Helsinki-based venture capital firm NordicNinja is establishing a UK base in London as it reveals a new €200m (£171.6m) fund.
The VC’s latest fund will target “digital society”, deep tech and climate tech startups. New investments will join Bolt, Starship Technologies and Einride in the investor’s portfolio.
As well as the UK, NordicNinja has also expanded into Ireland, Stockholm, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.
“Thousands of kilometres apart, Japan and Europe have much in common,” said Tomosaku Sohara, managing partner of NordicNinja. “Both have company-building legacies, an appetite for innovation and understanding of the need to take care of the planet.”
Launched in 2019, NordicNinja’s first fund was €101m (£86.6m). It invested in 20 companies.
Its second fund features a cornerstone commitment from the Japan Bank of International Cooperation. Others include Honda, BaltCap, Omron and Swedbank Investment Funds.
Veronika Mugra this month joined the VC as a data scientist.
“This significant investment decision underscores the UK’s burgeoning position as a global leader in venture capital and further cements the special bond between the UK and Japan in pioneering clean energy solutions, as recently enshrined in the Hiroshima Accord,” said Lord Dominic Johnson, minister of state in the Department for Business and Trade.
Portfolio company Einride in April partnered with Walkers bringing its autonomous trucks to the UK’s roads.