Health care, life sciences and partnering drive investors to Slush.
Out of 15 000 Slush goers this year, over 700 were investors. Stockholm based Investment Manager Marianne Uddman from Creathor Venture has come to Helsinki to find the next big thing in the Nordics. The firm is a mix, part business angel and part venture capital company, and likes to be “hands on and involved” with its investments.
“We currently have around 180 million euros under management and 60 million from that is from the management itself,” Uddman says.
Creathor, with over 20 IPO’s under its belt, is a known player in Germany and is aiming to grown its reputation also in the North. The fund has been around since 1984 and typically invests in all business stages, with up to three million euros per financing round and around ten million euros per company.
“A third of the fund more or less we invest in the E-Health or the Med Tech and life sciences side, and the rest in ICT,” Uddman says.
Business Advisor Timo Felin, from Helsinki Business Hub and VC Zone, says many funds have expressed interest in the growing medical sector, and hopes it will help Slush go beyond its reputation as a general technology and information technology event.
“We see a clear growth trend in investments from our network,“ Felin says. “This year the total aggregate investments will be around 30 million euros and next year we are hoping it will be at least 50 million.”
