Maki.vc

Meet our Ella Eskelinen at Female Founder Office Hours by Playfair this week! Did you know this? Female Founder Office Hours (FFOH) is the largest diversity and inclusion initiative in venture and founders participating in the events have raised over £1.4bn. 💰

There was a stage talk at TechBBQ that received a wave of praise from founders and investors. 🎤 Described as one of the most engaging discussions on the Gen AI landscape in the Nordics, our partner Pauliina Martikainen joined Nima Vali Rajabi, founder & CEO of Magic Feedback, to explore the art of customer experience. 📖 Read the full transcription of the stage talk: https://lnkd.in/eMZhAife

Yle kokosi listan nuorista yrityksistä, jotka voisivat kiihdyttää Suomen talouskasvua ja perustajaosakkaamme Ilkka Kivimäki jakoi oman näkemyksensä tulevaisuuden kasvuraketeista. Uusimpien tutkimusten mukaan yliopistojen liepeillä alkaneet, tutkimukseen pohjautuvat startupit nostattavat Suomen yleistä talouskehitystä seuraavan kymmenen vuoden aikana. Lue artikkeli: https://lnkd.in/g2Qky5cE

Noin 15 vuotta sitten Ilkka Kivimäki ja Woltin nykyinen toimitusjohtaja Miki Kuusi istuivat alas keskustelemaan Slushin olemassaolon syistä ja tuijottivat allaolevaa slaidia. ⬇️ Molemmat olivat huolissaan Nokian jälkeisen Suomen tulevaisuudesta; tuottavuuden lasku yhdistettynä heikentyvään huoltosuhteeseen sai hälytyskellot päälle. "Emme voi enää kutsua itseämme pohjoismaiseksi hyvinvointivaltioksi ilman merkittäviä muutoksia" Ilkka kirjoittaa uusimmassa Talouselämä kolumnissaan. Mikä on kansalaisen rooli tässä yhtälössä? Lue koko kolumni: https://lnkd.in/e2K5ZJ2S

Outstanding news from Distance Technologies! 💥 Distance Technologies has become the first Finnish company backed by GV (Google Ventures). The round was led by GV, with FOV Ventures and Maki.vc also participating. 🎤 Urho Konttori, CEO and co-founder of Distance Technologies says, “Our vision has always been to bring the power of mixed reality everywhere, whether you can wear a headset or not, making it a transformative and accessible experience across a wide range of industries – ranging across automotive, defence and aeronautics.” Read the full CNBC article: https://lnkd.in/eNn-XGgH

Environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) is not a new topic in the European startup space — in fact, it’s been talked about and debated for years on end. In their recent op-ed at TNW, our partner Pauliina Martikainen and ESG Lead Mona Saurén tackle three prevalent myths surrounding ESG in the context of venture capital and startups. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/ex2gPuS5

"The dos and don'ts of startup branding with Strise and Maki.vc" 📸 Today we served breakfast and talked branding with our pride and joy, Strise, at Oslo Innovation Week. Together with our brilliant Venla Väänänen, Marit Rødevand & Lars Lunde Birkeland really took us on a ride through Strise's branding journey. We always talk about investing into brand-driven companies and this event was entirely devoted to that topic. With a full venue and a looong waitlist, it is certain we will be back next year! ✨

The right amount of planning, resources, and skills development makes it more likely for a SaaS startup to succeed. But why choose a SaaS model to begin with? 🌐 TechRound asked our founding partner Pirkka Palomäki: “Recurring business models such as SaaS provide steady and more predictable cash flows and lower barriers to entry for customers. However, as the increased use of AI introduces significant variable costs to the equation, we are now witnessing pressure to change from fixed monthly pricing to more transactional or value-based recurring pricing models.” Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/e_vvP9rD

Did you know Estonia leads the world in unicorns and funded startups per capita? 🇪🇪 In a recent article by Geenius Meedia, Estonia's leading business media, our partner Pauliina Martikainen explains why we’re intrigued by the thriving Estonian startup scene. With companies like Skype, Bolt, and Wise serving as "founder factories," Estonia has nurtured a thriving entrepreneurial culture, inspiring us to back the next generation of innovative founders. Are you an Estonian founder that we should meet? Drop us a DM! 💎 Read the full article (in Estonian): https://lnkd.in/etXFKy2U

"Build your brand before it’s too late – insights from an investor and a startup CMO" On today's Shifter.no, our branding expert Venla Väänänen and Lars Lunde Birkeland, CMO at Strise, discuss the hot topic at Oslo Innovation Week – branding. In case you need a translation, here's a summary of the article: 💰 The best venture funds look for companies whose primary competitive advantage is their team’s understanding of how their product speaks to customers on a human level. 🕵♂️ Take Strise, for example, a Norwegian fintech SaaS sensation that cracked the code of branding from the start. Rather than focusing solely on improving profitability they boldly positioned their brand around the larger mission of combating financial crime. 💫 Brand growth doesn’t skyrocket with ad spend alone. Rather, think about roadmaps for product features, customer journey mapping, and ongoing customer relationship management. Nail these, and you’ll be on the right track. Full article: https://lnkd.in/enbfJ-_p