OpenOcean

Our General Partner, Tom Henriksson, joined Ben Costantini on the Sesamers podcast during Slush to share the founding story behind OpenOcean. In the episode, Tom dives into: 🔹 How the hands-on experience with MySQL shaped the future of OpenOcean 🔹 The evolution of data infrastructure and the rise of AI 🔹 Why data-driven decision-making is now more important than ever Plus, Tom shares a story from the early days of OpenOcean’s Legendary Slush Poker Tournament—and why it truly earned that “Legendary” title. Link to the full episode in the comments.

"The democratisation of AI does not mean all competitive advantages will disappear – they will just be found elsewhere." Featured recently in a Tech Monitor, our AI Venture Partner, Crystal van Oosterom, commented on how AI's traditional competitive advantages are changing. Access to vast computing power and proprietary architectures once set companies apart. But as Crystal points out, open research and open-source models have reshaped the field. While a breakthrough in AI cost-efficiency was bound to happen, data remains a key differentiator. In a world where compute and model design are no longer the barriers to entry they once were, what truly matters is how AI is applied. The real edge now lies in how organisations collect, structure and fine-tune their data to create AI-driven products that are hard to replicate. Read the full article below. Link in the comments.

“We must give these individuals a reason to make calculated risks if we want to drive business growth, create jobs and foster innovation.” Our Partner Sam H. was recently featured on Sifted, commenting on the UK’s incoming tax increase on carried interest. As Sam said, the idea that increasing taxes will bolster public finances is true in a narrow sense, but it overlooks the broader economic impact on the UK’s investment and startup ecosystem. Now more than ever, the UK needs to incentivise investors and business owners to take risks in building the next generation of startups. Read the full story below (link in the comments).

2025 is about making AI work at scale. As businesses rush to adopt it, the real question remains: where can you find the most value? In the second part of our Scaling AI series, OpenOcean’s AI Venture Partner Crystal V. examines the changing AI business landscape. She looks at why monetising AI is still difficult, how proprietary data is becoming the key competitive advantage and why smaller, specialised models might triumph over larger ones. This is part two of our four-part series on on the opportunities and challenges of AI in 2025 and beyond – a must read for those who want to understand the new AI driven world better. Link to the blog in the comments.

Last week, the DeepSeek news took the technology industry by storm. In a recent BBC article, our AI Venture Partner Crystal V. commented on the growing discussion around intellectual property in the rapidly evolving AI field. OpenAI has raised questions about whether competitors are leveraging its work to accelerate the development of their own AI tools. As Crystal said, DeepSeek has built upon publicly available research from major American and European institutions and companies. Their use of a Mixture-of-Experts architecture aligns with research done by companies such as DeepMind, and they appear to have implemented strategies such as “Fill-in-the-Middle” or YaRN originally proposed by OpenAI and other Western institutions. They have managed to apply these techniques where others have struggled, but have also introduced novel innovations, such as Multi-head Latent Attention. For the full story, check out the article below. Link in the comments.

What’s the sweet spot for AI investments right now? Our General Partner, Ekaterina Almasque, joined EUVC to share her thoughts on how OpenOcean approaches the fast-changing world of AI. Key highlights from the interview: 1. High-impact areas to watch: Sectors like healthcare, drug discovery, protein design and resource optimisation are seeing big potential for AI to make a difference. 2. The rise of AI agents: AI agents are shaking up automation, but they need proper infrastructure, like compliance, orchestration and safety systems, to really succeed. 3. Accuracy is key: In fields like healthcare and finance, reliability is critical. Startups that focus on making AI both precise and ethical are leading the way. Ekaterina also explained why investing in AI needs a fresh perspective. Traditional KPIs don’t always work: you’ve got to trust the technology and have a clear idea of how it can tackle real-world challenges. Big thanks to Andreas Munk Holm from EUVC for hosting the conversation, and to Oliver Holle, co-founder and Managing Partner at Speedinvest, for sharing his insights alongside Ekaterina. Curious to hear more? The full interview is linked in the comments.

