Risto Rautakorpi is the Founding and Managing Partner at Gorilla Capital, a Helsinki-based venture capital firm known as the Nordic Institutional Super Angel. He is one of the architects of the “camel” investing model — a data-driven, capital-efficient alternative to traditional VC approaches, focused on building real businesses with sustainable growth, not speculative hyper-scaling. Under his leadership, Gorilla Capital has made investments in over 130 Nordic startups and reviewed thousands more.

Risto brings over 40 years of experience in IT-powered businesses and more than
15 years working with tech-enabled startups. He has held senior leadership roles at
Microsoft, including being part of the original Xbox launch team, giving him a front-row seat to some of the most defining tech disruptions of the past decades.

Known as a deep thinker with original insights, Risto is often referred to as “the
startup whisperer,” for his ability to cut through noise and help founders focus on
what truly matters — especially understanding why customers buy. His original
insights and aphorisms have shaped how many in the ecosystem think about
product-market fit, early-stage execution, and the psychology of entrepreneurship.

Risto holds Master’s degrees in both Engineering and Business Administration,
combining technical depth with commercial acumen. When not investing, you’ll likely find him outdoors, tinkering with machines, building things with his hands, or reflecting on the future of startups from a cabin deck somewhere in the Nordics.

At Arctic15, Risto will speak about realism in venture capital, exit-focused company
building, and how founders can thrive by embracing clarity, capital discipline, and smart risk-taking from day one.