Linus has been leveling-up Inventure ever since joining us from the Danish startup Tonsser, and before that, the London-based VC Wellington Partners. At Inventure, Linus took over our board position in Wolt, and led our investments into Omocom, Stravito, Leetify, and Insurello.
Linus additionally opened up our Stockholm office in 2017, which grew significantly in 2022 with the additions of Rebecka Löthman Rydå, Adrian Arsvik Bjurefalk, and Gwen Sandberg to our investment team.
While Inventure was founded and has its headquarters in Helsinki, Linus will continue to be based in Stockholm.
Passing the baton
Notably, this is our first leadership change since Inventure was founded in 2005.
As founding partner Timo Tirkkonen remembers it, “In many partnerships you don’t necessarily want to be the managing partner because your time is so dedicated to the organization. I remember when Inventure got started I said, ‘Sami, you’re better at these things, you’re more politically correct then I am, so you be the CEO! Nobody has dared to step up since then.’”
So as we pass the baton, we must thank Sami Lampinen for making the tough calls and solving almost two decades of practical issues, all while actively leading new investments and participating on boards. Proof of his impact is that we can change leadership after 18 years while still calling it a “very proactive” decision.
We don’t want to praise Sami too much, otherwise you might think he’s leaving us. But as we look forward to the future, we should pause to realize Sami has led the Inventure team for two years longer than the iPhone has existed. He’s driven our fundraising operations for four successful funds. He’s scaled Inventure up to a team of 17 across Helsinki, Sweden, and Estonia. And he’s executed our investment strategy that has invested in 80+ portfolio companies that have gone on to raise $1.9 billion from follow-on investors. All while paying strong, consistent returns to our LPs.
Those are just a few small milestones for Linus to live up to.
With more time on his hands, you should pitch Sami what you’re working on, especially if its in new materials, connectivity, and energy.
Meanwhile, he comments:
I am super happy and proud to hand over the CEO seat to Linus. He is the most equipped, deserving, and in the best position to continue growing Inventure. Next milestone — €1billion under management.
Work continues!
