seed and angel phases. The firm emphasizes the importance of investing in software-driven companies with the potential for global impact, valuing domain expertise and innovative solutions to real-world problems.
Headquarters: Finland (Helsinki, Finland)
Investment Geography: Finland, Estonia, and Sweden
Operating since: 2016
Stages: Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A
Investment Focus: AI, ML, NLP, Deep Learning, Speech Recognition, Big Data, Data Analytics, IoT, Computer Vision, AR, VR, Enterprise Software, HealthTech, Cyber Security, FinTech, Crypto, Real Estate, PropTech, Dev Tools, Marketing, MarTech, Hardware, TravelTech
Number of investments: 100
Number of exits: 3
Check size: $175k – $5m
Notable investments: Tesseract, Flowhaven, Aibidia
Founders/Key People: Jesse Tinell, Lasse Lehtinen
Website: https://www.icebreaker.vc/
Inventure
Inventure Capital is a boutique investment fund focusing on early-stage investments in tech, biotech, and clean tech startups, primarily in the Midwest. Their portfolio also includes multi-family apartment development, aiming for a mix of tax-efficient, cash-flow-generating real estate and long-term technology investments. The fund has invested in healthcare technologies, a mobile authentication platform, and clean water technology for the oil & gas industry. They also provide consulting and advisory services, including financial analysis and due diligence research.
Headquarters: Finland
Investment Geography: Finland, Sweden, United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, Latvia, Estonia, Iceland, Hungary, China, Netherlands.
Operating since: 2007
Investment Focus: DeepTech (Enterprise Software, MarTech, AdTech, Data Analytics, FoodTech, AI, ML, Robotics, MedTech, Medical Devices, HealthTech, Data Science, IoT, Computer Vision, Marketplaces, FinTech, Semiconductors, VR, Cloud Computing, Gaming, Wireless, Mobile, Cyber Security, Fitness, Wellness, Sensors, EdTech, CleanTech).
Stages: Seed, Series A.
Number of investments: 147
Number of exits: 17
Check size: $1m – $10m
Notable investments: Wolt, Almotive
Founders/Key People: Linus Dahg
Website: https://www.inventure.vc/
Lifeline Ventures
Lifeline Ventures is a venture capital firm based in Helsinki, Finland, specializing in startups, growth capital, and early-stage investments across healthcare, games, web-based, and high-technology sectors. Founded in 2009, Lifeline Ventures has made a significant impact on the startup ecosystem by investing in around 115 companies, with notable exits including Moves (acquired by Facebook), Wolt (acquired by DoorDash in an $8.1 billion deal), and Supercell (Tencent acquired a majority stake for $8.6 billion).
Headquarters: Finalnd
Investment Geography: Finland, United Kingdom, United States, Germany, Spain, Ireland, Denmark, Hungary, United Arab Emirates, Canada, Switzerland, Brazil.
Operating since: 2007
Investment Focus: ClimateTech, Consumer, Financial, Games, Hardware, Health, Software.
Stages: Pre-Seed, Seed, Post-Seed, Series A, Series B+.
Number of investments: 155
Number of exits: 20
Check size: $100k – $2M
Notable investments: Wolt, Supercell
Founders/Key People: Gerald Faldyn
Website: https://www.lifelineventures.com/
Maki Venture Capital
Maki.vc, founded in 2018, is a Helsinki-based venture capital fund that focuses on fueling ambitious and unconventional visions. Maki.vc positions itself as a champion for entrepreneurs who aim to rewrite the future and never conform to category standards. These startups often have ideas that are overlooked by the industry. Maki’s investments span across deep tech and brand-driven companies in Europe.
Headquarters: Finland
Investment Geography: Finland, Norway, United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, France, Sweden, Netherlands, United States.
Operating since: 2018.
Investment Focus: Deep Tech (AI,VR,AR,IoT,Quantum Computing,Hardware,New Materials, Big Data,CleanTech,Enterprise Software,HealthTech,Digital Health,HRTech,Digital Media, Gaming, eSports,Manufacturing,FoodTech,Mobility,FinTech,Logistics).
Stages: Pre-seed, Seed, Series A, Series B+.
Number of investments: 79
Number of exits: 7
Check size: €300K – €3M
Notable investments: Revela, Happeo.
Founders/Key People: Tim Bolte, Ilkka Kivimaeki
Website: https://maki.vc
NordicNinja VC
NordicNinja VC, founded in 2019, is a venture capital investment firm based in Helsinki, Finland. The firm primarily invests in early-stage companies operating in sectors like robotics, automation, health tech, artificial intelligence, and mobility, with a geographical focus on the Nordic and Baltic regions. With a mission to support scale-up goals in the Nordic and Baltic region, NordicNinja VC stands as Finland and Europe’s largest Japanese venture capital firm.
