#65 From founder to investor: Ilkka Kivimäki on lessons learned and future bets
Episode details
Episode description
Ilkka Kivimäki built and sold a company to SAP, was the first investor and chairman of Wolt, and now runs a 260M€ seed fund. We sat down to discuss everything from startup investing and growth to quantum computing and food innovation. Learn more: https://maki.vc/ https://generogrowth.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/ilkkak1/ (0:00) Introduction (0:31) Building a company during the dot‑com crash and exiting to SAP (6:35) Finland’s startup ecosystem (13:00) Becoming an investor and Wolt’s success (18:00) Starting Maki.vc and investing in 50+ startups (23:20) Quantum computing (30:25) Robotics and autonomy (35:55) Innovations in food and material sciences (43:30) Lessons from startups and investing