Open Ocean

General contacts

Investor type

Founded

2009

AUM

$148 M

Location

Helsinki, Uusimaa, Finland

Investment Ticket

$5-10 m

Investment Stage

Seed Pre-seed Series A Series B

Region of investment

Europe

Investor profile last updated: 21 August, 2026

Profile

OpenOcean is a pan-European early-stage venture capital firm founded in 2009 by the creators of MySQL/MariaDB. Based in Helsinki, Finland, the firm is led by a team of former operators and entrepreneurs with deep expertise in data software companies. They focus on partnering with technical founders to scale innovative solutions globally, leveraging their strong technical background and understanding of software stacks.

The firm invests in sectors such as AI-native software, automation, foundational technology, and data-driven businesses. OpenOcean targets early-stage ventures, including Pre-Seed, Seed, Series A, and Series B, with an average check size of €5 million. Their investments are primarily focused on Europe, where they aim to identify and support category-winning startups.

Notable portfolio companies include IQM - a quantum computing company, which recently became Europe's first publicly traded quantum company. OpenOcean is recognized for backing companies that have the potential to make significant impacts in the digital landscape, with a focus on technical growth and global scaling.

Industry

Developer Tools SaaS Business Services (B2B) Digital Financial Services Fintech Software AI Technology Data infra Quantum Computing Machine Learning (ML)

Open Ocean Funds

Name	Type	Industry	Stage	Region	Size	AUM	Launch date
Open Ocean Fund Three	Venture Capital (VC)	Fintech SaaS Software AI Machine Learning (ML)	Pre-seed Seed	Europe	$5-10 m	$48 M	May 2011
Open Ocean Fund II	Venture Capital (VC)	Financial Services Fintech SaaS Software AI Machine Learning (ML)	Pre-seed Seed	Europe	$5-10 m	$109 M	November 2015
OpenOcean Fund IV	Venture Capital (VC)	Fintech SaaS Software AI Machine Learning (ML)	Pre-seed Seed	Europe	$5-10 m	$109 M	March 2025

Contacts

Name

Title

Social Networks

Patrik Backman General Partner, CEO and Co-founder

General Partner, CEO and Co-founder

p•••@•••

Tom Henriksson General Partner

General Partner

t•••@•••

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Investment-team contacts for Open Ocean — including verified work emails and LinkedIn profiles — are available to Private Equity List subscribers.
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Contacts sourced from the firm's website and LinkedIn, re-verified on a rolling cycle. Spot a stale contact, or none at all? Report it — we re-run that firm within 48h and get back to you.

FAQs about Open Ocean

Is Open Ocean a venture capital or private equity firm?

Open Ocean is a venture capital firm. It backs companies at Seed, Pre-seed, Series A and Series B, writing tickets of $5-10 m.

Where is Open Ocean located?

Open Ocean is located in Helsinki, Uusimaa, Finland.

When was Open Ocean founded?

Open Ocean was founded in 2009.

What sectors and industries does Open Ocean invest in?

Open Ocean invests in companies and startups in Developer Tools, SaaS, Business Services (B2B), Digital, Financial Services, Fintech, Software, AI, Technology, Data infra, Quantum Computing, Machine Learning (ML).

What is Open Ocean geographical focus of investments?

Open Ocean invests in companies and startups in Europe.

At what stages of companies and startups does Open Ocean typically invest in?

Open Ocean invests in companies and startups at Seed, Pre-seed, Series A, Series B.

What is the usual amount of Open Ocean investment?

Open Ocean usually invests $5-10 m on average.

What is the amount of assets of under management (AUM) for Open Ocean?

Open Ocean has around $148m assets under management.

What are the contacts of Open Ocean?

Open Ocean can be reached through its website openocean.vc, its LinkedIn page and its X account. Its general enquiries address is [email protected]. Cold-mailing a general inbox rarely reaches a partner, so Private Equity List also lists the investment-team contacts for Open Ocean — names, roles, verified work emails and LinkedIn profiles — available on a Pro plan from $129/month (see pricing). Contacts are sourced from the firm's website and LinkedIn and re-verified on a rolling cycle. Spot a stale contact, or none at all? Report it — we re-run that firm within 48h and get back to you.

Can I access Open Ocean data via API or MCP?

Yes. Every field on this page — profile, funds, investment criteria, portfolio and investment-team contacts — is available programmatically through the Private Equity List REST API and MCP server, so AI assistants such as Claude and ChatGPT can query Open Ocean directly instead of scraping this page. One subscription covers both the web app and machine access — see API & MCP.

When was the Open Ocean profile last updated?

Private Equity List re-verifies investor profiles on a rolling cycle, pulling from the firm's own website and LinkedIn rather than a one-off import. This profile was last updated on 21 August, 2026. Something out of date here? Report it — we re-run that firm within 48h and get back to you.