Veri / Human Engineering
Founders: Anttoni Aniebonam, Verneri Jäämuru, Frans Lehmusvaara
Finnish fintech startup ReceiptHero has raised €2 million to continue its mission of digitalizing receipts and making them a mass adopted solution. The funding round enables the company to continue the development of its platform, grow the team and enter new markets.
MoreReceiptHero’s mission is to eliminate the paper receipt. The company is building a fully digitalized receipt platform where merchants, banks and customers can consume receipt data. It integrates into point of sale systems and payment solutions to build digital receipts, which are then passed into accounting software and banking apps. For banks and PSPs ReceiptHero is the most advanced PCI DSS compliant partner for digital receipts.
CEO: Joel Ojala
Founders: Joel Ojala, Saku Pihlajaniemi, Tommi Keränen, Tuomas Peippo
Flowrite has raised €550k to create the new way to write on the web. The company is building an AI-powered writing product to supercharge peoples' everyday writing tasks by turning words into ready-to-send emails, messages, posts, and more. An early version of the product will soon be available to the first selected users.
MoreFlowrite is an AI-powered writing tool that lets you convert your thoughts into full-length emails, messages, posts, and other written content on the web. It is designed for those whose work depends on communicating effectively. In practice, Flowrite plugs into your browser, recognizes the context based on the website, and is able to turn sequences of words, short sentences, and bullet points into any desired short-form text.
CEO: Aaro Isosaari
Founders: Aaro Isosaari, Karolus Sariola
Cooler Future, a Finnish fintech startup, closed a successful funding round of €1.4 million to continue developing what will be Europe’s first climate impact investing app. With a carefully designed mobile app, users will be able to invest in a climate-friendly portfolio of assets and track the CO2e impact of their investments alongside their financial returns.
MoreCooler Future is a fintech startup developing transparent and effective impact investment solutions for the climate-conscious generation. The company’s mission is to create positive climate impact by investing in assets from companies that are actively reducing their carbon footprint. With Cooler Future’s intuitive, easy-to-use mobile app, anyone can track the CO2e impact of each euro invested, while generating financial returns at the same time.
CEO: Matti Rönkkö
Founders: Matti Rönkkö, Moaffak Ahmed
Synoste has been acquired by US-based Globus Medical, a leading medical device manufacturer which develops, manufactures, and distributes musculoskeletal device solutions. Synoste produces high technology implants for minimally invasive bone lengthening treatment.
MoreSynoste develops and will sell novel patient friendly medical solutions for treatment of skeletal deformities. The first target is a better device for the limb lengthening procedure. Synoste utilizes smart materials and introduces a less painful and precisely controllable treatment device that lowers the complication rate and enables faster recovery to normal life.
CEO: Harri Hallila
Founders: Antti Ritvanen, Harri Hallila, Juha Haaja
Ductor received a significant investment from BW Group, one of the world’s leading maritime groups in the tanker, gas, and offshore segments. During the last year, Ductor opened its first operational sustainable fertilizer and biogas facility in Mexico and contracted for three new facilities in Poland.
MoreDuctor’s groundbreaking technology prevents ammonia inhibition in biogas production. This is done by adding one fermentation step, prior to biogas fermentation, as well as a nitrogen stripping unit. Ductor’s patented microbiological innovation eliminates the nitrogen dilemma by turning problem waste into profitable recyclable goods.
CEO: Ari Mokko
Founders: Ari Mokko, Veikko Latvala
ICEYE, a world-leading SAR data provider, has closed a $87 million series C funding round. The company intends to use this financing round to continue accelerating the growth of its SAR satellite constellation with more spacecraft, increasing data availability for all continents through 24/7 customer operations, continuing the development of ground-breaking radar imaging capabilities, and for establishing spacecraft manufacturing in the US.
MoreIceye empowers others to make better decisions in governmental and commercial industries by providing access to timely and reliable satellite imagery. Iceye is the first organization in the world to successfully launch synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) satellites with a launch mass under 100 kg.
CEO: Rafal Modrzewski
Founders: Pekka Laurila, Rafal Modrzewski
Solar Foods, producing a unique single-cell protein out of thin air, has closed its series A financing round with new financing of €15 million. A new production plant, enabled by the new funds raised, will be a key milestone in Solar Foods’ path in reaching its vision of changing the way food is produced.
