There’s a holding company that almost no one talks about, yet it might be one of the most efficient compounding engines.
RÖKO owns 29 niche, traditional businesses, runs 21% margins, generates 14.5% returns on capital and keeps acquiring new companies every quarter. And they do all of this with a headquarters team of just eight people.
In this episode, I break down the full story behind RÖKO and its 63-year-old founder Fredrik Karlsson, the former CEO of Lifco - one of Sweden’s legendary serial acquirers. After two decades mastering the art of permanent capital, Karlsson left to build his own vehicle. Six years later, RÖKO is worth billions.
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 The hidden $2B holding company with 29 businesses
0:34 Who is Fredrik Karlsson? (Ex-Lifco CEO turned founder)
1:40 Röko’s launch: $20-25M founder capital + $200M raised
2:15 Portfolio breakdown: 29 companies across B2B and B2C
3:00 Q3 2025 results: 21% margins, 14.5% ROCE
4:46 How Röko scaled faster than any European serial acquirer
5:41 Why Röko only buys high-margin (15%+) asset-light companies
6:22 Sector-agnostic strategy and disciplined capital allocation
7:07 Risks Karlsson fears most: recession and bad managers
8:29 Röko HQ model: one Excel sheet, zero micromanagement
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This podcast is for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a basis for investment decisions.
