Voima Ventures is the first Nordic venture capital fund investing purely in science and deep technology. VTT is one of its cornerstone investors.
The Founder and Managing Partner of Voima Ventures is start-up investor Inka Mero, and VTT is accompanied by the European Investment Fund (EIF) and private individuals as cornerstone investors. The founding team includes Mikko Kumpulainen who has previously worked at VTT's subsidiary company VTT Ventures, Vaaka Partners and BCG.
'The multidisciplinary expertise and innovativeness of VTT's researchers form an excellent basis for new growth companies. Furthermore, our mission is to create growth and well-being through applied research and technology,' says Antti Vasara, President & CEO of VTT. 'Thus, it makes sense to join forces with Voima Ventures, as together we can solve global challenges and enhance Finland's competitiveness even more effectively. Our VTT LaunchPad business incubator also supports these goals,' he continues.
According to Inka Mero, Voima Ventures wants to play a bridging role between the research world and the start-up field: 'At the moment, only a minimal part of Finnish start-up and growth funding is channelled to science-based deep-tech companies. In order to contribute globally to solving challenges relating to areas such as the environment, health care and energy, we aim to combine science and research, strong entrepreneurial competence and value-creating capital.'
Voima Ventures has EUR 38 million in investment obligations, and its targeted final size is EUR 50 million. It also manages VTT Ventures' investment portfolio. 'VTT's anchor investment in Voima Ventures amounts to approximately EUR 15 million. The sum originates from the additional funding VTT received for a technology transfer fund, decided by the Finnish Parliament a year ago,' says Antti Vasara.
