Artturi Tarjanne

Artturi Tarjanne of Nexit Ventures: Finland Has Superior Technology Skills

by Ville Vesterinen, June 3, 2009 — Leave a Comment

Last week I talked to Artturi Tarjanne, a venture capitalist and a General Partner at Nexit Ventures in Helsinki, Finland.

You can find the first part of the interview here. In the second part (see video below) we discussed on what kind of companies Nexit is looking for and how you can approach Nexit if you’re a startup.

We touched on the quality of current and past deal flow in Finland. Tarjanne told me that even if we may lack in business skills vis-a-vis say the US, our technology skills are very strong even compared the Silicon Valley. This is the same message that for example Richard Allan Horning, a Principal at Fish and Richardson, a very prominent law firm in Silicon Valley, echoed in Tallinn just last week when we met him.

Video Interview With Artturi Tarjanne of Nexit Ventures (Part I)

by Ville Vesterinen, May 29, 2009 — Leave a Comment

Venture Capital is in flux. Some say it’s frozen over and funds are pulling back, and some say it’s the best time to invest and find the next Googles and Facebooks. Everyone, including us , has an opinion on the topic.

Earlier this week I talked to Artturi Tarjanne of Nexit Ventures and asked what Nexit is doing in the current down market. Tarjanne has been one of the most active actors in the Finnish venture capital market and pivotal in building the emerging US-style venture capital market in Finland. We talked about how Tarjanne ended up to be a venture capitalist, what lead to Limbo to merge with Brightkite and why Nexit Ventures operates in two very different locations: here in the Nordics as well as in the Silicon Valley. We also discussed Nexit’s investment strategy and how they see the current handset market. Check out the video below.

Open For Applications: Elevator Pitch Contest

by Miikka Kukkosuo, April 23, 2009 — Leave a Comment

Money

Update: The deadline is extended until May 13th.
The conference agenda can now be downloaded from the event home page (or use this PDF direct link).

ArcticStartup is proud to present an opportunity for all Baltic and Nordic startups to connect with and pitch to venture capitalists and compete for great prizes.

In alignment with the Second Annual Tallinn Conference organized by The International Technology Law Association in collaboration with Enterprise Estonia, ArcticStartup is cooperating to organize an Elevator Pitch Business Plan Contest with support from Connect Estonia. The contest is held in Tallinn, Estonia on May 26, 2009.

Prizes:

One full day of law consulting with Fish & Richardson P.C., Silicon Valley, worth $6000. The prize can be used as the winner wishes, e.g., to incorporate a subsidiary to establish operations in Silicon Valley. The consultation can be done in person or by Skype or Polycom video. Consultation with the Munich office of Fish & Richardson P.C. may also be included, subject to availability and requirements of the contest winner.
One full day of law consulting with Knobbe, Martens, Olson & Bear, LLP, worth $3000, to be used as the winner wishes. The consultation can be done in person (location negotiable) or by Skype or Polycom video.

The jury:

Martin Hauge, Managing Director, Creandum, Stockholm
Allan Martinson, Managing Director, MTVP, Tallinn
Artturi Tarjanne, Managing Director, Nexit Ventures, Helsinki
Rick Marshall, Managing Director, Intelligent Capital, San Francisco
Sten Tamkivi , Chief Evangelist, Skype, Tallinn
Ott Parna, Managing Director, Estonian Development Fund, Tallinn
Richard Allan Horning, Principal, Fish & Richardson P.C., Silicon Valley

Growth-oriented technology startups from all Nordic and Baltic countries are welcomed to apply. Five firms will be selected to present a 5-minute pitch at the event. The judging criteria include the expected success of the firm, growth potential, differentiation and competitive advantage, risk and financial viability, and the management team.

Please note the contest rules and other information in the Invitation. Any questions about the contest can be sent to miikka(at)arcticstartup(dot)com.

The applications must be based using this form.

Please send your application to events(at)arcticstartup(dot)com latest by May 13th 6:00 PM EET. Finalists will be announced on May 14th.

Coaching and training for preparing the pitches are available to all chosen finalists prior to the contest, provided by Connect Estonia and members of the International Technology Law Association Luiga Mody Hääl Borenius and Raidla Lejins & Norcous, either online, in Tallinn, or in the participants’ home country, depending on possibilities.

ArcticEvening Helsinki Registration Open

by Antti Vilpponen, February 18, 2009 — 3 Comments

ArcticEvening Tallinn
ArcticEvening in Tallinn was a success in January.

ArcticEvening Helsinki registration is open. You can get your free ticket below. ArcticEvening will be held in Dubrovnik Lounge and Lobby on the 3rd of March, from 6pm to 9pm.

Just to summarise, we’ll have one excellent panel on startup financing with Artturi Tarjanne, Jussi Harvela, Nils Forsblom and Jouko Kiesi. These gentlemen have a lot of experience and I’m sure we’ll hear some interesting stories. You can read more about the panelists on the ArcticEvening page.

We’d also like to thank our sponsors Sombiz and Hammarström Puhakka Partners for making the event possible.

~~Get your ticket here:~~

Sold out!

ArcticEvening Helsinki – 3rd of March, 2009

by Antti Vilpponen, February 13, 2009 — Leave a Comment

ArcticStartup will be hosting its 5th event in Helsinki, in the good old Dubrovnik Lounge and Lobby on the 3rd of March from 6pm to 9pm. The evening’s theme will be financing which will surely be of interest to many startups and early stage companies as it’s one of the corner stones of building a successful business.

The structure of the evening will take into account the wishes of participants from earlier events. We have been asked to leave more time for networking, but still with build the evening with some presentations and talks. Therefore, we will have one panel with very strong industry experts and the rest of the evening will be left for networking and discussions between participants. Each panel participant will have a chance to introduce themselves before the panel.

We will have a sign-up system to the event, which we will be opening on the 18th of February at 9am. We will have at least 100 tickets available for participants. Last time we organised our event in Tallinn, the tickets sold out extremely fast, so make sure you are here to get your ticket. We are able to host the event free of charge for participants due to our wonderful sponsors. Our sponsors are presented below.

Panelists

Artturi Tarjanne, General Partner, Nexit Ventures

Artturi Tarjanne is one of the most experienced Finnish investors out there, he has more than 20 years’ investing experience from various industries – mainly telecom.

Jussi Harvela, Partner, Veturi Growth Partners

Jussi Harvela has more than 20 years’ experience in running and managing high tech startups and corporations. He successfully transformed a small Finnish startup to an established global software company, from Finland to Cupertino, California.

Nils Forsblom, Founder, Fruugo

Nils Forsblom has a colorful career starting companies here and there. His latest thrill has been the hyped, feared and appreciated e-commerce startup named Fruugo. He has gathered financing in many different economical conditions so he will surely have a say in the panel.

Jouko Kiesi, Attorney at law, senior advicer, Hammarström Puhakka Partners

Jouko Kiesi is one of the corner stones of HPP’s success. He has a strong background in startup financing, about 30 years worth. He has worked with legendary startups such as Riot-E and Iobox. Needless to say, there will be some interesting stories told.

With more than 80 years’ worth of experience on the panel – it’ll surely be one of the most anticipated get togethers ever experienced in Finland. Make sure you get your ticket on the morning of the 18th of February. If Madonna’s concert in Helsinki sold out in a few hours – we’ll be quicker.

The ticket’s will be available on this blog on the morning of the 18th of February and on the ArcticEvening page.