MoreSolar Foods is a Finnish food tech company that creates innovations for producing food without agriculture. With its revolutionary biotech solution Solein, Solar Foods enables natural protein production anywhere by using air, water, and electricity. The unique bioprocess of Solein provides a new platform technology for nutritious food ingredients, plant-based meat alternatives or even cultured meat.
CEO: Pasi Vainikka
Founders: Pasi Vainikka, Juha-Pekka Pitkänen
TrademarkNow has been acquired by Corsearch, a leading provider of trademark clearance and protection solutions for IP professionals and brands. The transaction will enable TrademarkNow to continue providing the automated side of its business, but to also expand that to include experienced analysts providing full search, watch and brand protection solutions.
MoreTrademarkNow provides an intelligent web-based trademark management platform that is used by enterprise companies, law firms and branding agencies for instant trademark search and watch results. At its core is a unique artificial intelligence model of trademark law based on both explicit and intricate domain models of the law.
CEO: Mikael Kolehmainen
Founders: Anna Ronkainen, Heikki Vesalainen, Matti Kokkola, Mikael Kolehmainen
Varjo, the leader in industrial-grade VR/XR hardware and software, has closed a $54 million round of Series C funding. The latest infusion of capital will allow Varjo to accelerate its global expansion and development of industry-leading hardware and software products.
MoreVarjo was founded by a team of industry professionals with decades of experience and a vision of seamlessly merging the virtual and real worlds. The Bionic Display™ in Varjo’s VR devices delivers an unprecedented human-eye resolution of 60 pixels per degree. It revolutionizes professional VR by bringing every detail, texture, contour and color into 20/20 focus.
CEO: Timo Toikkanen
Founders: Urho Konttori, Klaus Melakari, Roope Rainisto, Niko Eiden
Swappie raises $40 million Series B to bring the circular smartphone economy to the masses. The funding will be used to accelerate Swappie’s international expansion and to support the company’s rapid growth.
MoreSwappie is changing the European market in consumer electronics by building the world-leading marketplace for refurbished devices. The company’s marketplace offers easy and safe buying and selling of used smartphones. Swappie buys phones from customers and companies, refurbishes them in-house and sells them in top condition and with a proper warranty.
CEO: Sami Marttinen
Founders: Sami Marttinen, Jiri Heinonen
Seaber.io, the Finnish maritime technology company, raises €500,000 in funding to expand its operations and ramp up software development. Seaber.io’s unique digital platform for bulk and breakbulk provides the shipping industry with tools to simplify and unify the planning and communications of shipments.
MoreSeaber is a Helsinki-based software company, led by people with versatile maritime backgrounds. They are working to digitally transform the 400 billion dollar bulk shipping industry. Seaber helps bulk & breakbulk charterers, shipowners & brokers improve efficiency through digitalisation of key operational processes.
CEO: Sebastian Sjoberg
Founders: Sebastian Sjoberg, Mikael Sand
Lifeline Ventures invests in Finnish startup Human Engineering. The company has created Veri to help people understand and stabilize their blood sugar. The app enables users to see their blood sugar in real time, thus helping to keep levels in a healthy range.
MoreBlood sugar is the most vital metric in your body. Each and every day your blood sugar levels affect your thoughts, mood, health, and longevity. The Veri app is the easiest way to track and stabilize your blood sugar. Veri’s mission is to empower others to take health into their own hands.
CEO: Anttoni Aniebonam
Founders: Anttoni Aniebonam, Verneri Jäämuru, Frans Lehmusvaara
Wolt has secured a new €100 million round of funding. The company has grown to serve 5 million customers in 22 countries and 80 cities. Wolt partners with more than 10,000 restaurants and 20,000 couriers, and has more than 1,000 people working in its offices across the markets.
MoreWolt is a technology company building the one app for discovering and getting great food in your city. The Helsinki-based company has operations in +20 countries and +70 cities, serving food from over 10,000 restaurants with over 20,000 courier partners. The company was founded in 2014 and employs over 1,000 people. Wolt has raised more than €250M in financing from renowned U.S. and European based investors.
