Ilkka Kivimäki built and sold a company to SAP, was the first investor and chairman of Wolt, and now runs a 260M€ seed fund. We sat down to discuss everything from startup investing and growth to quantum computing and food innovation.
Learn more:
https://maki.vc/
https://generogrowth.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ilkkak1/
(0:00) Introduction
(0:31) Building a company during the dot‑com crash and exiting to SAP
(6:35) Finland’s startup ecosystem
(13:00) Becoming an investor and Wolt’s success
(18:00) Starting Maki.vc and investing in 50+ startups
(23:20) Quantum computing
(30:25) Robotics and autonomy
(35:55) Innovations in food and material sciences
(43:30) Lessons from startups and investing
The Growth Pod