Finnish venture capital firm Maki.vc has launched its third fund of €100 million to invest in pre-seed and seed-stage startups across the Nordics and Northern Europe, as Maki.vc announced to AIN.

About Maki.vc

  • Maki.vc is a Helsinki-based venture capital firm that was founded in 2018 by Ilkka Kivimäki, Pauliina Martikainen-Rahnu, Pirkka Palomäki and Paavo Räisänen.The VC firm invests in deep tech and brand-driven companies across consumer and enterprise landscapes. 

  • Stage-wise, Maki.vc invests in pre-seed or seed companies. The typical initial tickets range from € 300,000 to €3 million, and 2/3 of Maki.vc’s fund is reserved for follow-on investments so that the fund can support its companies further along their growth paths.

  • To give hands-on support to their portfolio startups, Maki.vc has gathered a global network of advisors, comprising LPs, alongside expert partners who offer continuous guidance on early-stage recruiting, branding, follow-on funding, and more.

“The Nordics represent one of the most significant startup funding regions in Europe, and we believe that investment opportunities here are greater than ever. This unique ecosystem blends cutting-edge R&D, strong industry collaborations, deep tech expertise, and a proven track record of entrepreneurial success, making it the ideal launchpad for tech companies to achieve meaningful global impact,” says Maki.vc’s Partner Pauliina Martikainen-Rahnu.

About the third fund

Maki.vc’s third fund is an Article 8 fund that places a particular emphasis on the Nordic region. Seven investments have already been made, including:

  • Distance Technologies, a company creating the world's first glasses-free mixed-reality solution, founded by ex-Varjo founders.

  • QMill, a quantum computing company dedicated to developing quantum algorithms that provide near-term practical benefits for industrial applications, founded by Nokia Technologies’ former CTO, an IQM Co-founder, and leading quantum researchers. 

  • Ever Cars, a company building a one-stop shop online marketplace for buying and selling electric vehicles, founded by a team with backgrounds from Stanford University, Uber, Morgan Stanley and Boston Consulting Group.

The new fund is backed by over 50 limited partners, including the builders of Skype, Wise, RELEX Solutions, WithSecure (formerly F-Secure), Aiven, and Supercell, who bring a wealth of experience in scaling and commercializing tech companies.

Earlier this year, we had a conversation with Venla Väänänen, Marketing & Platform Manager at Maki.vc, discussing the fund’s activities and plans. You can read the full interview here.