Standout Capital

Co-founders Erik Wästlund and Klas Hillström lead the investment team from Stockholm. The firm operates with a flat, entrepreneurial structure where each investment professional sources and manages deals, but strategic and investment committee decisions center on the co-founders alongside senior team members.

Standout leans on its local Swedish network and the reputation its co-founders built before 2016. The firm states that most of its time is spent out in the field with portfolio companies or meeting new prospects across the Nordics. Sector‑specific sourcing comes from tracking bootstrapped B2B SaaS firms that hit product‑market fit but need operational discipline to scale internationally.

Standout executes direct buyout, growth, and co‑investment transactions. The firm's investor base includes Nordic and international institutions that co‑invest directly alongside Standout in specific situations, effectively functioning as deal‑by‑deal capital partners rather than traditional limited partners in a closed‑end fund.

Standout targets established B2B technology companies with proven business models and existing revenue — not pre‑revenue startups. Its deal history shows a pattern of acquiring controlling stakes in companies with existing market traction, then pursuing add‑on acquisitions to build scale and expand geographic reach.

Standout's portfolio is concentrated in B2B software and IT services, with selective exposure to healthcare technology. The firm has not disclosed investments in consumer‑facing platforms, hardware, biotech, or industrial manufacturing. Its Nordic focus also implies it avoids jurisdictions outside Northern Europe.

Standout operates as a private equity firm backed by institutional investors, not a single‑family office. The co‑founders control the investment strategy, but the capital base comes from external Nordic and international institutions that can also co‑invest deal‑by‑deal, giving the firm flexible deployment capacity beyond a traditional blind‑pool fund.

No philanthropic foundation or separate impact vehicle is disclosed on Standout's website or in its public materials. The firm's activities appear confined to its core private equity strategy in Nordic B2B technology.