Questions and answers
What you're wondering before you get in touch.
Here we explain how we work and what a partnership could mean for you.
Working together
- What does building a company with you involve?
- You get capital, senior experts and an AI operating system as one offer. We work alongside you in the business, in areas such as sales, pricing, product, recruitment and finance. The work is guided by what the company needs to reach its next milestone.
- Who is the partnership for?
- We look for researchers, domain experts and founders who want to build with an operating partner. Capital and company building belong together in our offer. If you are looking solely for funding, our model is not the right fit.
- How involved are you day to day?
- It depends on the company’s needs and what we are working towards. Senior experts go deep where needed, and our AI operating system supports the day-to-day work. We agree together on how to organise the partnership.
- Who on the team works with my company?
- The experts working with you depend on the company’s needs. That could mean sales, product, recruitment, finance or other aspects of company building. The team combines experience of building their own businesses with specialist expertise from companies including Google and Zoom.
- Do you take a board seat?
- Usually yes, but that isn't where the work happens. The board is where we keep order. The operational work happens between the meetings.
- Can I use you without you investing?
- No. We only work with companies we own part of, so that we carry the same risk you do.
The investment
- Does the company need to exist already?
- No. We welcome conversations before there is a company, sometimes before you have decided to start one. We also work with research-based and tech companies that are already operating and need help taking the next step.
- How much do you invest?
- The capital is there to help the company reach its next inflection point. We need to understand that need with you, based on what must be built and the commercial milestones you are working towards.
- What ownership do you take?
- A significant minority stake. Enough that the work pays off for us, and little enough that you keep owning your company.
- Do you follow on?
- Case by case. We don't promise it up front, because a promise without backing is worth less than an honest answer later.
- What does evergreen mean for me as a founder?
- Our capital has no predetermined end date, so there is no fund deadline forcing a sale at a particular time. We work with a long-term perspective and at pace towards the next milestone. It is not a promise of unlimited capital or automatic follow-on investment.
- Where do you look for companies and founders?
- We look for companies and founders across Sweden, including beyond the major cities and established networks. We also work on international expansion when it is the right next step for the company.
- What don't you invest in?
- Pharma. Beyond that we're sector-open as long as the criteria on each vertical page are met.
AI
- Does my company have to be an AI company?
- No. We invest in companies that solve a real problem, whether or not AI is the product. We do build AI into how the company works, because it makes the capital you've raised worth more.
- What does the AI operating system do?
- It is part of how we build companies with you. Developed by our experts, the system makes their knowledge accessible to support day-to-day work. Experts go deep where needed, and the system helps us maintain momentum.
- How do the experts and AI work together?
- Experts bring experience, specialist knowledge and judgement. The AI operating system supports the day-to-day work and makes that knowledge accessible between times when you work together in depth. Which tasks receive AI support depends on the company’s needs and the requirements of the work.
- Who owns the data and models we build together?
- Your company. What we learn methodologically we take with us, but your data, your customers and your models are yours.
The process
- How does the process work?
- We start with a conversation about what you are building and what the next step could be. We then explore whether our expertise, capital and way of working fit the need. Before moving forward, we need to agree on goals, responsibilities and terms.
- What should I tell you when I get in touch?
- Tell us what you are working on, the problem it could solve and what you want to take forward. If the company already exists, we would like to understand the product, the customers and what is holding back the next step. You do not need all the answers to start a conversation.
- What happens to my idea if you say no?
- Nothing. We do not build companies on ideas that reached us in a conversation, and we do not pass on what you told us. If we are working on something close to what you do, we say so in the meeting, before you tell us more.
- What happens if you say no?
- You get the reason. We answer concretely on why, and on what would have to be true for the answer to be different.
About us
- Who owns Disruptive Ventures?
- The founding team together with Unlox and Navigare AB. The capital is evergreen, which is why we can work without an exit window.
- Where are you based?
- Stockholm, San Francisco, Skellefteå, Umeå, London and Östersund. A team of seventeen with people in each of them, which is the whole point: we're where the companies are, not only where the capital usually sits.
- How do I get in touch?
- hello@disruptiveventures.se. Write in Swedish or English, and you don't need an introduction to reach us.