What Taavet+Sten does

Skaala Investments OÜ (operating as Skaala, formerly Taavet+Sten) is an Estonian private investment company founded in 2021 and headquartered in Tallinn. It manages a diversified portfolio spanning private equity, real assets, and impact-driven projects across global markets. The firm was launched by Skype alumni Taavet Hinrikus — first employee of Skype and co-founder of Wise, which completed Europe's first direct listing on the LSE in 2021 — and Sten Tamkivi, founder of Teleport (acquired by Topia). The principals concentrate the bulk of their day-to-day activity on Plural, a venture fund for European tech founders that they co-founded in 2022 alongside three other partners; Plural has become the firm's primary VC deployment channel and a venue for third-party co-investment.

Skaala operates as a founder-led family-office-style vehicle led by four partners — Kristina Siimar (CEO), Anastasia Borovaja (CFO), Martin Tälli (CLO), Taavet Hinrikus, and Sten Tamkivi — plus an office team of approximately ten. Investment intake is highly selective: the firm reported receiving more than 1,800 investment-related emails over the past year but proceeding with only a select few, indicating deal flow is driven by inbound founder outreach, referrals, and Plural network channels rather than outbound origination.

Since the 2024 rebrand, the firm has formally diversified beyond venture into real assets and impact-led initiatives, supported by an Educational Project Manager and an Impact program. Revenue mechanics are investment returns (capital appreciation, dividends, and exit proceeds) rather than management fees; AUM, fee income, fund size, and historical realizations are not disclosed in public materials.

Name

Taavet+Sten

Legal name

Skaala Investments OÜ

Website

https://taavetsten.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Skaala Investments OÜ (formerly Taavet+Sten) is an Estonian private investment company founded by Skype alumni Taavet Hinrikus and Sten Tamkivi, deploying capital across private equity, real assets, impact projects, and European venture via the Plural fund.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Capital / Investment Management

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), All Other Financial Investment Activities (52399)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Values-Based/ESG & Impact-Focused RIAs (FSAAACAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Portfolio Management–Led RIAs (Discretionary/Model-Based) (FSAAACAC), Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) Wealth Management (FSAEABAA)

Keywords

• Venture capital investments
• Private equity investments
• Real assets investing
• Impact-driven investing
• Family office management

Headquarters

HQ city

Tallinn

HQ country

Estonia

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Investment Returns: The company generates returns through investments in private equity, real assets, and impact-driven projects across global markets. Returns are realized through capital appreciation, dividends, and exit events from portfolio companies.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Taavet+Sten (now Skaala) is an independent investment company that deploys capital across private equity, real assets (property-related projects), and impact-driven projects in global markets. Its primary venture capital channel is Plural, a venture fund co-founded in 2022 that targets Europe's most ambitious technology founders. The firm invests its own and partners' capital and supports portfolio companies through strategic guidance and network access.

Product overview

Taavet+Sten (now operating as Skaala since late 2024) is an independent investment company offering a diversified portfolio of private assets. The company's product suite includes private equity investments, real assets (property-related projects), and impact-driven initiatives. Their primary venture capital channel is Plural, a venture fund for Europe’s most ambitious tech founders co-founded in 2022 alongside three other partners. The investment approach is guided by principles of scale, curiosity, courage, and connection, focused on building sustainable, resilient solutions that drive financial growth as well as positive societal outcomes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Plural Venture Fund A venture fund co-founded in 2022 targeting Europe's most ambitious technology founders; serves as Taavet+Sten/Skaala's main channel for venture capital investments and supports startups poised for significant growth and positive change.
• Private Equity Investments Equity investments in private companies as part of Skaala's diversified investment portfolio across global markets.
• Real Assets Investments Property-related investment projects and tangible asset investments across global markets, part of Skaala's diversified investment portfolio.
• Impact-Driven Investments Impact-led initiatives focused on social impact investing and sustainable, resilient solutions that drive positive societal outcomes alongside financial returns.

Quantifiable outcome

• Wise went public in 2021, becoming Europe's first-ever direct listing and the largest tech IPO in UK history.

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Atomico: Europe-focused VC founded by Niklas Zennström, Skype's co-founder. The closest analogue: a European tech-founder's investment vehicle backing ambitious founders, just one generation removed from the same Skype network as Taavet and Sten.
• LocalGlobe: London-based seed-stage European VC. Highly comparable as a focused early-stage European tech investor competing for similar founder-led deal flow.
• Northzone: Pan-European VC with roots in the Skype/Zennström-era network. Comparable as a multi-stage European tech investor with a strong founder-network orientation.
• Speedinvest: Vienna-based European early-stage VC. Comparable as a multi-sector European tech investor often co-investing in the same founders as Plural targets.
• Creandum: Nordic/European early-stage VC. Comparable as a regional European tech investor pursuing similar founder-led, high-conviction seed and Series A opportunities.
• Earlybird Venture Capital: Berlin-based European venture firm. Comparable as a long-standing European tech investor with a pan-European mandate overlapping Plural's geographic footprint.
• Mosaic Ventures: London-based early-stage European VC. Comparable as a focused seed/Series A investor competing for the same European founder pool.
• HV Capital: German-origin European VC with broad stage coverage. Comparable as a multi-stage European tech investor that frequently co-invests alongside founder-led funds like Plural.

Broad incumbents

• Index Ventures: Established European/UK venture firm investing across stages. Comparable as a major allocator into European tech founders, though materially larger and more institutional than Skaala/Plural.
• EQT Ventures: Venture arm of large European PE group EQT. Comparable as a well-capitalised European tech investor, but operating with substantially more capital and institutional infrastructure than Skaala.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/taavetsten

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments14 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Taavet+Sten