Gorilla Capital expands its team and launches third fund

Kirsi Vine-Haaparinne and Minna Isotalus, both with entrepreneurial backgrounds, join Gorilla Capital as partners. Vine-Haaparinne is a founding partner of Taaleri, while Isotalus has a background in startups and growth companies. 

Gorilla Capital, the only industrial angel in the Nordic region, strengthens its team with the addition of two new members as it unveils its third fund. Kirsi Vine-Haaparinne and Minna Isotalus, both with entrepreneurial & investment backgrounds, have joined the company as partners.

Kirsi Vine-Haaparinne, a founding partner of Taaleri with a family business background, has worked as a private banker for over 15 years, and, in recent years, also served as an angel investor alongside her day job. Meanwhile, Minna Isotalus brings over a decade of experience in startup entrepreneurship and growth companies backed with years in corporate finance.

“I’m passionate about entrepreneurship and ownership, and I’m eager to give back – share my experience and provide funding to entrepreneurs. Gorilla Capital’s team shares this same passion and goal. The company’s approach to early-stage startup investing resonates with me – it provides a solution to the question that has bothered me: why startup investing often seems so unpredictable and risky?,” Kirsi Vine-Haaparinne explains.

Gorilla Capital’s investment strategy is based on analyses of the most probable outcomes, avoiding the unicorn chase in favour of broader diversification. Gorilla Capital plans to allocate €50 million to a hundred early-stage companies from its third fund. It seeks several mid-sized exits without limiting the possibility of jackpots. The approach relies on starting the startup journey with a realistic, yet ambitious outlook while maintaining a fervent passion and aiming high.

“Gorilla Capital’s investment strategy is refreshingly different – I feel it promotes equal opportunities in entrepreneurship. It extends financing and professional support to ambitious entrepreneurs who favour a rational approach to risk, without the desire to position themselves as the next unicorn. The passionate yet down-to-earth approach of Gorilla Capital’s founders, Petri Lehmuskoski and Risto Rautakorpi, and their respect for founders, resonated with my thinking,” summarizes Minna Isotalus.

Gorilla Capital invests in so-called camel companies. The term ‘camel’ characterizes the way the portfolio companies make their journey successfully: they use water efficiently, navigate steadily through diverse terrains and quickly adapt to changing conditions – and have a remarkable ability to successfully reach their destinations.”

“Minna and Kirsi complement our team with their expertise and personalities. Their diverse backgrounds and extensive experience support the expansion of our successful investment strategy. Our goal is to create a community within the Nordic startup ecosystem for those seeking an alternative route to success as startup entrepreneurs. Instead of chasing unicorns, we believe in camels,” concludes Risto Rautakorpi, Managing Partner of Gorilla Capital.

More information:

Risto Rautakorpi
Managing Partner,
Gorilla Capital
risto@gorillacapital.fi