Founders
Build like a Camel. Real problems, real metrics and real progress.
Gorilla works with founders who are building real companies, not stories.
Founders who start from a concrete problem, make deliberate choices, and care about durability as much as growth.
We back teams who treat capital as a tool, not a goal and who understand that progress is earned through focus, learning, and hard decisions.
Most startups are taught to raise early, raise big, and scale fast — and many die because of it.
We advise differently — the Camel Way — grounded in how companies actually have a better chance to succeed.
Valuation focused model
- Scales rapidly before the business model is proven.
- Uses large funding rounds to accelerate growth.
- Measures success mainly through valuation growth.
- Prioritizes growth metrics, headcount, and narrative.
- Takes concentrated bets that require continuous funding.
Camel model
- Scales only after the model and demand are proven.
- Uses the right amount capital to force focus and discipline.
- Measures success through profitability and realistic exits.
- Prioritizes cash flow and sound unit economics.
- Founder preserves flexibility, ownership, and independence.
Lauri Sulanto
https://www.raxalle.com/
Kristi Hakkaja
https://moderansolutions.com/
Jacob Pichna
https://sommify.ai/
Gorilla matchmaker
Answer 6 quick questions to see if you're ready for investment
Investment scope
We back founders solving real problems with technology, growing sustainably, and staying laser-focused on customers. We value curiosity, conviction, integrity, and true entrepreneurial spirit. No egos, no shortcuts, just real work.
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1. You’re Capital Efficient
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2. Your focus is on the Business rather than your Product
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3. You’re in the Market Now
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4. Your team has the Competencies needed to execute your Business
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5. You understand the Customer Problem
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6. The valuation of your company is in line with your progress
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7. Your company is controlled by those who execute daily
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8. You are based in Finland, Sweden, Denmark or Estonia
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Angel and pre-seed — when founders are already testing a real problem and learning from customers.
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It means building companies that can survive long enough to deserve an outcome. Progress comes before scale, learning before hiring, and optionality before optimization.
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We don’t run companies and we don’t disappear. We stay close to execution through structured cadence, milestone-based progress, and honest reporting. Decisions remain with founders. Accountability is shared.
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Teams that optimize for fundraising instead of customers. Companies that confuse activity with progress. Founders who want capital to replace discipline rather than reinforce it.
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Not always, but revenue is the strongest signal. What matters is evidence that customers experience the problem strongly enough to change behavior, ideally by paying.
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Our model is probability-based and disciplined. We always build with a realistic positive exit in mind, regardless of size.
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Founders based in Finland, Sweden, Denmark, and Estonia. Geographic focus supports closer collaboration and shared operating context in the early stages.
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Be clear about what you’re solving, what you’ve tested, what you’ve learned, and where uncertainty remains.
The Founder Journey: A Practical Guide to Building With Discipline
Each article breaks down a core principle of early-stage execution drawn from patterns across hundreds of startups.
Apply for funding
Whether you’re exploring an idea, shaping your MVP, or celebrating your first customers, we’re excited to learn about your startup.
This is what we look for:
Stage: Idea, angel, pre-seed
Focus: Multi-industry
Geo: Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Estonia
Team: Domain expert(s)