CEO: Miki Kuusi
Founders: Elias Aalto, Juhani Mykkänen, Lauri Andler, Mika Matikainen, Miki Kuusi, Oskari Pétas
BLAST has raised €12.5 million in new funding to accelerate the growth and expansion of the BLAST brand. With offices in Copenhagen and London, BLAST creates world-class esports entertainment through intimate broadcast studio shows, arena events, and online content.
MoreBLAST Pro Series is the home of live Counter-Strike entertainment and the world’s most exciting live esports tournament. All the favorite teams battle it out live on stage. A format that delivers the best experience for the players, the sport and the audience whether watched at home or in the buzzing arena.
CEO: Robbie Douek
Founders: Nikolaj Nyholm, Jakob Lund Kristensen
Student wellbeing solution provider, School Day, has secured €1.1 million in seed funding. The investment will enable School Day to expand business development activity in key markets and grow their core team. It will also allow the business to build on recent exponential growth generated by schools' concerns about pupil wellbeing as a result of the recent shift to distance learning.
MoreSchool Day provides a unique AI-based solution for schools. It analyzes, explains and develops student wellbeing for better learning. Teachers and school leaders get real-time insights into their students’ wellbeing daily. School Day is backed by leading researchers, wellbeing experts and developers.
CEO: Mika Kasanen
Founders: Mika Kasanen, Atte Kekkonen
Meru Health closed its $8.1 million series A funding round. Meru offers a digital treatment that's proven to help people better their mental health from the comfort and convenience of their home. The company has treated 700 patients and it currently has 20 physicians.
MoreMeru Health is a digital clinic treating depression and anxiety. The company’s goal is to make effective treatment widely accessible to people in need. Meru Health operates at the forefront of technology and medical science, using leading scientifically proven methods to redefine how depression and anxiety are being treated.
CEO: Kristian Ranta
Founders: Kristian Ranta, Albert Nazander, Riku Lindholm
Proptech company Spacent, specialised in enabling more effective space resource use of corporate and institutional clients, raised €1.85 million in its financing round. The completed funding round will support Spacent's development roadmap as it begins to scale up internationally.
MoreSpacent is a Finnish proptech company specialised in enabling more effective space resource use of corporate and institutional clients. Spacent’s aim is to bring solutions for large occupiers in order to build adaptability, sustainability and efficiency in their space use. The company also works with property owners and operators in order to boost their income and customer base. Spacent is founded by real estate professionals who have wide experience in service architecture, real estate development and consultation.
CEO: Antti Tuomela
Founders: Antti Tuomela, Anssi Salonen, Eetu Ristaniemi, Jarmo Suominen
Oura, which has sold over 150,000 rings and grown to more than 100 employees globally, has completed its Series B raise of $28m. The raised funds will be used to grow the Oura team, roll out a redesigned website and pursue evolved branding and marketing as well as prioritize research support with academic institutions.
MoreOura is an award-winning wellness ring and app, designed to help people get more restful sleep and perform better. The independently validated science behind Oura and the design of the Oura ring make it the perfect companion for busy professionals, athletes and anyone who wants to get insights into their sleep, recovery and readiness to perform.
CEO: Harpreet Rai
Founders: Petteri Lahtela, Kari Kivelä, Markku Koskela, Virpi Tuomivaara, Ashley Colley
Aiven has raised $40m Series B to accelerate its open source cloud platform. Aiven will use the proceeds of the round to triple headcount, add new open source technologies and introduce new enterprise grade features.
MoreAiven provides fully managed cloud database and messaging services hosted in the cloud of the customer’s choice, including Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform, and Microsoft Azure. Its mission is to allow developers to focus on building awesome applications without worrying about data infrastructure management.
CEO: Oskari Saarenmaa
Founders: Oskari Saarenmaa, Heikki Nousiainen, Mika Eloranta, Hannu Valtonen
Kayzen, which provides a SaaS-based solution for in-house mobile programmatic (real-time) advertising, has closed a $4m seed round to continue its journey in building the best programmatic in-house product and technology.
MoreBerlin-based startup Kayzen provides a SaaS-based solution for in-house mobile programmatic (real-time) advertising. The software platform enables app developers and agencies to take mobile programmatic in-house and reach their audiences on publishers’ inventory directly.
