Finnish firms backed by a PE investor

The desire to grow is something these companies have in common. Pia Santavirta is the managing director of the Finnish Venture Capital Association, and is included in this list, for example, domestic market leaders and international growth rockets.

A total of 44 potential listing candidates rose to the list of PE investors. The majority of the companies were ICT-companies or products and services targeted to businesses.

The list of potential listing candidates has a wide variety of companies that are in the process of being listed this year. The revenue category of less than five million includes Happeo, which offers digital work environments and raised a funding round of 25 million during the summer. The over one hundred million category includes Den Finland, a small house manufacturer that exceeded its sales target last year.

Juhana Kallio, partner and CEO of private equity company Intera Partners, considers the stock market to be a relevant step in the growth path of Finnish companies, even though the uncertainty of the world reflects on the economy.

He comments that the stock market is still interesting, and we keep developing our companies' listing strategies as usual.

PE investors are always looking for a way to grow the value of the companies they own. The ownership comes to an end usually after 3 7 years. Common means of selling to another PE investor, an industrial acquisition or stock market listing are some of the ways that can be done in different ways.

Half of the companies listed on the Helsinki Stock Exchange are backed up by a PE investor.

Between 2015 and 2021, about half of the companies listed on the Helsinki Stock Exchange have a PE investor behind them. The year 2021 was a record-breaking year for IPOs. PE investors were visible in the listings, since five out of the eight companies that entered the main list had a PE investor in the background.

Puuilo, which was listed last year, is a good example of company growth. The company was started as a family business and grew and was listed on the Helsinki Stock Exchange with the help of two PE investors, Sentica and Adelis Equity Partners.

The rise of Finnish material technology was apparent in the listings last year. Spinnova, which is reforming the textile industry, and Betolar, which builds a more ecological alternative to concrete, were both listed on the Nasdaq First North list. Both companies are supported by a PE investor: Spinnova by Maki.vc and Betolar by Voima ventures.

This year's listing pace is more moderate: four companies have entered the main list during different mergers and acquisitions, and five new companies have been listed on the Nasdaq First North growth market. Nordic Lights is backed up by Sponsor Capital, backed up by the companies listed on the First North.

Despite the challenging market situation, there are several active listing projects in Finland waiting for the right time. Nasdaq Nordic First North Growth Market, which has risen to number one in the statistics, has overtaken London's AIM, both in terms of amount of capital raised and number of listings. Henrik Husman, President of Nasdaq Helsinki, says it is very pleasing to see the increased interest of retail investors in the new listed companies and their active participation in the trading on the platform.