Prodeko Ventures

A six-member board decides on every investment. Board members hold functional roles — Chair, Finance, Deal Flow, Communications, and a designated Prodeko representative — and serve on a voluntary basis alongside their primary careers. Deal flow screening is coordinated by board member Ilona Sippola, and the investing mandate requires a Prodeko member or alum in a key operating role at every portfolio company.

All deal flow originates from the Prodeko ecosystem, which includes current Aalto University Industrial Engineering and Management students, alumni and the nearly 200 alumni that back the firm. The board screens opportunities against criteria that demand a close Prodeko affiliation, a committed full-time team, a scalable business model and a professional lead investor in the funding round.

The firm is organized as a development company funded by Prodeko alumni — closer to a niche venture firm or a university-affiliated investment club than a traditional family office. It writes cheques and provides mentoring at the pre-seed stage but does not operate co-working space or accelerator programming. It lacks the professionalized Limited Partner structure of a regulated VC fund.

The firm targets the pre-seed stage, deploying €25,000–50,000 per company. It typically uses convertible notes, or makes equity commitments in rounds led by a professional VC or angel syndicate. Prodeko Ventures reports that its support is most impactful when the venture raises its first round of external capital.

Confirmed portfolio companies span enterprise software, digital health, climate technology, proptech, industrial tech, AI/machine learning, media and food tech. Representative holdings include Meru Health (digital therapeutics), Inven (AI-powered M&A screening), Hyperco (digital commerce infrastructure), and Paebbl (carbon-capture materials). The investment mandate does not publicly list excluded sectors.

Prodeko Ventures has backed Wave Ventures, a separate Nordic student-run venture fund, in 2016, 2022 and again in 2025. The relationship represents one of the few instances of a European student-guild-originated investor funding another university-affiliated venture vehicle. Wave Ventures operates its own investment process and team, distinct from the Prodeko Ventures board.

No. The firm is alumni-funded and does not offer multi-family office services, separate managed accounts or fund products for outside investors. All capital comes from the network of nearly 200 Prodeko alumni, and investment decisions remain tied to the requirement that portfolio companies have a Prodeko member in a key role.