Antti Hämmäinen

Curious about what Urban Tech Helsinki is all about or eager to meet some of our innovative founders? Here’s your chance! Join us at this year’s Startup Founders' Town, where we’ll have some of our incredible startups (to be announced soon) and an Urban Tech Helsinki booth ready for networking. Don’t miss the opportunity to connect with the core team and discover how we're shaping the future of urban technology! 🍃 Learn more about the event below and get ready to shake some hands! 👀 --- 🚀 Founders' Town is coming up! Welcome to connect and discover Espoo’s entrepreneurial support & possibilities. Each year 80 startup companies are founded on the Aalto University campus in Espoo and 50% of Finland’s hitech patents are filed in this relatively small area. It's a large number, so why and how is this happening? What’s the secret? There are 3 reasons as to why this is taking place: 1️⃣ High density of entrepreneur-minded people from students, researchers and entrepreneurs. 2️⃣ World-class infrastructure, such as labs, accelerator/incubator programs and graduate courses. 3️⃣ …and probably the most important, SHARING & NETWORKING CULTURE through low hierarchy structures. This event is free of charge for everyone! 🔗 Check the program and registration details (general registration and for startups to book a booth): https://lnkd.in/d-28mT9g #fromideastoimpact #founderstown #startups #UrbanTechHelsinki A Grid Aalto Startup Center

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🎊 Great news for early-stage businesses in Denmark! The new government reform introduces significant funding opportunities, tax relief, and legal changes aimed at boosting startup growth. This is a perfect time for innovative ideas in health, wellbeing, and energy sectors to thrive. If you have a startup or an idea, we want to hear from you! Learn more about the reforms and send your pitch to us for a chance to collaborate. At KRING we not only invest in impact ideas and business concepts, we co-create! https://lnkd.in/dSBnmuDS #Startups #Innovation #Health #Energy #Entrepreneurship #DenmarkReform #EarlyStageBusiness #impactinvesting #Venturebuilding #kring

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The Finnish have 40 unique words for different types of snow and frozen precipitation. Can't we do better than “bootstrapped” and “VC-backable” to talk about our companies? I go to all these different events and talk to a lot of founders. 99% tell me they are bootstrapped or looking for VC funding. That’s it. We’re missing whole categories of funding types. We can do better than that. Here’s two: 💰 CUSTOMER LED / PROFIT GROWTH – You are growing your company at the speed you add new customers. As you earn a margin you put it back into your sales and marketing. Amazing businesses that don’t necessarily need outside capital. It may be slow, but it's not going in the red. 💰 1 AND DONE – I like this one from Greg Isenberg. You have customer led growth, but you want to grow faster. You approach investors to fuel the growth, but not to become a unicorn. The intention is to get a round of funding and stop. From there you pay dividends from the profits. The key here is really concentrating on getting dividends out. We can keep the old words. Bootstrapping can be reserved for those who are using their own capital to fund them until the first sales are made. VC-backable stays with the <5% of companies who are aiming for unicorn status. I know there are investors who want to find unique investments in founders they believe in. There are investors with different priorities. We need to talk differently so we aren’t trying to shoehorn every early stage business into saying they have some massive TAM and are going to be a unicorn. How else can we talk about these businesses so investors can find and fund them properly?  

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21 years ago we started Creandum together with two investors, Skandia and Sjätte Ap-Fonden. We worked for more than a year to raise more capital but no one was interested which is why fund I was only EUR 30m. Today we announced Creandum VII, a EUR 500m fund, raised quickly, where half the capital comes from top US institutions. In fact, 5 out of the 8 largest US University endowments are Creandum investors which means, just like us, they are big believers in the European tech ecosystem. The other half comes primarily from European Pension Funds, some of Europe's most long term and sophisticated family offices and a few top global Venture Fund of Funds. All these investors can invest anywhere but they choose here. #longliveeuropeantech Sabina Wizander Jonathan Biggs Peter Specht Simon Schmincke Johan Brenner Hanel Baveja Fredrik Cassel  Carl Fritjofsson Beata Klein Daniel Blomquist Peter Stilwell Nick Wilkins Natalia Ilmark Roger Johanson Cecilia Gross Friberger Till Gutzen Spotify Bolt Depop Epidemic Sound Trade Republic Settle Taxfix Factorial Tide Pleo Neo4j Cornershop https://lnkd.in/gifxdnV5

