Creandum is a leading European early-stage venture capital firm backing some of Europe’s most successful tech companies
Seed to IPO
Creandum is a leading European early-stage venture capital firm, based in Europe with a US presence for European founders, and building a generational franchise. Founded in 2003 by Staffan Helgesson, Creandum supports exceptional founders building global, category-defining tech companies, emphasising strong teams, scalable models, and international reach, while fostering a collaborative and inclusive entrepreneurial community.
Mission: ‘We back the companies of tomorrow before it’s obvious’
Goals:
Core Values:
Creandum was founded in 2003 by Staffan Helgesson after a transformative 1999 visit to Silicon Valley, where Guy Kawasaki’s remark that “in the Valley, only bus drivers wear ties” inspired him to prove that Europe could build global tech champions. Helgesson drew on his experience at IKEA, Procter & Gamble and McKinsey, and as founder of mobile-focused Startupfactory to secure an inaugural €40 million fund from Swedish Pension Fund AP6 and Skandia, launching at a time when most believed European startups couldn’t scale internationally.
Staffan Helgesson Founder and General Partner
Creandum is a generalist early-stage venture capital firm that invests across six verticals, SaaS, infrastructure, fintech, consumer, climate and health deploying checks in seed and Series A rounds. The firm’s thematic approach emphasises category-defining companies with global ambitions, particularly AI-powered B2B SaaS solutions delivering step-change efficiency, software-first climate tech focused on carbon reduction over offsets, data-driven health-tech platforms enabling personalised care at scale, and mobile-first consumer marketplaces primed for viral growth.
Creandum operates as a leading European early-stage venture capital firm with a pan-European geographic focus that has expanded significantly since its founding in 2003. The firm maintains strategic offices in four key global hubs: Stockholm (headquarters), Berlin, London, and San Francisco, positioning itself uniquely as one of the few early-stage European VC firms with a hands-on presence on the US west coast. The firm's geographic strategy emphasises backing European founders building global, category-defining companies, with particular strength in the Nordic markets where it has fostered many portfolio successes over its 20-year history.
The European venture capital firm operates across six primary sectors of interest:
Fintech:
A core and well-established sector with expertise across digital banking, payment solutions, treasury management, and trading platforms. Recent investments focus on financial management platforms for SMBs and next-generation treasury management software.
Health Technology:
A major focus area targeting innovations in healthcare delivery and data management. Emphasis is on AI-powered clinical trial acceleration and unified health data platforms that integrate lab tests, wearables, and medical devices to enable predictive, preventative, and patient-centered care.
SaaS (Software as a Service):
A key vertical identifying companies building essential business infrastructure across enterprise functions such as financial planning, DevOps automation, and incident resolution. Focus is on solving critical pain points for mid-market and enterprise customers.
Climate Technology:
An emerging strategic priority with investments in software-based solutions to help businesses reduce carbon emissions at scale. The focus is on B2B carbon management platforms and supply chain emission tracking tools to support corporate carbon reduction goals.
Consumer Technology:
Includes companies creating products with strong user engagement and cultural impact, such as marketplace platforms, entertainment, and mobility solutions. The goal is to back consumer companies capable of achieving global scale and category-defining status.
Other (Infrastructure and Deep Tech):
Focuses on foundational technologies enabling other innovations, including high-performance cloud computing and advanced database technologies. Priority is given to infrastructure companies solving critical technical challenges in modern software development.
Creandum backs exceptional founders building global, category-defining tech companies at seed and Series A. Industry-agnostic but focused on Health, Climate, SaaS, Fintech, Consumer and AI/ML, they prioritise: a strong, complementary founding team; large, growing markets with clear product-market fit; data-driven growth potential; and international scalability.
Creandum assesses potential investments by focusing on early-stage tech startups with strong founding teams, scalable business models, and clear product-market fit. Their investment decisions are driven by a founder-first philosophy, emphasising vision, execution ability, and market insight. While they don’t follow rigid benchmarks, Creandum looks for rapid growth potential, unique market positioning, and signs of early traction such as user engagement, recurring revenue, or strong unit economics. They also consider the size of the addressable market and a startup’s potential to become a category leader.
