What Failup Ventures does

Failup Ventures Management Oy is a Finnish-American AI-native venture capital firm that invests at the pre-seed and seed stages, headquartered in Helsinki with a regional office in San Francisco. The firm was founded in 2022-2023 and deploys capital through Failup Fund I Ky, which held its first close of €30 million in November 2023 against a €50 million target and currently stands at approximately €35 million in assets under management. The fund is led by three General Partners — Jesse Heikkilä, Oscar Andersin, and Topias Soininen — who collectively bring operator experience from Playven/Playtomic, prior VC/PE roles, and a Helsinki-based incubator.

The firm invests in early-stage AI-driven startups across three thematic areas: AI for Work (productivity agents), AI Advancement (AI infrastructure, tooling, and chips), and AI for Life (consumer applications). Its portfolio of approximately 29 companies spans Helsinki, San Francisco, New York, and London, with representative investments including Optivian (AI sales execution), Nvelop (AI procurement), Bracket (FX/treasury management), Zettascale Computing (reconfigurable XPU chips), Paradigm (AI spreadsheet), Lotus Health (AI healthcare), Studio555 (AI gaming), and OSCAR (home services). Typical ticket sizes range from €200K to €1M with follow-on reserves, and the fund frequently co-invests with established firms including Macquarie Group, General Catalyst, Y Combinator, HOF Capital, Indico Capital, Blackfinch Ventures, and Antler.

Failup generates revenue through standard VC fund economics — management fees on AUM and, prospectively, carried interest from successful exits. The entity is registered as an Alternative Investment Fund Manager under the Finnish AIFM Act and is supervised by the Finnish Financial Supervisory Authority. Failup differentiates itself through an "AI-native" operational model, leveraging internally built AI tools for deal sourcing, due diligence, and portfolio support, and through a thesis of backing technical founders building "system-level" solutions with "conviction before consensus."

Name

Failup Ventures

Legal name

Failup Ventures Management Oy

Website

https://failup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Failup Ventures is a Finnish-American AI-native pre-seed and seed-stage venture capital fund investing in AI-driven startups across the Nordics and US, with approximately €35M AUM, three General Partners based in Helsinki and San Francisco, and 29 portfolio companies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital Fund Management

NAICS

Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Early-Stage Venture Capital (Pre-Seed/Seed) (FSANAAAA)

Keywords

• Venture capital fund
• Pre-seed investing
• Seed-stage venture
• AI startup investment
• Early-stage capital

Headquarters

HQ city

Helsinki

HQ country

Finland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Fund Management Fees: As a venture capital fund manager, Failup generates revenue through management fees charged on the assets under management of Failup Fund I Ky.
2. Carried Interest / Performance Fees: VC funds typically generate carried interest from successful portfolio company exits and distributions.

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Failup Ventures is an AI-native venture capital fund manager that invests pre-seed and seed-stage capital (typically €200k–€1M first checks) into AI-driven technology companies across the Nordics and the United States. Its primary offering is Failup Fund I Ky, a €35M vehicle targeting €50M, which provides capital plus strategic and operational support to founders building AI solutions for work, AI infrastructure, and consumer applications. The firm augments its investing with internally developed AI tooling to manage sourcing, diligence, and portfolio support.

Product overview

Failup Ventures is a pre-seed and seed-stage venture capital firm. As an investor rather than a product company, it does not offer commercial products or services in the traditional sense. The firm's core offering is investment capital, strategic support, and operational expertise to early-stage AI companies. The fund manages Failup Fund I Ky and leverages internally-built AI tools to support portfolio operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Failup Fund I Ky Pre-seed and seed-stage venture capital fund that deploys €200k–€1M first checks (with follow-on reserves) into AI-driven startups across the Nordics and the US, targeting thematic areas of AI for Work, AI Advancement, and AI for Life. Available to institutional investors, family offices, and individuals as limited partners.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Icebreaker.vc: Helsinki-based pre-seed and seed investor focused on technical founders; competes for the same Finnish deal flow and shares the AI/tech thematic orientation.
• ByFounders: Nordic community-driven pre-seed and seed fund backed by successful Nordic founders; competes for the same AI and deep-tech deal flow.
• Creandum: Leading Nordic early-stage VC with a long track record; comparable on Nordic sourcing depth, though typically writing larger checks at Series A.
• Speedinvest: European early-stage fund with sector-focused pods including AI; comparable on stage, thematic AI focus, and pan-European deal flow.
• Northzone: Nordic-origin VC investing from seed to growth; comparable on Nordic heritage and tech focus, though typically at larger check sizes.
• HOF Capital: US-based fund with Nordic ties that co-led Studio555 with Failup; comparable on transatlantic US-Nordic bridge thesis and early-stage check size.
• Antler: Global early-stage VC with a strong Nordic presence and pre-seed/seed focus; co-investor with Failup in Nvelop. Most directly comparable on stage, geographic focus, and founder-first model.
• Lifeline Ventures: One of Finland's longest-running early-stage funds investing at seed/Series A. Closest Helsinki analog in terms of stage and operational support philosophy.
• OpenOcean: Helsinki-origin early-stage fund investing in B2B software and AI; comparable on Nordic focus, stage, and operator-led model.
• Air Street Capital: AI-native early-stage fund with a thesis-driven, founder-focused model; closely comparable to Failup's AI-specialist positioning and pre-seed/seed orientation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments22 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Failup Ventures