Mehrdad Mahdjoubi
ceo & founder
Orbital Systems
Mehrdad Mahdjoubi is the founder of Orbital Systems, a Swedish cleantech company pioneering circular water solutions. The company was founded in 2012 following an academic collaboration between NASA and Lund University, with the ambition to radically reduce water and energy use. This led to the development of the world’s first circular shower — an innovation designed to contribute to a more sustainable and water-secure future.
Orbital Systems is backed by prominent investors including the Amazon Alexa Fund and the European Investment Bank, and its board features leading entrepreneurs such as Peter Carlsson, Björn Lindberg, Niklas Zennström and Mårten Öbrink.
Freyr Friðfinnsson
International Projects Lead
KLAK Icelandic Startups
With a Bachelor's degree in Software Engineering from the University of Reykjavik and a Master's degree in Entrepreneurship and Innovation Management from KTH in Stockholm, Freyr has dedicated five years to working with KLAK Icelandic Startups, supporting over 80 startups annually through multiple business accelerators and workshops. Additionally, as partners in Venture Challenge, KLAK assists emerging fund managers with their challenges, driven by their passion for evolving the venture ecosystem in the Nordics. Freyr also serves on the board of Nordic Innovation, contributing to shaping the innovation landscape in the region.
Emil Sunnvison
CEO
Qred bank
Emil Sunvisson holds an M.Sc from the Royal Institute of Technology and an MBA from the Stockholm School of Economics. He is a serial entrepreneur and has previously started companies in the gaming industry, financial consulting and telecom. In addition to being an esteemed speaker at conferences and events, he has been a frequent guest on podcasts talking about corporate finance and entrepreneurship. Since its inception in 2015, Qred has been launched in 7 different countries and has been recognized by the Financial Times as one of Europe's fastest growing companies 5 times. Qred is winner of Nordic Scaleup Awards 2024.
Anne-Louise Thon-Jensen
Partner and co-founder
SDG Invest and Vår Ventures
Anne-Louise Thon-Jensen is founder and Partner at SDGlead, where she connects people and business opportunities to create impactful and sustainable solutions. She advises companies and investors on sustainability and impact investment, with expertise spanning strategy, ESG and sustainability screening, diversity, responsible supply chains, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. She has more than 25 years of international experience across Africa, Asia, Europe and the United States, working with major projects and clients across industries. She has developed Impact Master Classes, providing investors with hans-on experience through real-life impact investment cases, best practices and expert networks.
Arne Tonning
Partner
Alliance VC
Arne Tonning is a techie turned VC with a strong focus on value creation through building great companies. Through Alliance VC, he invests in and partners with top startup founders and teams. He has experience from technology research, product and business development, market expansion, management consulting, investing, and M&A, and global experience from Norway, the UK, and Silicon Valley.
Hanna Viinikainen
Partner
Juuri Partners
Hanna Viinikainen is Partner at Juuri Partners, a growth investor supporting entrepreneur-driven SMEs. She focuses on partnering with founders to build management teams, international growth strategies, and governance. Juuri’s current investments include Vetapet (a Nordic e-com platform focusing on pet health), Kiho (a B2B SaaS fleet and fieldwork platform), Qoco (Global SaaS solution for aviation industry), 24Pesula (Nordic self service laundromat chain) and Omnigym (Outdoor gyms in Europe).