Urho Konttori
CEO and co-founder of Distance Technologies, building glasses-free XR displays for automotive/aerospace/defense cockpits. Previously co-founded and served as CEO of Varjo; earlier VR/XR hardware and software roles at Microsoft and Nokia.
Konttori spent over 20 years in hardware and software leadership roles before co-founding Varjo in 2016, including earlier work at Microsoft and on Linux-based mobile operating systems at Nokia in the early 2000s. He led Varjo as CEO through its early growth, then transitioned to CTO/Chief Product Officer as Timo Toikkanen took over as CEO around the company's August 2020 Series C round, building it into one of the world's most respected professional VR/XR headset makers. In 2024 he co-founded Distance Technologies with Jussi Mäkinen to pursue 'glasses-free' mixed reality — turning transparent surfaces like windshields and cockpit canopies into 3D light-field displays without headsets — targeting automotive, aerospace, and defense cockpits. He holds patents in imaging and visualization technology.
Overview
- Role
- CEO & Co-Founder, Distance Technologies; Co-Founder & former CEO, Varjo
- Based in
- Helsinki, Finland
- Prior experience
- Varjo (co-founder & CEO 2016-2020; then CTO/Chief Product Officer), Microsoft, Nokia
- X / Twitter
- x.com/konttori
Affiliated funds0
No linked records yet.
Frequently asked
- Who is Urho Konttori?
- Konttori spent over 20 years in hardware and software leadership roles before co-founding Varjo in 2016, including earlier work at Microsoft and on Linux-based mobile operating systems at Nokia in the early 2000s. He led Varjo as CEO through its early growth, then transitioned to CTO/Chief Product Officer as Timo Toikkanen took over as CEO around the company's August 2020 Series C round, building it into one of the world's most respected professional VR/XR headset makers. In 2024 he co-founded Distance Technologies with Jussi Mäkinen to pursue 'glasses-free' mixed reality — turning transparent surfaces like windshields and cockpit canopies into 3D light-field displays without headsets — targeting automotive, aerospace, and defense cockpits. He holds patents in imaging and visualization technology.
- What is Urho Konttori's role?
- Urho Konttori is CEO & Co-Founder, Distance Technologies; Co-Founder & former CEO, Varjo, based in Helsinki, Finland.
- Where did Urho Konttori work before?
- Urho Konttori's prior roles include Varjo (co-founder & CEO 2016-2020; then CTO/Chief Product Officer), Microsoft, Nokia.
Sources & citations5
Each claim links to its underlying source. Confidence reflects how directly the source supports the claim.
- 1
Distance Technologies' founders page lists Urho Konttori as co-founder and CEO, formerly co-founder and CEO of Varjo
Distance Technologies: Founders — Distance TechnologiesVerified2026-08-02 - 2
Distance Technologies CEO Urho Konttori was formerly chief technology officer of Varjo; Distance turns car windshields and plane cockpits into mixed-reality displays for auto, aerospace, and defense markets
CNBC: Google backs Distance, startup bringing mixed reality to cars, planesVerified2024-09-26 - 3
Distance Technologies closed a €10M seed round led by GV (Google Ventures) in September 2024, GV's first investment in Finland
Silicon Canals: Finland's Distance Technologies bags €10M funding led by GVVerified2024-09-24 - 4
Distance Technologies co-founded by Urho Konttori and Jussi Mäkinen; raised $2.7M pre-seed led by FOV Ventures; Konttori's career included Nokia and Microsoft before founding Varjo in 2016
FOV Ventures: Backing The World's First Glasses-Free Mixed Reality SolutionVerified2024-06-01 - 5
Konttori co-founded and led Varjo starting 2016, building it into a leading professional VR/XR headset company serving design, simulation, defense, and aerospace
NORDEEP: Urho KonttoriReported2026-08-08