Ana has more than 18 years of experience in investment, combining stock market and venture capital experiences. As the Venture Investment Director, she assesses new portfolio opportunities both directly in early-stage startups across Europe and indirectly in funds across different stages and sectors globally.

What Ana targets from the Venture Nordics Program is:

• Gain a deep understanding of the dynamics and key technological drivers behind one of Europe’s top-performing startup ecosystems.
• Build trustworthy relationships with key local investors to share dealflow and enhance Secways’ investment presence in Finland and Nordics.
• Identify synergies between Secways’ portfolio companies and the Nordic market.
• Support local investors who aim to invest in Spain and other European countries outside the Nordic region.

Before joining SBI in 2023, Andrea built a 20-year track record in venture capital in South Africa, managing four funds with over 40 investments, and several notable exits. Her next venture is pioneering a VC fund aimed at tackling the diverse challenges and opportunities posed by demographic shifts in Europe.

Andrea’s interests in Helsinki focus on the following areas:

• Identifying companies that align with the Fund’s investment mandate.
• Understand how the key stakeholders (Corporates, Governments, SMEs) in the region are addressing the implications of demographic change and build relationships for future collaboration.
• Investigating the level of interest from limited partners (LPs).
• Connect with Nordic investors to establish co-investment relationships.

Anjani’s career arc has covered software development, impact investments and venture capital. In this journey, he has worked across US and Africa and Asia with global organisations such as Morgan Stanley, UNDP and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Anjani’s objectives in Helsinki include:

• Explore Finland’s deeptech ecosystem to identify technologies with potential applications in Asian markets.
• Build relationships with Nordic investors focused on the Europe-Asia investment corridor.
• Gain insights into policies and regulations in the Nordic region.

Previously, Bernard served as Managing Director at the Lunsford Group, a private investment firm with holdings in real estate, healthcare, and various other industries. In the Venture Nordics Program, his aims are:

• Broaden his network and deepen his understanding of the Finnish business environment.
• Engage with individuals and organisations in Finland to explore opportunities in the ecosystem.

Before joining Redesign Health, Christian co-founded Trident, a private equity fund, and helped launching Hello Alfred, a real estate tech platform. At Hello Alfred, he led growth efforts, expanding the team to over 100 employees. Earlier, he worked in Lazard’s Power, Energy, and Infrastructure group on M&A and restructuring deals. Christian holds an AB from Harvard College and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Christian is looking to:

• Understand the healthcare needs of the Finnish market and investors’ appetite for venture studio model in the digital health space.
• Build and strengthen networks with local investors, startups, and institutions, especially in the healthcare industry.

Felicity actively supports the BoxOne portfolio, leveraging her experience in managing lab operations for Boston’s top biotech accelerator and leading teams at two evolving startups. As a McGill Sustainability Education Fellow, she developed a new research-based graduate course, and as a Fonds du recherche du Quebec Grad2VC Fellow, she promoted research commercialization in Montreal’s universities.

Felicity is both an avid climber and skier. She holds a Master’s in Bioresource Engineering from McGill University, as well as a B.S. in Chemistry and B.S. in Physics from Simmons University in beautiful Boston, Massachusetts. She is:

• Interested in exploring Finland’s opportunities and fostering collaborations between North American and Scandinavian VCs,
• Connect with fellow investors focused on deep tech approaches to cleantech.
• Gain insights into Finland’s agtech landscape, its opportunities, and challenges.

Jeremy brings deep expertise and a passion for impact investing to Venture Nordics. His extensive network includes Angel Investors, VCs, and Family Offices in both the Bay Area and Europe, reflecting his broad industry reach. A recent notable transaction includes a pre-IPO investment in Blacklane. He holds a Master’s degree from the University of St. Gallen. Jeremy is looking to:

• Build a strong foothold in the Finnish and Nordic venture ecosystem by collaborating with local partners.
• Network with the local VCs and Family Offices for future LP and co-investments.
• Gain exposure to the innovative Finnish startup environment.

Since joining Promus Ventures, he has partnered with founders from pre-seed to series A such as RobCo, a Munich-based modular cobot manufacturer. Jeremy holds a Bachelor’s degree from NYU in mathematics and a Master’s degree from INSEAD. Before moving to Luxembourg and joining Promus Ventures, he worked in consulting and co-founded an accelerator for early stage startups in New York City helping founders develop software products. Jeremy aims to:

• Broaden his venture network in Finland and in the Nordics.
• Deepen his understanding about the innovation and academic hubs across Finland in areas like space and robotics.
• Meet the relevant local business and financial institutions.

Based in Switzerland, Kristaps specialises in working with European venture capital firms and technology scale-ups, helping them achieve liquidity goals through structured secondary transactions.

To date, Ion Pacific has successfully executed two notable transactions in the Nordics, including the recapitalisation of a Stockholm-based fintech fund and a founder liquidity solution for a global scale-up in the female health and wellness space.In the Venture Nordics Program, Kristaps’s objectives are to:

• Build strong connections with Finnish venture capital funds and technology scale-ups.
• Exchange insights with ecosystem players on regional fundraising opportunities and challenges.
• Understand the liquidity needs of local VC funds and scale-ups.

Nobutake has joined MUFG Bank in 2018 as a managing director in charge of open innovation of MUFG Group, and he has been the President and CEO of MUIP since January 2019. Before joining MUFG, he started his career as a venture capitalist at Global Brain, an independent venture capital firm in Japan, in 2002, and had experiences of investing in both Japanese and overseas startups and managing KDDI and other corporate venture capital funds.

Nobutake started his career as a banker at MUFG Bank, where he was in the Industrial Research Division in New York Branch, and other divisions. In Helsinki he is looking for:

• Staying up-to-date on the latest startup and tech trends in the Nordics and Europe.
• Strengthening relationships with regional startups and investors.
• Boosting MUIP’s brand awareness in the region.