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“Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.” — André Gide World, it’s time to wake up and recognize the incredible entrepreneurs who are tackling our most pressing #climate challenges head-on—even while their own friends and family are at risk due to conflict. These are today’s real heroes: dynamic individuals who thrive on balanced self-actualization and create highly profitable solutions that make a genuine difference. They don’t see obstacles; they see opportunities. As the saying goes, “We don’t see things as they are; we see things as we are.” What some might call a struggle, they call breakfast. Let’s shift our focus from distractions and be inspired by those who turn adversity into innovation. It’s time to harness that pioneering spirit and contribute to shaping a better, more sustainable future. 💥💥💥™️

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🏆 The most active early-stage investors in the Nordics 🏆 These VCs have all done five or more early-stage deals so far in 2024. The Nordic region, known for its climate tech scaleups, has seen a surge in early-stage startup investments in 2024, particularly in climate tech. A total of €446 million was raised by early-stage startups, with several venture capitalists (VCs) leading multiple rounds. Below is a summary of the most active early-stage investors in the Nordics so far in 2024:- 1️⃣ Export and Investment Fund of Denmark (EIFO) 🇩🇰     - Deal Count: 12    - HQ: Copenhagen    - Focus: Climate tech, defence, security, transformative tech (quantum).    - Notable Investments:CELLUGY® (€4.9M round), Draupnir Bio (€12M round), Monthio (€10M round). 2️⃣ Lifeline Ventures 🇫🇮     - Deal Count: 7    - HQ: Helsinki    - Focus: Generalist fund across early-stage startups, mainly in Finland.    - Notable Investments:Photoncycle (€5M round), Steady Energy(€10M round). 3️⃣ Antler 🇸🇪 🇸🇬    - Deal Count: 6    - HQ: Singapore, with Nordic offices.    - Focus: Wide range of sectors through accelerator programs.    - Notable Investments:Sloyd (€3M round), Buddywise (€3.5M round). 4️⃣ Industrifonden 🇸🇪    - Deal Count: 6    - HQ: Stockholm    - Focus: Deeptech, life sciences, transformative tech.    - Notable Investments:Asgard Therapeutics (€30M Series A), ZeroPoint Technologies (€5M Series A). 5️⃣ The European Innovation Council applicant support Fund 🇬🇧    - Deal Count: 5    - HQ: London    - Focus: Deeptech, quantum, energy, materials.    - Notable Investments:Kaffe Bueno (€6.2M Series A), Iris.ai(€7.6M round). 6️⃣ Novo Holdings 🇩🇰     - Deal Count: 5    - HQ: Copenhagen    - Focus: Life sciences, climate, quantum.    - Notable Investments:REDUCED (€6M round), Orbis Medicines (€26M round). 7️⃣ Stephen Industries 🇫🇮     - Deal Count: 5    - HQ: Helsinki    - Focus: Healthtech, climate tech, deeptech.    - Notable Investments:FiberWood (€7.7M round), Polar Night Energy Oy (€7.6M seed round). 8️⃣ Almi Invest 🇸🇪     - Deal Count: 5    - HQ: Gothenburg & Stockholm    - Focus: Greentech fund.  - Notable Investments:Greeniron H2 AB (€8.6M round),GAIA BioMaterials AB (€4.6M round). The Nordic region is witnessing substantial activity in early-stage investments, particularly in climate tech and deeptech. 🌍 For all the details on these inspirational investors, go to Sifted here 👇 https://lnkd.in/dfXumwaY #investor #VCs #investment #venturecapital #investing #startup #founder #innovator #earlystage #climatetech #deeptech #tech #scaleup #defense #security #quantum #greentech #healthtech #energy #LifeScience #SMEs #entrepreneurship

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New Deals in the “Venture Winter” They say the venture market is still in a lull due to declining investor interest, added risks, and the extra costs of project scoring, not to mention the overall “investment winter.” November events like WebSummit and Slush have also drawn attention, traditionally bringing together funds, private investors, angels, and startups. Everyone is busy networking. Meanwhile, two new deals were finalized on my CY Venture project. One deal started in the summer, and the project received investment only at the beginning of November. Another project published its proposal at the end of October and has already secured funding. A variety of investors are subscribed to my project – equity funds, venture funds, venture builders, family offices, business angels, corporate investors, syndicates, and private individuals. There is interest in both large international projects and local offline businesses (not strictly venture, but valuable for diversification). The project launched in February 2021 as a pilot and has gradually built a solid base of target subscribers. The average deal success rate is over 7% of published projects. The projects vary widely in quality—some are clearly weaker, while others are highly promising. Subscribe and see for yourself. New publications are coming soon. The site is easy to remember: venture.cy Like, share, and heart ❤️

