Say Hi, Hej, Moi, Grüezi to Henrik!

The Lightbird team is growing! We are beyond excited to welcome Henrik Reimavuo to the team.

Henrik hails from Helsinki, where he stumbled into the startup scene at Slush within investor relations. Most recently, he was an early stage investor with J12 Ventures in Stockholm, focusing on data & AI startups across Europe. He also has experience from investing in the later stages with NGP Capital and advising established companies with Carnegie Investment Bank.

Get to know him through this Q&A:

1) Why did you want to join Lightbird?

First and foremost it was the team; everybody’s exceptionally thoughtful, dedicated and driven, whilst also being supportive, genuine and kind. It’s the type of people anyone would be lucky to call colleagues.

This is also clearly reflected in the modus operandi at Lightbird. As VCs constantly fall victim of accurate memes about being “helpful” and “congratulating themselves”, the Lightbird team demonstrates an unprecedented level of empathy, honesty and approachability, which I admire profoundly. Reach out and you’ll see for yourself!

Furthermore, the unique thesis-driven approach of partnering early with distribution-driven teams across Europe and supporting them in flying out of the gates resonated strongly with my philosophy to early stage investing. Lightbird looks further than the hottest new thing, instead focusing on companies leveraging innovation as a go-to-market advantage within various spaces such as open source, cyber, sales, HR, sustainability and more.

2) Will you be focusing on a specific vertical or geography? Are there any topics you find particularly interesting?

As we’re sector agnostic, but go-to-market-focused, we’re exploring the vast European B2B landscape in the lookout for the most daring builders in any vertical. We’re excited to partner with teams dedicated to user-centricity, with a distribution plan grounded in community, virality and network effects. I’ll be keeping a close eye on companies tackling current issues in SaaS including increasing development costs, low retention, seat and ACV contraction, poor system reliability, lacking compliance and security, and overall commodization/ decentralization of services.

We don’t have designated geo-coverage areas at Lightbird but I can surely be found having fika in Stockholm, smørrebrød in Copenhagen and blörö in Helsinki soon again. I will also be taking advantage of Zurich’s central location to visit other tech hubs in Europe. Let me know where I should visit first!

3) What should founders expect from partnering with you and Lightbird?

Our foremost objective is to support founders’ success in any way possible, serving as an unwavering backer in the highs and the lows. We’re dedicated to matching the same level of enthusiasm and dedication you bring to the table and will always be there to offer perspectives, assistance or simply a friendly ear to your reflections. We commit to providing you with the best tools and resources to help you hit escape velocity (more on this soon), the most relevant network and the best conditions to raise successful follow-on rounds. Furthermore, our structure is adaptable to your needs. Whether you prefer us to lead or co-invest, be the initial backers, or remain committed until the very end, we’re here to align with what best suits your team’s goals and aspirations.

4) Why VC?

VC is the best “job” in the world (no wonder people get so worked up flexing on social media), one has the opportunity to constantly learn, challenge one’s self, meet interesting people and experience their hopeful views of our potential as humans.

Every day, I have the pleasure of meeting exceptional people and share their excitement in the particular problems they’re solving for. Every day, I’m humbled by being the dumbest person in the room. And every day, I learn a thing or two about various visions about the future of the world. It’s challenging to envision a more optimistic, exciting and intellectually demanding job than this.

Let’s finish with some rapid fire questions!

5) What is one common trait you’re looking for in founders?

Self-awareness.

6) What is your go-to Spotify playlist?

There’s two that definitely can’t see the daylight. One I could reference though is Samma på Svenska for some swanky Swedish jazz rap.

7) What is your favourite social media profile?

It’s got to be between prayingforexits and powdermagazine.

8) What is the nerdiest thing about you?

Watching analysis videos of episodes (currently Ahsoka / Star Wars) or movies and books that last longer than the actual media.

9) Which book has had the biggest impact on you and why?

Marcus Aurelius — Meditations: an enlightening piece about self-reflection, improvement, and awareness. I related strongly with its message about finding happiness in personal development and growth, as well as discovering inner peace with the present. Had it been discovered ~1850 years later, the Emperor would have been a successful “self-help guru”.

Reach out to henrik@lightbird.vc if you want to talk startups and tech, or would like to tell me about your distribution advantage. Also happy to receive tips about your favourite hikes & slopes in the region. Uf Wiederluege! 👋