Wave Ventures
Wave Ventures is a Helsinki-based early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2016 that invests in young Nordic founders at pre-seed and angel stages. Run by a team entirely under 25, it manages a €10M Fund III and a 50+ company portfolio across the Nordics and Baltics.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersHelsinki, Finland
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Wave Ventures does
Wave Ventures is a Helsinki-based early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2016, focused exclusively on pre-seed and angel investments in young Nordic founders at the earliest stages of company building. The firm is operationally distinctive in that its investment team is composed entirely of individuals under 25 years old, a positioning it leverages to source and support Gen Z entrepreneurs across Finland, Sweden, Estonia and the wider Nordics and Baltics. Since launch, Wave has built a portfolio of more than 50 companies, deploying up to €300,000 per company with typical first cheques of €100,000 plus follow-on funding, and pacing 10–20 new investments per year. The firm also operates the Wave Rebellion Grant, a €240,000 non-dilutive program launched alongside Fund III to fund 10 young Nordic builders without taking equity.
The firm has offices in Helsinki (headquarters, Kampinkuja 2), Stockholm (Luntmakargatan 34) and Estonia, and in June 2026 broadened its scope to back Nordic-founded companies building in the United States, including founders studying at US universities. Fund III closed at €10 million — a fivefold increase from the prior €2 million fund — with backing from teams associated with Supercell, Skype, Netflix, Disney, Siemens and Wise. The Rebellion Grant is supported by AWS, Anthropic, Lovable, Modal and Verda, providing cloud, AI-model, no-code and compute credits to recipients.
Revenue is generated through standard venture fund economics: management fees on committed capital and carried interest on successful portfolio exits. Wave does not build proprietary technology, products or APIs; its "platform" is its team, brand, grant program and partner network rather than software. Co-investment activity shows Wave typically participates rather than leads, alongside Lifeline Ventures, First Fellow Partners, Zenith, Antler, Tiny VC, byFounders, PSV Tech and Greencode Ventures across recent rounds in CRACI, Newly, Elva, Hedda, Willo and Sustashift.
Wave Ventures firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Wave Ventures
- Legal name
- Wave Ventures
- Website
- https://wave.ventures
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Wave Ventures is a Helsinki-based early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2016 that invests in young Nordic founders at pre-seed and angel stages. Run by a team entirely under 25, it manages a €10M Fund III and a 50+ company portfolio across the Nordics and Baltics.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Wave Ventures industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Venture Capital
- NAICS
- Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles (525), Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Early-Stage Venture Capital (Pre-Seed/Seed) (FSANAAAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B) (FSANAAAB), Micro-VC & Angel Funds (FSANAAAI)
Keywords
Where Wave Ventures is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Helsinki
- HQ country
- Finland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
Wave Ventures business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Venture Capital Fund Management: Wave Ventures generates returns through management fees on committed capital and carried interest on successful portfolio exits. As a VC firm, they invest capital from institutional and individual investors into early-stage startups and return profits through exits.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Wave Ventures product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Wave Ventures is a Nordic early-stage venture capital firm that invests pre-seed and angel capital (up to €300,000 per company, typically €100,000 first checks plus follow-on) into startups with young founders, primarily across the Nordics and Baltics. The firm manages multiple funds (including a €10M Fund III) and runs the Wave Rebellion Grant, a €240,000 non-dilutive funding program for 10 young Nordic builders in partnership with AWS, Anthropic, Lovable, Modal, and Verda.
Product overview
Wave Ventures is a Nordic early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2016, headquartered in Helsinki with offices in Sweden and Estonia. The firm operates three investment funds (with Fund III at €10 million as of June 2026) and manages a portfolio of over 50 companies. Its core offering is early-stage capital deployment (pre-seed and angel stage) of up to €300,000 per company, along with the Wave Rebellion Grant—a €240,000 non-dilutive funding initiative launched in partnership with AWS, Anthropic, Lovable, Modal, and Verda to support young Nordic builders without equity requirements. Wave Ventures does not offer a traditional product or SaaS platform; its services are investment capital and founder support programs.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Wave Rebellion Grant
- Wave Ventures Fund III
Quantifiable outcome
- Fund III raised to €10 million, five times larger than previous fund
Companies that use Wave Ventures
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Wave Ventures technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Wave Ventures partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered supporting.