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🔥 Final Call for Startups for September 2024 🔥 If your startup is raising 1-5 MSEK or more in funding, welcome to apply today (by 5pm) to one of Connect's startup tracks: - FAST TRACK: Rapid Investor Exposure Track - SPRÅNGBRÄDAN IMPACT: EU-Funded Investment Readiness Program Our general requirements are: - Business Structure: Registered Swedish AB (Aktiebolag) or an equivalent company format if from outside Sweden - Commitment: Team already in place, at least one founder working full-time - Funding Goal: Planning to raise at least 1-5 MSEK or more (pre-seed/seed) - Product: A prototype/beta/finished product/service - Traction: Traction from customers (paying, paid pilots, pilots, LOIs) - Internationalization: A long term plan to go international - Impact Focus: At least one of the United Nations Sustainable Development goals * Additional requirements for the Språngbrädan Impact program include that the startup must be registered in Stockholm and should not have raised more than 3MSEK in grants from public entities before entering the program. Welcome to send in your application: https://lnkd.in/dt_gbFEj

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STOCKHOLM RATED A TOP STARTUP CITY BY PITCHBOOK PitchBook has recently published a rating of the global top 50 startup cities, based on funding, deal count and exit valuations over the last 6 years. Stockholm ranks on place 27 overall, and 4 in Europe, behind London, Paris and Berlin. The US still dominates the list, with China in second place. This is not good news for Europe overall. Also, Stockholm scores low on the overall growth score, which should come as no surprise for those active in the Stockholm startup scene - funding access is significantly lower today than it was a couple of years ago. Stockholm still has a very rich startup ecosystem, but needs a higher activity level to stay vibrant. Overall, for Sweden and Europe to stay competitive, we need to come back to growth in the coming years. Link to the Pitchbook study: https://lnkd.in/dvPidjQ7

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We are nearing the end of our Fall batch here at Antler Helsinki and had another group of amazing founders build with us. Now if you've been looking to found a startup company don't worry, our next batch starts in March next year! Better yet, you can come visit our office on November 14th to hear more how it is like to build with Antler. For a preview of what it's like, attached you can see Jussi pushing founders to move faster and talk to customers. Link is in the comments!

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My top 3 reasons for traveling to Slush this year: 1. Catching up with existing and future investors. IMO Slush has become THE casual (party) destination for venture capital in Europe. So it’s a great place to connect and stay in touch 🥳 2. Spending (sauna & burger) time with my co-founder Maximilian Messing to boost alignment and motivation for 2025 🚀 3. Enjoying snowy Helsinki, which is simply beautiful around this time of the year ☃️ And yes, there is great content, insightful speeches and lots of things to learn. But sometimes, it‘s also a founders job to connect and invest into relationships.

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As seed funding increasingly influences the entrepreneurial landscape in the Nordics, it serves as an essential mechanism to support early-stage businesses in the region, including technology innovators and green startups. This key financing step ensures the efficient distribution of resources, supporting both sustainability goals and economic expansion. In our article, we delve into the key sources of seed funding in the Nordics – government grants, angel investors, and accelerators. We discuss how these foundational funding avenues significantly impact startup growth trajectories, support market stability, and drive innovation.   👇 Learn about the impact of seed funding on Scandinavian startups and emerging trends in this sector. https://lnkd.in/djms78rJ #OrderGroup #BlogPost #SeedFinancing #StartupFunding

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Bisly - Scalable Building Automation - raises €6.2m to expand its emissions-slashing smart building platform. The funding round was led by investors including Foxway Group founders Urvo Männama and Paul Kristian Padrik. Already a market leader in Estonia, this funding round will be directed towards Bisly’s plans for expansion throughout Europe, especially Germany and the United Kingdom, where the company has already opened offices and started courting high-profile partnerships. Former COO, Ants Vill, has been appointed CEO to spearhead these growth efforts. “Having proven their expertise in Estonia, Bisly is well-positioned to meet the increasing global demand for smart building technology. Their advanced solutions and strong team make them well-equipped to drive significant reductions in the carbon footprint of buildings worldwide, contributing to broader climate change initiatives,” - Robert Martin at SmartCap Read more about the raise and this Estonian companies plans for further European expansion, via the article linked below. 👇 https://lnkd.in/d6AX26jU #PropTech #Smartbuildings #Europe ---- 💡 Follow PropTech Connect for daily Real Estate and PropTech news and insights.

