June 2021 Female Tech Leaders Magazine

Which investment spaces are you most excited about?
LIINA LAAS
We focus on the CEE region as we see that it has the highest potential for growth currently.
The Baltics is a true powerhouse in startup success and the wider CEE is catching up fast.
We've seen our first unicorns and people are hungry to build more. Also the capital goes
much further than in other areas - seed round of €400k will not get you as far in the US or
Western Europe.
The talent and skills are already available in CEE and the momentum is high - when people
believe they can achieve it, they most likely will. That's why I am most excited in this region
currently.
When it comes to the industries we favour tech powered by impact - solutions that make an
impact on the environment, health and education. How we can bring more good into the
world through innovation and making sure we don't leave a heavy carbon footprint.
What are the important and critical points to take into consideration between
entrepreneurs and investors relationship?
I think it is very important to find the right fit. It is usually a very long relationship - 10 years!
Need to consider what the entrepreneur needs. When it's early stage, usually on top of the
funding they also need some advice, some connections, someone to be able to help them in
some of the areas.
Some entrepreneurs don't need that as much and this is fine as well - many investors want to
be silent partners. So in this sense, I think being open with one another about what are the
needs of the company and what the investor can contribute on top of the funds (if anything)
is important.
And most importantly, trust is important. Both the entrepreneur and the investor have the
same goal - for the company to succeed, however if they don't trust each other, it will
probably be a rocky road.
My personal principle is this - do business with people you want around, people with integrity,
people you trust.
What do you think are the main challenges and opportunities for the next generation of
female leaders in Europe especially in Estonia?
Challenges are still the same. We are taking steps towards equality but progress is slow.
Discrimination still happens on all fronts, not just towards gender but also race, disabilities.
Discrimination is the same - it's not okay whatever it is aimed at.
Currently, we see the issues where people have become anxious, populist parties are driving
their aggressive agendas and in many ways we are regressing. Social media has given
everyone a voice and that is often taken advantage of and used to bully others. Women make
up roughly 50% of the population in the world. Yet we are minorities. Why? We do not have
the same rights and opportunities. So at this point all I can say that we need to just keep
going, making a change, don't accept the situation if you are not okay with it. Discrimination
is not okay and it will never go away if we pretend it's not ok.
Our prime minister should not be called a lost flower by a chauvinist MP, women should not
be seen as assistants instead of CEOs. Women should not be seen as a business risk rather
than opportunity. I'd say if you are planning to start your own business - go for it! Find the
right people, if you need advice go and ask, if you need investment go and ask. Someone will
say yes eventually and you can make an impact. Help others out as well. This is not something
that we need to do to oppress men, we need to build a society where everyone can thrive.