Savén: Educate the Market Before You Can Sell To It

“There was only one problem: few understood what Savén was talking about, neither potential investors, bankers, nor the owners of the companies he wanted to buy. The first venture capital firms had to educate the market and explain the model. It would take over twenty years before they realized they needed to do the same with the general public and politicians. On August 11, 1989, Savén had nevertheless raised just under 800 million for his first fund. – My name and Enskilda’s brand made investors feel there was credibility in the project, he says.”

“Savén took the largest share, two-thirds, arguing that he was the initiator. He also had the most money. Harald Mix and Kim Wahl shared the rest; throughout the journey, they had equally large stakes. Both Mix and Wahl took out loans to become co-owners of Industri Kapital (later IK Investment Partners, here called IK), as the company was named. It would turn out to be a brilliant investment.”