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🏁 Apply until Friday 🏁 We make the difference for the ones who can make the difference. Or in other words, if you are a highly impactful European climatetech startup at founding or pre-seed stage we can be your first believer who helps you to get kickstarted. On the mission to become Europe's leading catalyst for pre-seed climatetech ventures we designed our remote acceleration journey for start-ups which are looking for their first significant funding and are on the way to find their product-market fit. We will select just the very best and most ambitious teams to support them individually to make them as successful as possible. We have no strict curriculum, no cohort activities, almost no obligatory events. We will tailor a journey on your specific needs. ​​ 🎯 we provide a structured approach to reach product-market fit 👵 mentoring from experienced founders and experts speeds you up 📚 our knowledge-base helps to work like a serial entrepreneur 🤝 we connect you with many relevant contacts 💶 with our investment we are going to lead your pre-seed round, sized 200k - 1.5mn Euro 👼 we help you to find awesome co-investors for the pre-seed round and support you later with your seed round 👩‍🔬 we help you to find highly motivated and skilled first employees from our network 💻 fully digital program, but strong network in most European startup hubs Apply until this Friday (September 27th): https://lnkd.in/diWDSpnw

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🚀OULU STARTUPS🚀- from this link https://lnkd.in/eQnfSKKK you can find a data base of startups from Oulu sorted alphabetically. You can open each company’s profile to read a short description. Take a look! There are several tags in the companies, and you can use them for filtering and sorting. You can also switch the tabs to see companies presorted by year, development stage and source. #startup #starups #oulu #finland

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🚀 Balderton Capital & AENU announce the € 10 m seed round at b2b energy tech champion trawa from Berlin ❤️ with participation from our friends at Speedinvest. Trawa is building the EU’s leading energy management platform for SMEs, optimizing consumption and transitioning towards green energy. 🌱 🚍 Congratulations to David Budde, Max Lüddemann, Robert Quick and the whole team trawa on the strong funding round! We look forward to supporting you! But who is trawa? A Berlin-based climate tech startup revolutionizing energy supply for medium-sized enterprises with its AI technology. Their solution not only offers green but also cheaper electricity, contributing to the much-needed energy transition. 🎯 Why We Invested? At AENU, we are deeply committed to the transition towards green technologies. trawa has the potential to fundamentally change how medium-sized businesses procure and manage their energy. Their innovative AI platform enables up to 30% reduction in electricity consumption and associated costs, while protecting against future price surges. With already over 1,000 industrial client locations throughout Germany being served by trawa, we see tremendous growth potential. In the words of our Partner, Philip Specht: "Cost and sustainability targets are influencing the energy procurement process of European companies. Trawa is uniquely positioned to serve both targets and become the one-stop-shop for SMEs' green energy needs, from securing renewable electricity to managing consumption and distributed energy resources." 🌍 Our Commitment: This investment underscores our commitment to sustainable innovation and our confidence in trawa's ability to bring about real change in the energy sector. We look forward to supporting trawa as they expand their AI capabilities, build a comprehensive software ecosystem, and realize their vision of becoming a comprehensive energy partner for the SME sector. Follow for more updates on this exciting partnership and how we are tackling energy challenges together! Read the news here: https://lnkd.in/e_MEAtkR Philip Specht Melina Sánchez Montañés

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Did you know companies with solid cultures can outperform their competitors by as much as 2x? That's something I experienced firsthand. At my previous startup, we managed to persuade top tech talent from Silicon Valley to move to the Nordics, thanks in large part to our strong culture. For startup founders, creating a positive, values-driven culture is key. Encourage open communication, foster growth, and learning, and let your team know they're appreciated. A robust culture not only draws in the best talent but also boosts team engagement and paves the way for greater business success long term.

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At A Grid Founders Town, Norders CEO & Co-founder Joonas Kylliäinen brought the real talk on scaling B2B startups. This wasn’t your typical business session—Joonas got into the raw challenges that every startup faces: fragmented sales, endless tech stacks, vague objectives, and time wasted on the wrong efforts. 💥 Norders is here to cut through the noise. With our Demand System model, we offer: 🔸 One team 🔸 One strategy 🔸 One clear way forward Led by expert fractional leaders who bring serious experience to match ambitious goals, Norders' model is all about real demand, real results, and real momentum—no fluff. 🌍 Check out Joonas’ keynote below to see how Norders is scaling B2B brands that truly matter. 👇 🎬 https://lnkd.in/gFMxuz6f Let’s build B2B brands that matter—right here, right now. #Norders #AGrid #DemandSystem #B2BGrowth #Startup #Founders

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