- Amazon Web ServicessupportingAWS provides support for the Wave Rebellion Grant initiative, offering partner credits to young Nordic builders receiving non-dilutive funding through the program.
- AnthropicsupportingAnthropic supports the Wave Rebellion Grant by providing partner credits to young Nordic builders, enabling access to AI development tools and infrastructure.
- LovablesupportingLovable provides partner credits to Wave Rebellion Grant recipients, supporting young Nordic founders in building their products with no-code tools.
- ModalsupportingModal supports the Wave Rebellion Grant initiative by offering compute credits to young Nordic builders working on AI and machine learning projects.
- VerdasupportingVerda participates in the Wave Rebellion Grant program, providing partner credits and support services to young Nordic founders at the earliest stages.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Wave Ventures competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Antler: Global early-stage VC and founder generator backing pre-seed and seed founders, with strong Nordic/Baltics and global presence. Directly comparable to Wave as a co-investor (e.g., Hedda) and a similar-stage micro-VC competitor.
- Icebreaker.vc: Nordic-origin pre-seed/seed VC building a founder community and deploying small initial checks. Closely comparable in geography, stage, and community-led GTM.
- byFounders: Pan-Nordic pre-seed and seed VC backed by prominent Nordic tech founders. Co-invested with Wave in Willo, with overlapping Nordic founder networks and similar check sizes.
- Tiny VC: Nordic and European pre-seed fund co-investing alongside Wave (Elva). Similar micro-VC structure and check sizes targeting early-stage founders.
- Lifeline Ventures: Finnish early-stage VC actively co-investing with Wave in Nordic pre-seed and seed rounds (CRACI, Elva). Same geography, stage, and check-size profile makes it Wave's closest Nordic peer.
- Greencode Ventures: Nordic early-stage investor co-investing with Wave (Sustashift). Similar stage and Nordic-focused thesis, with a vertical tilt toward sustainability.
- First Fellow Partners: Nordic-focused pre-seed/seed VC co-investing with Wave (CRACI, Elva). Comparable stage, geography, and Gen-Z-adjacent thesis.
- Zenith Venture Capital: Nordic early-stage VC co-investing with Wave in AI and B2B pre-seed rounds (Hedda). Operates in the same stage, geography, and sector profile.
- PSV Tech: Nordic early-stage investor co-leading rounds Wave participated in (Newly). Comparable Nordic focus and pre-seed/seed check size.
Broad incumbents
- Alliance Ventures (Nordic Makers): Larger Nordic/European early-stage platform with broader sector coverage. Comparable at the stage level but with materially more capital and a wider portfolio mandate than Wave.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Wave Ventures social profiles
Digital presenceWave Ventures financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Wave Ventures leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Wave Ventures funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Wave Ventures M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments38 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Wave Ventures
What does Wave Ventures do?
Wave Ventures is a Nordic early-stage venture capital firm that invests pre-seed and angel capital (up to €300,000 per company, typically €100,000 first checks plus follow-on) into startups with young founders, primarily across the Nordics and Baltics. The firm manages multiple funds (including a €10M Fund III) and runs the Wave Rebellion Grant, a €240,000 non-dilutive funding program for 10 young Nordic builders in partnership with AWS, Anthropic, Lovable, Modal, and Verda.
Is Wave Ventures a public or private company?
Wave Ventures is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Wave Ventures founded?
Wave Ventures was founded in 2016. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Wave Ventures based?
Wave Ventures is headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, in the Europe region.
How does Wave Ventures make money?
One revenue line is on record: venture Capital Fund Management.
Who are Wave Ventures's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Antler, Icebreaker.vc, byFounders, Tiny VC, Lifeline Ventures, Greencode Ventures, First Fellow Partners, Zenith Venture Capital and PSV Tech. Alliance Ventures (Nordic Makers) is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Wave Ventures have an API?
No public API is recorded for Wave Ventures.
What industry is Wave Ventures in?
Wave Ventures's product category is Venture Capital. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANAAAA, Early-Stage Venture Capital (Pre-Seed/Seed), with a secondary code of FSANAAAB, Early-Stage Venture Capital (Series A/B). Its NAICS code is 525 and its SIC code is 6282.