Valtakari Consulting & Technology Services (VCTS) is a Finnish, family owned investment company seeking to create value through active ownership in non-listed companies.
Over 20 portfolio companies in Europe and in USA. Focus on investments in disruptive technologies and services.
VCTS started as management and technology consulting company with some investment activities in 2010 when the founder Risto Valtakari established his own consulting and start-up coaching business after approx. 25 years at Accenture. Since 2014 VCTS’s primary focus has been on active investments in technology start-ups and growth companies. Consulting type of services are today performed through our Austrian affiliate Gottberg Services
VCTS invests mainly in non-listed companies. The common denominator for all these investments is the ability to recognize opportunities for scaling up the company’s business and create value through active ownership. Additionally, for capital protection reasons, VCTS investments include shares and funds that provide fixed returns with lower risk than its mainline business.
Strategy
VCTS invests in substantial stakes in non-listed companies. The geographical investment scope is focused on the Europe; 2/3 of investments are in Finland, Estonia, and Poland. USA investments represent 1/3 of the total.
The target companies are start-ups and growth companies in different phases of the company life cycle, however, mostly past their initial seed round phase.
Focus
The main industry focus for VCTS is technology companies that develop disruptive innovations that significantly alter the way that consumers, industries, or businesses operate.
Other important, partially overlapping, criteria for VCTS investments include sustainability; disruptive innovations should also generate long-term social and environmental benefits while creating economic profits for the target company.
Think straight - Talk straight
VCTS believes in ‘think straight, talk straight’ way of working. Objective is to act as professional, and positively challenging, owner that supports the company in its development on continuous basis.
Scale up
The target companies should have passed their initial start-up seed phase so that their business direction and vision are clear enough. However, the most relevant prerequisite is that VCTS can identify opportunities to further develop the business of the company and in doing so assist in scaling up the company to the next level in growth path.
VCTS aims to contribute to the success of its portfolio companies, as well as to their growth and expansion e.g. through new business models, business areas, markets, collaboration partners, and customers. VCTS invests time and resources in understanding the portfolio company’s business, industry, core technology and market. For most of its investments VCTS seeks a role of a board member or coach/advisory to support the operative management of its portfolio companies.
In investing risk taking is a prerequisite for return. So, it is VCTS’s responsibility to take risks, while identifying and controlling them. New investments are made in a structured and diligent manner. All risks related to VCTS’s portfolio companies are monitored and analyzed continuously.
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