Hinrikus and Tamkivi family office backs Norrsken Evolve’s €62 million pre-seed fund

Skaala, the family office of Wise co-founder Taavet Hinrikus and early Skype executive Sten Tamkivi, is among the backers of Norrsken Evolve, the European pre-seed fund that has closed at €62 million after oversubscribing its initial €40 million target. The fund, which sits within the Norrsken Foundation ecosystem founded in 2016 by Klarna co-founder Niklas Adalberth, announced in July 2026 that it will formalise its Dutch presence by taking up base at Norrsken House Amsterdam when it opens on September 1, 2026, in the Van Gendt Hallen on Oostenburg, set to become the largest Norrsken House in Western Europe at 3,600 square metres. Approximately €3 million is earmarked for five to eight Dutch investments of up to €500,000 each, addressing what Techleap’s State of Dutch Tech 2026 report identifies as the Netherlands’ most critical structural challenge: a persistent pre-seed and seed funding gap. Alongside Skaala, the fund’s LP base includes the European Investment Fund, Saminvest and SmartCap. Norrsken Evolve is led by General Partners Johan Attby, Alex Bakir and Rebecka Löthman Rydå and backs 20 to 30 startups per year across renewable energy, health tech, robotics, AI infrastructure, biotech and next-generation materials.

About Skaala: The Taavet Hinrikus and Sten Tamkivi family office

Skaala is the joint family office and investment firm of Estonian tech entrepreneurs Taavet Hinrikus and Sten Tamkivi. Hinrikus was Skype’s first employee before co-founding the money transfer company TransferWise, now Wise, which listed on the London Stock Exchange in 2021 and made him one of Estonia’s best-known billionaire founders. Tamkivi spent nearly a decade as an early executive at Skype, later founded the relocation startup Teleport, which was acquired, and served in senior product roles at Topia. The two have been among the most active backers of the European and Baltic startup ecosystems and also work together at the venture firm Plural, the founder-led European early-stage fund they co-launched with other operator-investors. Through Skaala, Hinrikus and Tamkivi deploy their personal capital as limited partners in funds and as direct investors, with Norrsken Evolve fitting their consistent pattern of supporting early-stage European technology and impact-driven founders. We have recently also reported on the funding of Hacker House from Skaala.

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Article Source: Techfundingnews, 21.07.2026