Venture Capital Unlocked

Venture Capital in today’s AI-dominated, sustainability-pressured market?

In this episode, we sit down with Arve Janbu Fresvik, Founding Partner at Momentum, a VC firm backing climate tech and early-stage startups across Europe.

Arve breaks down how impact-driven investing is evolving, why strong founder teams still beat big markets, and how AI is both a tool and a threat for startups. With a decade in venture capital and deep roots in sustainability investing, he offers real talk for founders and emerging VCs alike.

🎧 Listen now for practical startup funding and venture capital insights.

Visit the website: https://momentumpartners.no/

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Produced by Amplitude Ventures Consulting: Partners in Early-Stage Startups -https://amplitude.ventures

What really matters when raising venture capital: a polished pitch deck or the founder behind the startup?

Alliance Venture partner Arne Tonning, reveals what early-stage investors actually look for in startup funding decisions.
He breaks down why founder quality beats traction, the hidden rules of due diligence, and how Nordic startups can stand out to VC investors. With 15+ years of experience in early-stage venture capital, he shares candid insights every founder should hear.

This episode is a goldmine for entrepreneurs raising pre-seed to Series A, especially those targeting the Nordic VC landscape. Arne outlines the importance of origin stories, founder resilience, execution ability, and how to reach VCs correctly and avoid common fundraising mistakes.

Visit Alliance VC: https://alliance.vc/

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Produced by Amplitude Ventures Consulting: Partners in Early-Stage Startups -https://amplitude.ventures

In a world of fast-moving tech, why are major industries still falling behind?

Co-founder of Runway FBU, Tor Bækkelund, takes us through his journey from engineer to venture capitalist, building the next generation of industrial tech startups.

He then reveals why 90% of industrial data is unused and how to build a startup ecosystem that goes beyond just capital. Get to understand the mindset needed for success and the common pitfalls to avoid when investing in B2B tech.

Visit Runway FBU: https://runwayfbu.com/
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Produced by Amplitude Ventures Consulting: Partners in Early-Stage Venture Building - https://amplitude.ventures

Follow for real-talk insights on fundraising, pitching, and building investor-ready startups.

Founders keep getting it wrong about fundraising, pitch decks, and cap tables.

Helga Valfells, founding partner at Crowberry Capital, shares the biggest mistakes startup founders make when trying to raise seed funding in today’s competitive landscape.

With hard-won lessons from backing over 50 early-stage startups across the Nordics, she revealed why cap table strategy, startup equity planning, and founder resilience matter more than ever and talks candidly about how “AI-washing” is clouding real innovation, and why chasing hype can derail promising companies. 

Whether you're raising your first funding round or simply want to understand how VCs think, Helga’s insight is both practical and refreshingly honest as it is perfect for founders navigating startup fundraising, refining their pitch deck, or trying to scale a tech startup in the digital economy. 

Follow for real-talk insights on fundraising, pitching, and building investor-ready startups.

Explore Crowberry Capital: https://www.crowberrycapital.com/

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Produced by Amplitude Ventures Consulting: Partners in Early-Stage Venture Building - https://amplitude.ventures

How do venture capitalists actually decide which startups to fund? 

Sitting down with Finn Persson, founding partner at Spintop Ventures, we unpack what really happens behind closed doors during a seed round.

Finn breaks down Spintop's tollgate-based investment process, including how they evaluate over 1,000 pitch decks each year to find just a few winning startups. He reveals what founders often get wrong in their VC pitches, how term sheets carry moral weight, and the realities of due diligence in early-stage investing.

With over 15 years in venture capital and tech, Finn offers actionable advice for startup founders who want to raise smart capital and build enduring companies. Whether you're raising your first round or prepping for your next VC meeting, this episode is packed with practical insights from inside the world of seed-stage investing.

Learn more here: https://spintopventures.com/

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Produced by Amplitude Ventures Consulting: Partners in Early-Stage Venture Building - https://amplitude.ventures

In our first episode, we sit down with Ilkka Kivimäki, founding partner at Maki VC and a cornerstone of Finland’s startup ecosystem, to unpack how early-stage funding decisions actually get made. Ilkka brings raw insight from building multiple startups, selling one to SAP, and backing over 60 companies through one of the Nordics’ most founder-aligned VC funds.

He talks openly about why most founders misjudge valuation timing, how a good pitch is more about ambition than perfection, and why chasing AI hype could sink your startup before it begins. You’ll learn what makes a VC truly commit to a deal, how internal decisions work inside a fund, and why the best startups often come from overlooked markets or deep tech spinouts.

If you’re an early-stage founder raising funding, navigating AI-era challenges, or wondering what makes a great VC-founder relationship, this is the brutally honest perspective you need.

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Produced by Amplitude Ventures Consulting: Partners in Early-Stage Venture Building - https://amplitude.ventures