Meet Mathias, Investment Analyst — A Born Seller, Crafter and now VC Investor
We have welcomed Mathias Nissen Lauritsen to our Investment Team! Let’s dive into what brought him into the VC space.
Mathias’ first memory of excitement in relation to entrepreneurship stems from a local flea market. He had just turned five years old, and really wanted to get some new toys, but as his father always said:
“Money doesn’t grow on trees. You have to put in the work, before you can reap the benefits”
In response, Mathias gathered all of the toys that no longer intrigued him and rented a spot at the local flea market. Not only did he make his first sale at this local flea market — at the end of the day he had the highest revenue among all of the sellers 💪
Following his first successful experience, Mathias developed a nose for business opportunities.
On a family trip to Turkey at the age of seven, he had another idea. He bought Pokemon games for Gameboys in bulk and sold them at a profit to his classmates back in Denmark. The success of his two first business ideas was the start of a long journey as an aspiring salesman (and buyer) on online marketplaces. The process taught him a lot about entrepreneurship and sales, but it also helped him finance his first iPhone and Macbook before receiving his first legitimate paycheck.
“I remember how these early experiences with entrepreneurship shaped my interests and steered me towards an education in business. I knew from an early age that I wanted to work with something related to entrepreneurship and business, I just wasn’t sure what it was and how to get there.”
His interest in building businesses led him to study Global Business at his local business school. A study that had an increased focus on business in an international setting, which meant, he got to visit the US and China, where he would experience a whole new world of business. The three years spent at business school enhanced his interest and knowledge within entrepreneurship and business, but he was not sure what to study next — what was the right path?
Upon his graduation in 2018, Mathias chose to move to London for a year to experience the world outside of Denmark and more importantly to get a taste of how it is to work in a global business. He got an internship at the global FinTech startup Banking Circle, which at the time was an early-stage startup that had just been acquired by EQT for $300m. Initially, he assisted in building the Data & Reporting function within the company, but later he would move to the Commercial function, where he was responsible for sales and board reporting, maintaining pricing models, as well as assisting the sales team with client performance tracking and optimization.
“Working in an early-stage startup meant that I was involved in a lot of different tasks working closely with senior executives across different functions within the company. I gained a lot of valuable knowledge during my time at Banking Circle, which I can utilize in my work at Dreamcraft.”
In August 2019, the internship came to an end and Mathias moved to Copenhagen to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in International Business at Copenhagen Business School. His efforts as an intern in London were acknowledged and he was asked to stay on as a Junior Analyst at Banking Circle. Here, he would help build their Financial Planning & Management Reporting function. Mathias worked closely with EQT in relation to monthly reporting and budgeting, but was also involved in multiple projects across all functions in the organization including different growth projects in cooperation with the Strategy team. During his four years at Banking Circle, the company grew from 40 to 400 FTEs and an annual payments volume of €60 billion to €332 billion.
Just before leaving Banking Circle, Mathias went on exchange at the University of Texas at Austin. This time away from home gave him the possibility to reflect, while also realizing his love for adventure, culture and working in a global setting. And so, before the end of the semester, he came to realize that the path he had always been searching for, was now pointing him straight toward venture capital.
Upon his return to Denmark and bachelor's graduation, he set out to find the perfect fit. This is where he found Dreamcraft.
“I was immediately intrigued by the story behind the “Dreamcraft” name. I have always seen myself as more a crafter than a dreamer, so I instantly felt a sense of belonging within the company. The Dreamcraft team is a perfect mix of generalists, who have the audacity to dream free, and the knowledge and experience to craft strong, which equips us to help talented founders move forward.”
Initially, Mathias was drawn into the VC world by an interest in entrepreneurship and investments, but he has already found that there is much more to it than that. One thing that excites him particularly is how founders present VCs with some of the current challenges in the world and most importantly their proposed solutions to these.
At the moment his interests are not industry-specific, but rather it is helping the talented founders of the world solve the problems they have identified.
If you wish to get in touch with Mathias, connect with him on LinkedIn.
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