CEO: Tim Koschella
Founders: Tim Koschella, Puneet Gupta, Servesh Jain
Smartly.io has reached an agreement for a majority investment of €200 million by Providence Equity Partners. This partnership will help accelerate growth through acquisition and organic investment to continue building Smartly.io’s leading multi-platform advertising solution that combines creative production and ad buying.
MoreSmartly.io automates every step of social advertising to unlock greater performance and creativity. Its advertising and creative automation platform makes online advertising easy, effective, and enjoyable. Smartly.io works closely with 650+ brands including eBay, Uber, TechStyle and Skyscanner, managing over $1 billion in annual ad spend.
CEO: Kristo Ovaska
Founders: Kristo Ovaska, Tuomo Riekki
Sulapac, the startup replacing plastic with its microplastic-free material innovation, raised €15 million to engine its scale-up and internationalization. The funding enables further development and broadening of its recipe portfolio.
MoreSulapac® is a biodegradable and microplastic-free material made entirely from renewable sources and certified wood. It can be used as packaging for everything from cosmetics to foodstuff to gift boxes and more. It has all the benefits of plastic, yet it biodegrades completely and leaves no trace once it’s gone.
CEO: Suvi Haimi
Founders: Suvi Haimi, Laura Kyllönen
Vensum Power, the creator of the game-changing Unified Software Defined Power Conversion (USDPC) technology, has raised €1m in seed funding. The funding enables Vensum Power to complete the development of the first product generation and enter the market during 2020.
MoreVensum Power is the creator of the Unified Software-Defined Power Conversion (USPDC) technology that enables better, faster, and more robust power conversion solutions for the green energy industry. Power conversion is a key enabling technology behind some of the fastest growing green businesses such as solar power production, electric vehicle charging, data center optimization.
CEO: Jyrki Penttonen
Founders: Jyrki Penttonen
Blok, the digital real estate agent that automates routine tasks of apartment sales through its online platform, has raised €3.5 million. The plan is to expand to 20 European countries by 2025.
MoreBlok is a new type of digital real estate agency where the seller shows the apartment to interested buyers while Blok takes care of the rest, including photographing the apartment, creating the listing, tending to marketing and arranging for brochures, the deed of sale and other documents required to sell an apartment.
CEO: Rudi Skogman
Founders: Rudi Skogman, Juha Jokela, Samu Hautala, Olli Gunst
Norsepower has secured an €8m investment round. The investment enables the company to scale up production at its manufacturing facilities as part of a next phase of commercialization.
MoreNorsepower was founded in late 2012 with a mission to reduce the environmental impact of shipping by providing efficient, easy to use, and reliable auxiliary wind propulsion for ships – through its Rotor Sail Solution technology. The company’s vision is to maintain the market leader position in a growing market for auxiliary wind propulsion systems for large ships.
CEO: Tuomas Riski
Founders: Jarkko Väinämö, Tuomas Riski
Shapr3D raises €5.5 million for its computer-aided design modelling app. The funding will be used for new hires as well as new office locations and distribution channels.
MoreShapr3D is the world’s leading 3D design app for iPad. It combines intuitive direct modeling with industry-leading quality and power. Professional users include mechanical engineers, interior designers, graphic designers, CAD architects and industrial designers who use the app for initial ideation.
CEO: Istvan Csanady
Founders: Istvan Csanady
Wolt, the Helsinki based food delivery service, has raised €110 million in new financing to continue investing in growth and expansion.
MoreWolt is a technology company building the one app for discovering and getting great food in your city. The Helsinki-based company has operations in +20 countries and +70 cities, serving food from over 10,000 restaurants with over 20,000 courier partners. The company was founded in 2014 and employs over 1,000 people. Wolt has raised more than €250M in financing from renowned U.S. and European based investors.
CEO: Miki Kuusi
Founders: Elias Aalto, Juhani Mykkänen, Lauri Andler, Mika Matikainen, Miki Kuusi, Oskari Pétas
Finnish online dog training company OneMind Dogs has raised more than 500 000 euros in crowdfunding. The funding will be used for the launch of the company’s new puppy training programme and US market growth.
MoreOneMind Dogs Ltd was founded by a group of passionate dog agility handlers, coaches and innovators with decades of combined experience on dog behavior and training. The company’s goal is to help understand dog’s natural behavior through the OneMind Dogs method.
