Mari Luukkainen

Built growth engines from zero to €60M+ more than once. Founder. VC. Growth Ops.

Short:

Growth operator (idea to Series A)
Founder of a non-profit creating jobs for international talent Herizon
Venture Partner at identity.vc, the first VC in Europe investing in early-stage startups with LGBTQ+ leadership
Investor of the Year at Nordic Women in Tech Awards 2022
Diversity Role Model of the Year at Nordic Startup Awards 2023
Diversity Role Model of the Year at Global Startup Awards 2024

I’m a growth technologist with 20+ years of hands-on experience, starting at age 12 when I earned my first affiliate marketing commission from a Fallout 2 fan site I built. Since then, I’ve grown from a self-educated digital native into a founder, operator, and investor focused on early-stage momentum.

Over the past three decades, I’ve spent 10 years in affiliate marketing and another 10 driving growth inside startups and venture capital firms. I specialize in the messy middle when the idea is real, but product, traction, and funding still need to align. I help teams get there.

For the past six years, I’ve worked in early-stage venture capital, supporting founders across Europe from idea to seed and Series A. At Identity.vc, I back LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs building bold companies that break convention. At Icebreaker.vc, I worked with 100+ pre-seed startups, leading portfolio development and growth strategy.

Alongside this, I founded Herizon.io, a non-profit helping international talent land jobs and internships in Finland. We’ve connected hundreds of highly educated immigrants to paid work through a performance-based employment model. Herizon reflects my belief that growth work is about unlocking potential, whether in products, companies, or people.

Now, I’m building things and writing about vibe coding. A founder-first approach to go-to-market, product growth, and activation. My work focuses on decoding what drives traction, how to structure growth systems, and how to get momentum early, without wasting time on vanity tactics.

My mission is to use my skills to help startups that wish to make things better and be good companies for the people. I believe in Nordic values of work-life balance and equality at work.

Key achievements:

Increased Freska's annual recurring revenue from €<200K to €13M as a solo growth operator, securing its position as the leading home-cleaning service in the Nordics. This growth was achieved within two years, maintaining a 15% month-over-month growth rate, all while staying profitable.
I made my best investment in Call of Duty and they grew from €0 to €1M ARR in 12 months since the investment.
Contributed to increasing investments in startups with diverse founding teams from 22.3% in Icebreaker.vc Fund I to 40.7% in Fund II, while diverse teams represent only 14% of the pipeline.
Contributed to scaling companies from under €1M in annual revenue to over €10M.
Facilitated fundraising from initial €50K investments to significant €30M rounds, adapting strategies to suit each company's stage and potential.
Designed and implemented growth strategies globally, adjusting to the unique demands of diverse markets.
Directly coached over 100 startup CEOs, influencing the growth trajectories of businesses from €1M to €100M in revenue.
Played a significant role in creating over 1,000 jobs, focusing on inclusivity and opportunities for women, immigrants, and minorities.
Received the 2022 Investor of the Year at the Nordic Women in Tech Awards, the 2023 Diversity Role Model of the Year at the Nordic Startup Awards, and the 2024 Diversity Role Model of the Year at the Global Startup Awards for my work in diversity and inclusivity.

Mari Luukkainen

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