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With our ambition to work in more Nordic ecosystems, we felt now was the right time to make our first hire. We have known Tonje for some time and her depth of experience made it obvious she was the best person to help us fully immerse ourselves within the Nordic tech landscape and work with bold entrepreneurs solving the greatest problems of our time.
Tonje joins Ada Ventures from Oslo Business Region where she led the organisation’s engagement with investors and funds as Head of Investment. She has spent much of her career working with startups and early stage companies, having also spent several years at the association for Norwegian tech companies, Abelia. Alongside being a Venture Partner with us, Tonje has launched Ørn Advisory, where she will also work across the Nordic startup and investor landscape.
Venture Partners support the core team here at Ada Ventures in rotational roles. Venture Partners are sourced from our extended community, current or former angels, the Scouts programme, LPs and the portfolio.
Through a decade of engagement with investors and technology companies, Tonje has carved out her place in the Nordic tech community, and as the region works to produce the next generation of winning companies, Tonje will be there for Ada Ventures, representing our values and applying our thesis.
On joining Ada Ventures, Tonje said: “Curiosity and learning have long driven me forward in my work. I think that’s why I find investing, and specifically working with startups, invigorating and deeply rewarding. The team at Ada Ventures is great and I know they will contribute a lot to the Nordic startup scene. I know our work will further internationalise the ecosystem, unlocking more local capital as well as inspire asset managers and family offices to wholeheartedly support venture.”
The Nordics have produced multiple category-defining companies from Oura and Spotify to Zendesk and Visma, to more recent success stories like Lovable and Klarna. Across the bloc, there is remarkable industrial strength alongside strong science and innovation grounding.
With this track record, as a clear tech talent factory, there is a critical need for more international capital at all stages.
We see a gap between current growth companies and the next wave of startups and within that gap, we see space for Ada Ventures to offer value to the local scene. We will focus on early stage founders, sharing knowledge and our network in order to help them access global markets.
Crunchbase data shows that the share of capital going to diverse founders was down from 21% in 2024 to 8% in 2025 - a trend we want to overturn immediately. A particular focus for Tonje will be to bring in a more diverse mix of people and perspectives into the system, with too many high potential founders not supported by many VCs.
“Tonje is one of the Nordic ecosystem’s greatest advocates and her extraordinary knowledge of its intricacies positions Ada Ventures as a natural partner for ambitious founders. We wear our values with pride and I love that Tonje perfectly understands our mantra and philosophies, seeing how they uplift and benefit the wider European tech community,” Matt Penneycard.
Tonje joining Ada Ventures closely follows the successful launch of our Danish Ada Angel programme in 2024.
With her deep experience in the Nordic tech and investment community, Tonje has a unique perspective and expertise on connecting founders and capital, and offering startups a route to the next stage of their life cycle. She also shares our core ethos that some VCs do not support some of the very best founders, who may fly under the radar.
Tonje knows that there is an abundance of talent, but not the same opportunities extended to some founders as their peers. In joining Ada Ventures Tonje will directly engage with the Nordic ecosystem, not just bringing fresh international capital, but opening up the Ada Ventures network to founders of all backgrounds.
In order to support the very best founders, not just the best connected, Ada Ventures has coined the strategy Inclusive Alpha® to describe an investment approach where an inclusive lens is prioritised at every stage of the investment process. It’s the central philosophy that drives Ada Ventures forward.
Too many superb founders, and brilliant companies are missed by the industry’s reliance on network and connections. Not everyone has access to the same structures and pathways, both formal and informal, and we must dismantle them in order to grow the next wave of era-defining companies.