Good Technologies Succeed with the Right Support

Riku Mäkinen, Managing Partner, Quatromine, Switzerland

The Nordic countries are known for developing world-class technologies. These regions produce innovations aimed at major transitions in energy, materials, health, and digitalisation. The problem is rarely the technology itself, it’s getting to market, scaling up, and internationalising. Domestic markets are small, and too often time, capital, or momentum run out before commercialisation truly begins.

At Quatromine, we focus on the most demanding category, future-defining technologies. These often require entirely new value chains, changes in customer behaviour, and deep industrial integration. We have developed a model to help companies navigate this complexity, because traditional VC models are, unfortunately, ineffective in today’s market environment.

Over the past years, I’ve worked closely with cleantech and biotech companies and seen firsthand how complex success really is. A good technology is not enough. You must package it, sell it, finance it, and execute, often all at once. Collaboration, ecosystems, and

industrial partnerships are essential. And all of this must be supported by an ownership structure that is built for the journey from the start.

We are investors who bring more than capital. We bring experience, networks, and the ability to build resilient companies together with entrepreneurs. That’s why we founded Quatromine. We’re not chasing unicorns, we’re building companies that endure and change the world, one step at a time.

We also act as a bridge from the Nordics to continental Europe. We’re on the ground, we understand the ecosystems, and we bring technologies directly to the right customers and industrial partners. That accelerates commercialisation where it matters most.