“Managing data isn’t just becoming easier—it’s getting much smarter.” AI is reshaping how businesses handle and scale their data infrastructure. From real-time analytics to advanced graph databases, 2025 marks a turning point for database management. In our latest blog, OpenOcean’s General Partner Patrik Backman explores the trends driving this transformation and the technologies redefining how organisations manage data. Patrik highlighted key advancements and trends, including: 🔹 Vector databases delivering faster and more precise search capabilities. 🔹 Graph databases simplifying the management of complex data relationships. 🔹 Autonomous systems optimising workflows by automating routine tasks. 🔹 AI-powered platforms maximising the value of enterprise data while prioritising security and compliance. The opportunities for innovation feel boundless, but one thing is clear: businesses still reliant on outdated systems risk falling behind. Link to the blog in comments.

What a weekend! The {Tech: Berlin} AI Hackathon brought together over 150 talented developers and innovators for what’s now Berlin’s (and probably Germany’s!) biggest AI hackathon. Berlin is buzzing with top-tier talent and we’re proud to have supported this incredible event alongside Balderton Capital, Lakestar, Atlantic Labs and Mistral AI, Weaviate, deepset as well as LMNT. Huge thanks to Bela Wiertz and the team at Tech:Berlin for making it all happen as well as to everyone who spent their weekend bringing ideas to life. Excited to see how these projects grow from here!

“Venture capital is about backing the bold ideas that shape the future.” In a recent feature by StartupReporter, OpenOcean’s General Partner, Tom Henriksson, shared reflections on his career and approach to venture capital. Revisiting a conversation from a year ago, Tom discussed scaling startups in turbulent markets, the evolving role of negotiation in leadership and how his predictions for 2024 played out. Key takeaways: 🔹 Lessons from MySQL’s success: Drawing on the OpenOcean team’s experience scaling one of the most impactful open-source projects, Tom highlighted the importance of understanding your users and turning that knowledge into actionable insights to drive meaningful results. 🔹 The art of negotiation: Leaders, he noted, must treat negotiation as a chance to learn about the other party and create true win-win outcomes, particularly in today’s fast-changing startup environment. 🔹 The next frontier: quantum and AI: Tom explored how quantum computing and AI are set to not only drive innovation but also redefine how startups approach product development and market fit. Read the full article to learn more about Tom’s journey and OpenOcean’s mission. Link in the comments.

Join OpenOcean as a Finance Intern in Helsinki! We’re looking for a Finance Intern to join our Finance and Fund Management team for a 6-month fixed-term position at our office in Mikonkatu, Helsinki. This is your chance to gain hands-on experience with a leading venture capital firm and explore the VC ecosystem up close. Your main responsibilities: 🔹 Take gradual responsibility in managing day-to-day finance operations (e.g. expense management). 🔹 Support quarterly investor reporting, compliance and ad-hoc reporting. 🔹 Keep portfolio company records up to date, including financial performance, transaction documentation and cap tables. 🔹 Handle KYC procedures and investor documentation. We’d expect you to have an academic background in finance and/or accounting, with a strong foundation to support your work in this role. Ideally, you bring some experience in preparing financial statements and exposure to VC fund management. Fluency in both Finnish and English, written and spoken, is essential, and proficiency in Swedish would be an advantage. You are proactive, detail-oriented and a self-starter with a quick learning ability, ready to take initiative and handle tasks independently. Application deadline: January 26, 2025 About us: OpenOcean is a pan-European early-stage venture capital investor. Our investment focuses on leading or co-leading Series A investments and our initial investment is up to €6m in European companies driving the data economy, including B2B platforms and enterprise software technology. Our team has deep technical roots, including key figures behind MySQL and MariaDB. Ready to launch your career in venture capital? Apply now via the link in the comments.