Almaral Oy is a Finnish private equity company founded in 2019, whose focus is on investing in A-stage life science, biotech and med tech companies. Along with their investment, the company offers guidance in risk management, building up long-term strategies, budgeting, setting up operational functions, legal support, setting up early-stage sales and marketing functions, as well as commercialization. The company’s main purpose is to help grow businesses that improve people’s quality of life.
“The company’s story began when we considered how we could invest responsibly and support Finnish business life with the wealth we had acquired from business transactions. It was clear to us that we wouldn’t rest on our laurels but wanted to share our expertise and capital with companies and researchers who are now in the same position as we were when we started our own company in the 90’s here in Turku. Meaning; without capital, contacts, or deep business knowledge”, tells CEO Maria Severina.
As the CEO of a family-owned company, Severina mentions that their relationships with other family members in the company at times make the work easier.
“Our values are aligned, so even though we don’t always agree with everything, finding solutions that work for us all is straightforward. We also have trusted Almaral partners with long expertise and experience in different areas helping us, and because of that, we trust that the Almaral team has a strong capability in what they are doing.”
Severina also highlights that the key to success is to focus on one’s own core expertise and trusting one’s partners when dividing responsibilities.
“We have first-hand knowledge of the industry we work on. Our international, diverse team collaborates daily, allowing us to emphasize the varied professional skills within our group. We haven’t faced particularly significant challenges yet, knock on wood. To be honest, the biggest headache is that we have encountered so many brilliant Finnish scientific innovations that our small team’s time is barely enough to go through them all. We have invested in six companies so far, and the board’s responsibilities also take time. Thus, we are forced to prioritize quality over quantity. Besides investing, we want to support entrepreneurs in their daily work.”
As for the future, Severina sees that the company will continue to operate as it has been.
“I believe the company will be quite similar in the next three years to what it is now. Hopefully, by then, we will see our first exits, allowing us to reinvest the proceeds. Almaral is an opportunity for us to share the best practices we have learned. We are in no hurry to retire, and we love to solve challenges.”
As a business environment Southwest Finland has been fruitful to Amaral as a company and Turku in particular holds a firm position in the owners’ hearts.
“We wouldn’t have stayed here for over 30 years if we didn’t consider Southwest Finland to be a great environment for both business and our family. It is safe here, things work smoothly, and people are reliable and helpful. During the 30 years of our stay here, Turku has developed tremendously. Personally, the best part here is nature. A forest full of mushrooms starts from our backyard, the distances are short, and the restaurants are excellent. There could be more international flights from the airport since most of ours and our portfolio companies’ businesses are outside of Finland, and building business relationships requires face-to-face meetings.”
Greetings to the Chamber of Commerce and its members:
“We are grateful to have been accepted as members of the Turku Chamber of Commerce. It is a privilege to network with companies from other industries. I am also looking forward to the training opportunities offered by the Chamber of Commerce. You are always welcome to contact us if you see that together we could further improve people’s quality of life. We truly care about the Finnish biotech community and need support with this goal.”