Klarna: Founded in 2005 in Stockholm, offers secure payment solutions allowing buyers to pay after delivery while assuming credit risk for retailers. Serving 45 million consumers across 18 markets with 65,000 merchants, it has been backed by Creandum since 2016. Visit Klarna
Lovable: Founded in 2024 by Anton Osika and Fabian Hedin, uses AI to let anyone build professional software without coding, and helps technical users develop apps up to 20x faster. Backed by Creandum in 2025, its team includes serial founders, physicists, and math olympians. Visit Lovable
Pleo: Founded in 2015 by Jeppe Rindom and Niccolo Perra, simplifies company spending with smart credit cards and intuitive software. It enables real-time tracking and control of employee expenses, making receipt management easy. Backed by Creandum since 2016, with Johan Brenner as lead. Visit Pleo
Taxfix: Founded in 2016 by Mathis Bühi and Lino Teuteberg, lets users file taxes in 20 minutes on their phone using a simple, chat-like interface—no tax knowledge or forms needed. Creandum has backed Taxfix since 2017, with Simon Schmincke as lead and Martin Ott as CEO. Visit Taxfix
Discover more successful investments: Creandum Portfolio.
Creandum, the pan-European early-stage venture capital firm, secures its funding from a diverse base of institutional investors primarily concentrated in the United States. The firm's most recent fund, Creandum VII, which closed at €500 million in 2024, was backed by 30 global limited partners (LPs), with more than half of the capital originating from US-based investors. This demonstrates a strong international confidence in European technology investments, particularly from American institutional funds.
The firm's investor base consists primarily of university endowments, pension funds, and charitable foundations. Notably, five of the eight largest US university endowments are invested in Creandum funds, including prestigious institutions with multi-billion dollar endowments. According to Partner Staffan Helgesson, approximately 80% of Creandum's funding comes from pension funds, university endowments, and foundations, reflecting the firm's strategic focus on institutional capital rather than alternative sources.
Investment Stage: Seed to IPO and beyond.
Equity: €200K to €8M initial investment range.
Funds: €500M (Fund VII - latest, closed in 2024), raised in record time of 12 weeks. The fund aims to make 35-40 investments at seed and Series A stages over the next two to three years.
Notable recent developments:
Creandum has had a significant impact on the European tech ecosystem, with its portfolio companies raising over $15 billion and employing around 40,000 people across 16 countries. The firm has played a leading role in backing standout startups such as Spotify, Klarna, and Depop, and has contributed to the growth of more than 500 unicorns across 65 cities and 25 countries. Creandum’s recent €500 million Fund VII, which was oversubscribed and backed by major global investors, demonstrates continued confidence in its strategy and influence. In terms of sustainability, Creandum promotes environmental and social characteristics in its investment process and has invested in ten climate tech companies over the past three years.
Creandum cultivates a pan-European entrepreneurial community by linking founders with its global network of investors, operators, and specialists across Stockholm, Berlin, London, and San Francisco. The firm hosts targeted events like founder dinners in partnership with OpenAI and byFounders and expert panels featuring portfolio leaders, to foster collaboration and knowledge sharing.
The Creandum team is a diverse group of experienced investors, operators, and specialists spread across global offices in Stockholm, Berlin, London, and San Francisco, working together as a cohesive unit. Led by the founding General Partner, the leadership includes several General Partners who joined at various stages of the firm’s growth, with representation in each major hub. The investment team also comprises key partners and principals who bring perspectives from both venture capital and hands-on operator roles within portfolio companies. Collectively, the team describes themselves as “operators, founders, engineers, and specialists turned investors” who share passions such as mountaineering, fly fishing, dog walking, DJing, skiing, tennis, parenting, and food exploration. Emphasising collaboration, they operate on the principle that “you’ll never get only one of us,” reflecting their commitment to supporting entrepreneurs with a full-team approach.
Learn more about the team on the Creandum Team Page.
1. What is Creandum’s mission?
Creandum’s mission is to back the companies of tomorrow before it’s obvious, supporting visionary founders at the earliest stages.
2. Who founded Creandum and why?
Staffan Helgesson founded Creandum in 2003, inspired by Silicon Valley’s culture and determined to prove that Europe could produce global tech leaders.
3. Which investment stages and sectors does Creandum focus on?
Creandum invests mainly at the seed and Series A stages, targeting sectors like SaaS, fintech, health tech, climate tech, consumer technology, and infrastructure.
4. Where does Creandum operate geographically?
Creandum is headquartered in Stockholm and maintains offices in Berlin, London, and San Francisco, focusing on European founders with global ambitions.
5. How large is Creandum’s latest fund and who are its investors?
Creandum’s latest fund, Fund VII, closed at €500 million in 2024. The majority of capital comes from US-based institutional investors, including major university endowments and pension funds.
6. How does Creandum support its portfolio companies?
Creandum offers hands-on support through a collaborative team, connects founders to a global network, and hosts community events to foster knowledge sharing and growth.
Are you an early stage entrepreneur? Discover how Creandum can accelerate your journey by visiting: Creandum Website
Stay updated with the latest news, events, and opportunities by following Creandum on LinkedIn: Creandum LinkedIn
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