# Kiilto Ventures

Kiilto Ventures is a Venture Capital based in Tampere, Finland.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Venture Capital
- **Headquarters:** Tampere, Finland
- **Region:** Europe
- **Address:** Tampere, Finland
- **Founded:** 2019
- **Assets under management:** Undisclosed
- **Website:** kiiltoventures.com
- **LinkedIn:** https://fi.linkedin.com/company/kiilto

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

Kiilto Ventures is the corporate venture capital unit of Kiilto, a Finnish family-owned industrial group now steered by the fourth generation of the Solja family. Founded as a chemicals provider, Kiilto has expanded across four business lines: construction, industrial fastening and hygiene solutions, cleaning and hygiene, and consumer products. The venture arm sits at the intersection of those operating units and the emerging technology ecosystem, scouting startups whose innovations can be scaled through Kiilto's manufacturing footprint and distribution channels. Investment activity concentrates on the built environment and industrial sustainability. The firm targets early-stage companies developing novel materials, circular-economy processes, and digital solutions for construction and industrial hygiene. Confirmed portfolio positions include a stake in Betolar, a Finnish materials technology company turning industrial side streams into low-carbon concrete alternatives. Kiilto Ventures also co-invests alongside Nidoco, a Nordic early-stage investor focused on sustainable materials. The geographic mandate covers the Nordics and Baltics, though the firm evaluates select opportunities across Europe where a clear pathway to Kiilto's operating businesses exists. Team size is not publicly disclosed, though Kiilto Ventures benefits from the broader group's presence across Finland and Sweden. As a corporate venture investor, the unit is a member of the Finnish Venture Capital Association (FVCA). Beyond direct investments, the parent group's principals maintain a significant civic footprint through the John Nurminen Foundation, focused on Baltic Sea protection, and the Kiilto Family Art Stipends that support Finnish cultural production. The Mannerheim League for Child Welfare also numbers among the family's philanthropic commitments. Kiilto Ventures' structural distinction lies in its deep integration with an owner-operator manufacturing group. Unlike standalone financial VCs, corporate venture units can offer portfolio companies access to industrial R&D facilities, pilot sites, and a ready-made first customer inside the parent company. For a startup developing a new construction adhesive or a bio-based cleaning agent, Kiilto Ventures represents a path to product validation inside one of the region's established chemical players — a sourcing model that turns the parent group's procurement needs into an origination advantage.

## Sectors

- Industrial Tech
- Real Estate
- Energy Transition & Renewables
- ClimateTech

## Offices

- Turku, Finland

## People

- Matti Rönkkö — Head of Kiilto Ventures
- Ville Solja — Vice Chair & Chief Business Development Officer, Kiilto
- Eeva Solja — Board Member and Co-owner, Kiilto

## Questions

### Who runs investment decisions at Kiilto Ventures?

Matti Rönkkö leads Kiilto Ventures as its head and managing director. He operates within the broader governance structure of Kiilto Group, where family board members Ville Solja (Vice Chair and Chief Business Development Officer) and Eeva Solja (Board Member) represent the fourth generation of the founding family. Investment decisions are made in close coordination with Kiilto's four business divisions to ensure strategic alignment.

### How is Kiilto Ventures related to the parent company Kiilto Group?

Kiilto Ventures is a fully integrated corporate venture capital arm of Kiilto Group, a family-owned industrial chemicals and solutions provider. The venture unit scouts and invests in startups whose technologies can be commercially adopted across Kiilto's four operating areas: construction, industrial fastening and hygiene solutions, cleaning and hygiene, and consumer products. Unlike an independent fund, the venture arm can offer portfolio companies access to Kiilto's R&D infrastructure and distribution channels.

### Which sectors does Kiilto Ventures prioritize?

The firm's investment thesis centers on the built environment and industrial sustainability. Priority sectors include novel construction materials, circular-economy and waste-stream valorization technologies, energy-efficient building systems, bio-based cleaning and hygiene solutions, and digital platforms that improve industrial workflow efficiency. The common thread across all investments is a credible pathway to deployment inside Kiilto's existing business lines.

### Does Kiilto Ventures participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?

Kiilto Ventures operates primarily as a direct investor, taking equity stakes in individual startups. There is no public evidence of the firm making fund commitments to external venture capital managers. Its relationship with the broader Nordic VC ecosystem takes the form of co-investment alongside specialized early-stage investors such as Nidoco, as observed in the Betolar position.

### How is Kiilto Ventures different from a typical Nordic VC fund?

The structural difference is its corporate parentage. A typical independent Nordic VC fund must exit within a fund lifecycle and rely purely on financial returns. Kiilto Ventures can hold positions with a strategic time horizon and provide non-financial value that no independent fund can match — pilot projects inside Kiilto's factories, formulation expertise from its chemists, and a direct route to commercial offtake agreements. For startups in construction materials or industrial hygiene, that industrial backing is a differentiated form of syndication partner.

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Last updated: 2026-06-03T20:00:00.000Z

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