First Fellow Partners
First Fellow Partners is a Helsinki-based private investment firm founded in 2012 that deploys its own capital — without external LPs — to back technology entrepreneurs across stages and geographies. Led by Risto Siilasmaa and Kim Groop, the firm partners with Nordic founders from idea to scale.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersHelsinki, Finland
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What First Fellow Partners does
First Fellow Partners (FFP) is a Helsinki-based private investment firm founded in 2012 that deploys its own capital into technology companies across the Nordic region and beyond. Unlike conventional venture capital funds, FFP holds no external limited partners and therefore operates without fundraising obligations or LP reporting cycles, allowing the partnership to focus exclusively on the founders it backs. The firm is led by two principals — founder Risto Siilasmaa (also the founder of F-Secure and former chairman of Nokia) and partner Kim Groop — and explicitly states a founder-first, long-term co-entrepreneurship philosophy that does not constrain activity by stage, sector, or geography.
FFP's portfolio spans more than 60 disclosed companies, covering pre-seed through Series A and including notable names such as Wolt, Aiven, Alphasense, Small Giant Games, Hoxhunt, Detectify, Quanscient, IXI, and FinanceKey. Recent disclosed activity (November 2024 through May 2026) shows six rounds totalling roughly €51 million of invested capital alongside co-investors such as Plural, Lifeline Ventures, Maki.vc, Crowberry Capital, and 55 North, with ticket sizes ranging from €1.3 million pre-seeds to a US$36.5 million Series A in IXI.
The firm monetises through equity ownership and capital appreciation rather than management fees, carrying no fund vehicles and no disclosed AUM. With a headcount of 1–10, FFP operates as a lean partnership that selects investments opportunistically, often participating at the idea stage and frequently re-investing in follow-on rounds (as with Quanscient in 2024 and 2026). Its strategic posture is that of a patient, brand-led, principal-invested vehicle rather than a scaled fund manager.
First Fellow Partners firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- First Fellow Partners
- Legal name
- First Fellow Partners
- Website
- https://firstfellow.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- First Fellow Partners is a Helsinki-based private investment firm founded in 2012 that deploys its own capital — without external LPs — to back technology entrepreneurs across stages and geographies. Led by Risto Siilasmaa and Kim Groop, the firm partners with Nordic founders from idea to scale.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where First Fellow Partners is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Helsinki
- HQ country
- Finland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
First Fellow Partners business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
First Fellow Partners product offering
Product offeringCore offering
First Fellow Partners (FFP) is a private investment firm that deploys its own capital (no external LPs) into bold, mission-driven technology entrepreneurs from the idea stage through to lasting impact. The firm partners with founders as long-term co-entrepreneurs, providing capital, resources, and a no-playbook investment approach spanning stage, sector, and geography.
Product overview
First Fellow Partners is a private investment firm, not a product or technology company. It does not offer products or services in the traditional SaaS/product sense. The firm deploys its own capital to support technology entrepreneurs at various stages, from early idea-stage to growth phases, with a focus on companies building meaningful technology solutions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Founder-First Capital & Co-Entrepreneurship
Companies that use First Fellow Partners
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
First Fellow Partners technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
First Fellow Partners partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves6 records
Expansion highlights3 records
First Fellow Partners competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Lifeline Ventures: Finnish early-stage VC that frequently co-invests alongside First Fellow Partners (e.g., led CRACI pre-seed, Elva pre-seed). Directly comparable as a Helsinki-based seed-stage tech investor with similar founder-first approach.
- Maki.vc: Finnish VC focused on deep tech and science-based startups; co-invested with FFP in Quanscient, FinanceKey, and IXI. Comparable Nordic pre-seed/seed-stage investor with similar founder-support orientation.
- Crowberry Capital: Nordic-Icelandic early-stage VC that led Quanscient's growth round alongside FFP. Comparable as a regional seed/growth investor targeting ambitious Nordic founders.
- byFounders: Nordic/European early-stage VC backed by notable Nordic operators; participated in IXI Series A with FFP. Comparable as a founder-network-driven early-stage investor.
- Heartcore Capital: European early-stage consumer/tech VC that co-invested in IXI with FFP. Comparable as a European early-stage investor backing mission-driven founders.
- Alliance VC: Nordic early-stage VC that co-led Endform pre-seed with FFP. Comparable Nordic pre-seed investor with founder-first orientation.
- Antler: Global early-stage VC with strong Nordic presence; co-led Endform pre-seed alongside FFP. Comparable as an idea-stage investor backing founders from inception.
- Wave Ventures: Nordic student-founder-focused VC that co-invested with FFP in CRACI and Elva pre-seed rounds. Comparable Nordic pre-seed investor with similar stage and sector focus.
- Tiny VC: European pre-seed fund that co-invested with FFP in Elva pre-seed round. Comparable early-stage investor with focus on European tech founders.
Regional players
- Tesi (Finnish Industry Investment): Finnish state-owned investment company that participated in IXI Series A alongside FFP. Comparable as a major Finnish investor in tech startups, though structurally a sovereign investor rather than private capital.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
First Fellow Partners social profiles
Digital presenceFirst Fellow Partners financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
First Fellow Partners leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
First Fellow Partners funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
First Fellow Partners M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments77 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about First Fellow Partners
What does First Fellow Partners do?
First Fellow Partners (FFP) is a private investment firm that deploys its own capital (no external LPs) into bold, mission-driven technology entrepreneurs from the idea stage through to lasting impact. The firm partners with founders as long-term co-entrepreneurs, providing capital, resources, and a no-playbook investment approach spanning stage, sector, and geography.
Is First Fellow Partners a public or private company?
First Fellow Partners is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was First Fellow Partners founded?
First Fellow Partners was founded in 2012. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is First Fellow Partners based?
First Fellow Partners is headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, in the Europe region.
Who are First Fellow Partners's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Lifeline Ventures, Maki.vc, Crowberry Capital, byFounders, Heartcore Capital, Alliance VC, Antler, Wave Ventures and Tiny VC. Tesi (Finnish Industry Investment) is listed as a regional player.
Does First Fellow Partners have an API?
No public API is recorded for First Fellow Partners.