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3 Apr 2019 – Articles

New strategic investment in Nordic venture fund

Danske Bank is one of the co-investors behind venture fund byFounders. Having already raised DKK 750 million, byFounders is ready to identify and finance the Nordic start-up successes of the coming years.

Behind byFounders is a collective of more than 50 successful entrepreneurs from Denmark and the rest of the Nordic region, including the founders of Skype, Vivino and Kahoot. The venture fund also enjoys support from The Danish Growth Fund (Vækstfonden) and a number of international funds. 

Offering both financing and operational assistance, byFounders also provides strategic advice and facilitates access to a large international network for the selected start-ups. 




Picture: Tommy  Andersen, byFounders and Frederik Gjessing Vinten, Head of Group Development, Danske Bank  

Insight into the newest technology contribute to the best customer solutions
For Danske Bank, this investment is not only a strategic commitment aimed at supporting job creation across the entire Nordic region but it also secures access to innovation and new business opportunities.

Danske Bank wants to help create better conditions for promising growth companies across the Nordic Region. We’re investing in byFounders in order to give growth companies access to capital, knowledge and business support. Through byFounders, Danske Bank also gains insight into the newest technology and new business models – both within and outside the fintech community. This is key to our ambition of always being able to provide the best solutions to our customers.

Frederik Gjessing Vinten

Head of Group Development, Danske Bank

Two entrepreneurs set up byFounders
byFounders was set up by Eric Lagier and Tommy Andersen. As well as having strong roots in tech and growth companies such as Libratone, Skype and Tradeshift, these two entrepreneurs also have strong ties to Silicon Valley – the global capital of the tech industry. 

“We set up byFounders to build a better bridge between the Nordic region and Silicon Valley that lets Nordic start-ups benefit from the network and scaling potential offered by the USA, without necessarily having to relocate their company there,” explains Tommy Andersen.


Facts about byFounders 

  • byFounders is a Nordic venture fund that supports and invests in Nordic start-ups with global ambitions. Investors in the venture fund include 50 of the most successful Nordic tech-entrepreneurs, including the founders of Skype, Kahoot, Zendesk, Sitecore and Vivino.
  • byFounders was established in 2017 by Eric Lagier, adviser for DenmarkBridge, and Tommy Andersen, head of the Danish Government’s entrepreneurship council (Iværksætterpanel). 
  • Todate, byFounders has invested in the following: 
  • Corti
  • Peergrade
  • Simple Feast
  • Cobalt
  • Spiio
  • SafetyWing
  • DrugStars
  • Omnio
  • Qurasense
  • Tame
  • Uizard