CEO: Noora Keskievari
Founders: Janita Leinonen, Noora Keskievari, Jaakko Suoknuuti, Tuulia Liuhto, Mikko Aaltonen, Mari Kaplas.
Swappie, a fast-growing buyer and seller of refurbished iPhones, has raised 5 million euros in its Series A funding round. The proceeds will enable the company to expand into other European countries.
MoreSwappie is changing the European market in consumer electronics by building the world-leading marketplace for refurbished devices. The company’s marketplace offers easy and safe buying and selling of used smartphones. Swappie buys phones from customers and companies, refurbishes them in-house and sells them in top condition and with a proper warranty.
CEO: Sami Marttinen
Founders: Sami Marttinen, Jiri Heinonen
Aiven has completed an €8 million Series A funding round to enhance its leading cloud data platform with more integrated solutions and to accelerate international growth.
MoreAiven provides fully managed cloud database and messaging services hosted in the cloud of the customer’s choice, including Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform, and Microsoft Azure. Its mission is to allow developers to focus on building awesome applications without worrying about data infrastructure management.
CEO: Oskari Saarenmaa
Founders: Oskari Saarenmaa, Heikki Nousiainen, Mika Eloranta, Hannu Valtonen
Meru Health, a digital clinic for greater mental health, has secured $4.2M in financing. This financing will support additional clinical validation and preparation for larger scale rollout.
MoreMeru Health is a digital clinic treating depression and anxiety. The company’s goal is to make effective treatment widely accessible to people in need. Meru Health operates at the forefront of technology and medical science, using leading scientifically proven methods to redefine how depression and anxiety are being treated.
CEO: Kristian Ranta
Founders: Kristian Ranta, Albert Nazander, Riku Lindholm
Timegate Instruments Ltd raises 2,6 million euros. The company manufactures Raman spectrometry based material analysis instruments.
MoreTimegate Instruments is the first company worldwide to commercialize Timegated® Raman technology. It manufactures Raman spectrometry based material analysis instruments. Timegate Instruments’ PicoRaman spectrometer broadens the application areas of Raman spectroscopy by drastically reducing fluorescence interference.
CEO: Mari Tenhunen
Founders: Mari Tenhunen, Lauri Kurki, Jyrki Savela
Dispelix raises €12 million in Series A for the mass production ramp up of its next generation Augmented Reality (AR) see-through displays.
MoreDispelix is a designer and fabless manufacturer of the world’s first truly mass manufacturable diffractive waveguide displays and display modules. The company designs, sells, and supplies Dispelix-branded waveguide displays and display modules to product owners and their suppliers.
CEO: Antti Sunnari
Founders: Antti Sunnari, Juuso Olkkonen, Jyrki Saarinen
Synoste raises €5.1 million. The medical device company creates smart solutions for patient-friendly bone-lengthening and bone-deformation correction.
MoreSynoste develops and will sell novel patient friendly medical solutions for treatment of skeletal deformities. The first target is a better device for the limb lengthening procedure. Synoste utilizes smart materials and introduces a less painful and precisely controllable treatment device that lowers the complication rate and enables faster recovery to normal life.
CEO: Harri Hallila
Founders: Antti Ritvanen, Harri Hallila, Juha Haaja
Varjo Technologies raises $31m Series B to bring to market the world’s first human-eye resolution VR/XR product.
MoreVarjo was founded by a team of industry professionals with decades of experience and a vision of seamlessly merging the virtual and real worlds. The Bionic Display™ in Varjo’s VR devices delivers an unprecedented human-eye resolution of 60 pixels per degree. It revolutionizes professional VR by bringing every detail, texture, contour and color into 20/20 focus.
CEO: Timo Toikkanen
Founders: Urho Konttori, Klaus Melakari, Roope Rainisto, Niko Eiden
The fintech start-up focuses on the security token ecosystem and is backed by Lifeline Ventures, partners at Avance Attorneys, Streamr - a Swiss blockchain company and experienced angel investors.
MoreRealstocks was founded in October 2018 in Helsinki, Finland. The fintech start-up is focusing on the security token ecosystem and is creating a platform for asset backed digital securities in the European commercial real estate market.