Headquarters: Finland
Investment Geography: Finland, Sweden, Estonia, United States, Lithuania, United Kingdom.
Operating since: 2019.
Investment Focus: DeepTech (Robotics,Automation,HealthTech,AI/Artificial Intelligence, Mobility, B2B Software).
Stage: Seed, Post-Seed, Series A, Series B+.
Number of investments: 28
Number of exits: 0
Check size: €2-8M
Notable investments: Bolt, Veriff
Founders/Key People: Marek Kiisa, Rainer Sternfeld
Website: https://nordicninja.vc
Sisu Game Ventures
Sisu Game Ventures, established in 2014 and based in Helsinki, Finland, is an early-stage venture capital fund dedicated entirely to the gaming industry. With a strong foundation in the Nordic game industry, Sisu Game Ventures has grown into a global VC fund, supporting promising founders in the gaming sector worldwide. The team at Sisu, including Samuli Syvähuoko, Paul Bragiel, Erik Gloersen, Kalle Kaivola, Moaffak Ahmed, Kadri, and Jere Partanen, brings a wealth of experience in both the gaming industry and startup investments, having founded and built sixteen game companies since the early 90s with several successful exits.
Headquarters: Finland
Investment Geography: Finland, United States, Sweden, Iceland, Germany, France, Portugal, Canada, Poland, Japan, Denmark, Switzerland.
Operating since: 2014
Investment Focus: Gaming (Games, Mobile Games, MarTech, Enterprise Software, Dev Tools, AR, VR, Gaming Tech).
Stage: Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A, Series B.
Number of investments: 49
Number of exits: 4
Check size: $50K – $1M
Notable investments: Solsten, ThirdVerse
Founders/Key People: Jere Partanen
Website: https://sisu.vc/
Superhero Capital
Superhero Capital Ventures is a venture capital investment firm founded in 2015 and based in Helsinki, Finland. The firm primarily invests in business-to-business (B2B) software and services, including sectors like health tech, fintech, internet of things (IoT), and Software as a Service (SaaS). It focuses on startups located in Finland and the Baltic regions. Superhero Capital Ventures seeks to support software-driven startups, offering initial investments of up to 1 million euros to help them reach the next level.
Headquarters: Finland
Investment Geography: Finland, Estonia, United States, Lithuania, Latvia, Spain, Germany, Taiwan, United Kingdom, Sweden, Australia.
Operating since: 2015
Investment Focus: DeepTech, Consumer/B2C, Enterprise/B2B, Marketplace, Software/SaaS, Data Analytics, MarTech, MediaTech, HealthTech/MedTech, Supply Chain, PropTech, Drones, Internet, EdTech, Digital Media, Sports.
Stage: Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A, Series B.
Number of investments: 57
Number of exits: 2
Check size: $100K – $4M
Notable investments: Cactos, Fractory
Founders/Key People: Jakob Stora
Website: https://superherocapital.com/
Voima Ventures
Voima Ventures is a Helsinki-based venture capital firm specializing in deep technology investments. They focus on funding scientific deep tech ventures in the Nordics and Baltics. The firm’s mission involves solving major global problems by combining science-driven innovation with entrepreneurial experience and value-adding capital. Voima Ventures supports the scaling of global solutions for people, planet, and industry, with investments ranging from pre-seed stages and technology spin-offs to leading series A and B rounds. Their investment portfolio includes a variety of sectors, such as advanced manufacturing, life sciences, new materials, quantum & AI, and imaging & optics.
Headquarters: Finland
Investment Geography: Finland, Sweden, United States, Germany, Estonia.
Operating since: 2019
Investment Focus: Deep Tech (BioTech, MedTech, Life Sciences, New Materials, ICT, AI, Semiconductors, EnergyTech, Imaging & Optics, IoT, Electronics, Robotics, Software, AgTech, FoodTech, Sustainability).
Stage: Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A, Series B.
Number of investments: 34
Number of exits: 1
Check size: $300K – $1M
Notable investments: Paptic, Solar Foods
Founders/Key People: Inka Mero
Website: https://voimaventures.com/
Conclusion
You now have the essentials on Helsinki’s leading VC investors. It’s time to step up and engage. Think about which investors resonate with your startup’s mission and have the means and mindset to accelerate your journey. Crafting a targeted approach to the right VC can open doors to funding, invaluable advice, and connections. Prep your pitch, align your objectives, and gear up to make those pivotal partnerships. The right investor could be your ticket to surviving and thriving in Helsinki’s competitive startup ecosystem.
