ilkka-kivimaki
Ilkka Kivimaki is a Founding Partner of Maki.vc, the Helsinki-based seed-stage venture capital firm he co-founded with Pirkka Palomaki in 2018; a serial entrepreneur, he co-founded and sold Wicom Communications to SAP, was Wolt's first outside investor and former chairman, and has chaired Slush and Startup Sauna.
Ilkka Kivimaki is a Founding Partner of Maki.vc, the Helsinki-based seed-stage venture capital firm he co-founded with Pirkka Palomaki in 2018. A serial entrepreneur, he co-founded Wicom Communications, an Espoo-based IP telephony and contact-center software company SAP acquired in May 2007, after which he served as a Senior Vice President at SAP before returning to the startup ecosystem. He was the first outside investor in and chairman of Wolt, the food-delivery platform, and held a board seat at sleep-tracking device maker Beddit prior to its acquisition by Apple. Through Maki.vc he has backed companies including Spinnova, IQM, and Enfuce, and has been an active builder of the Nordic startup ecosystem, chairing the Slush conference and Startup Sauna accelerator and serving as Vice Chair of the Aalto University board.
Overview
- Role
- Founding Partner, Maki.vc
- Based in
- Helsinki, Finland
- Prior experience
Companies0
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Frequently asked
- Who is ilkka-kivimaki?
- Ilkka Kivimaki is a Founding Partner of Maki.vc, the Helsinki-based seed-stage venture capital firm he co-founded with Pirkka Palomaki in 2018. A serial entrepreneur, he co-founded Wicom Communications, an Espoo-based IP telephony and contact-center software company SAP acquired in May 2007, after which he served as a Senior Vice President at SAP before returning to the startup ecosystem. He was the first outside investor in and chairman of Wolt, the food-delivery platform, and held a board seat at sleep-tracking device maker Beddit prior to its acquisition by Apple. Through Maki.vc he has backed companies including Spinnova, IQM, and Enfuce, and has been an active builder of the Nordic startup ecosystem, chairing the Slush conference and Startup Sauna accelerator and serving as Vice Chair of the Aalto University board.
- What is ilkka-kivimaki's role?
- ilkka-kivimaki is Founding Partner, Maki.vc, based in Helsinki, Finland.
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Sources & citations4
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- 1
Maki.vc was founded by serial entrepreneur and Slush Chairman Ilkka Kivimaki and former F-Secure and startup executive Pirkka Palomaki
TechCrunch: Maki.vc is a new early-stage VC out of Helsinki co-founded by the Chair of SlushVerified2018-03-13 - 2
Ilkka Kivimaki is Founding Partner at Maki.vc; he was the first investor and former chairman of Wolt, has backed Spinnova, IQM, and Enfuce, previously exited a company to SAP, held a board seat at Beddit prior to its acquisition by Apple, serves as Vice Chair at Aalto University, has chaired Slush and Startup Sauna, and sits on the boards of Wave Ventures and Junction
NORDEEP: Ilkka Kivimaki - SpeakerReported2026-08-12 - 3
SAP acquired Wicom Communications Oy, an Espoo, Finland-based maker of all-IP contact center and enterprise communications software, in May 2007
Computerworld: SAP fills gaps with two Nordic acquisitionsVerified2007-05-14 - 4
Ilkka Kivimaki co-founded and was CEO of an IP telephony company that was sold to SAP, after which he served as SAP Senior Vice President; he was the first investor and chairman of Wolt, held a board seat at Beddit before its acquisition by Apple, and chaired Slush and Startup Sauna
Genero (The Growth Pod podcast): From founder to investor: Ilkka Kivimaki on lessons learned and future betsReported2026-08-12