CEO: Ted Roberts
Founders: Ted Roberts, Sven Schulte
Digital Workforce, the Nordic’s fastest growing intelligent automation company currently employing 175 people, raised €3 million in funding round from existing investors.
MoreDigital Workforce is one of the leading Robotic Process Automation (RPA) service providers in Europe, both in terms of revenue and head count. The company provides services across a range of industries and focuses exclusively on intelligent automation.
CEO: Heikki Länsisyrjä
Founders: Heikki Länsisyrjä, Jukka Virkkunen, Mika Vainio-Mattila
Lifeline Ventures invests in School Day Helsinki which is a Finnish-based company founded in 2017 whose solutions promote student wellbeing, motivation and the best possible learning outcomes.
MoreSchool Day provides a unique AI-based solution for schools. It analyzes, explains and develops student wellbeing for better learning. Teachers and school leaders get real-time insights into their students’ wellbeing daily. School Day is backed by leading researchers, wellbeing experts and developers.
CEO: Mika Kasanen
Founders: Mika Kasanen, Atte Kekkonen
Altum Technologies raises Series A, starts US operations in Las Vegas. Altum’s power ultrasound penetrates the industrial equipment’s walls – without causing damage – to remove fouling in a matter of minutes.
MoreThe first company in the world that can completely control power ultrasound to clean fouling from different type of equipment without stopping production. The disruptive technology also minimizes maintenance time, energy consumption and use of hazardous chemicals in these cleaning processes.
CEO: Matias Tainela
Founders: Matias Tainela, Bo Malmberg, Petro Moilanen, Timo Rauhala, Edward Haeggström
Quest Analytics acquires BetterDoctor. Together the companies will create the first integrated platform for health plans to ensure network adequacy, data accuracy and enhanced member experience.
MoreBetterDoctor is the trusted source of validated doctor data. The company delivers accurate provider directory data to ensure health plans, health systems, provider groups, and doctors are regulation-compliant and can provide patients with care they’re looking for. Quest Analytics acquired BetterDoctor in 2018.
CEO: Ari Tulla
Founders: Ari Tulla, Tapio Tolvanen
Iceye, an Earth observation company providing synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) data, raises $34M in Series B financing and confirms nine satellite launches by end of 2019.
MoreIceye empowers others to make better decisions in governmental and commercial industries by providing access to timely and reliable satellite imagery. Iceye is the first organization in the world to successfully launch synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) satellites with a launch mass under 100 kg.
CEO: Rafal Modrzewski
Founders: Pekka Laurila, Rafal Modrzewski
Carbo Culture raises €550,000. The startup, which is now operating in California, is building a thermochemical reactor that creates biochar from food waste.
MoreCarbo Culture carbonizes biomass waste into biocarbon products for soil and environmental applications. By rapidly converting carbon to a solid and stable form, the company prevents it from escaping back into the atmosphere for over 100 years. The products are frequently used across industries, in agriculture and research.
CEO: Pia Henrietta Kekäläinen
Founders: Pia Henrietta Kekäläinen, Christopher Carstens
We are a registered alternative investment fund manager (AIFM). We are supervised by the Finnish Financial Supervisory Authority.
Lifeline Ventures is a member of the Finnish Venture Capital Association (FVCA) and follows the association’s rules and guidelines.
We follow Invest Europe’s Investor Reporting Guidelines in our investor reporting. The valuation of the portfolio is done in accordance with the International Private Equity and Venture Capital Valuation (IPEV) Guidelines.
Lifeline Ventures invests responsibly. We follow our responsible investment policy which means that not only economic aspects, but also environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues are taken into consideration in investment decisions and ownership activities.
Lifeline Ventures Fund I Ky (€28.8m)
Lifeline Ventures Fund II Ky (€17.1m)
Lifeline Ventures Fund III Ky (€57.0m)
Lifeline Ventures Fund IV Ky (€130.0m)
Pension companies: 25%
Funds of funds: 22%
Family offices: 22%
Public sector: 16%
Other asset managers: 4%
General Partners: 4%
Insurance companies: 3%
Private individuals: 3%
Foundations: 1%
Finland: 94%
Rest of Europe: 5%
Outside of Europe: 1%
Samuli Leppänen, samuli@lifelineventures.com