Madis Lehtmets appointed Managing Director of EstVCA
From January, the Estonian Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (EstVCA) will be led by Madis Lehtmets, who boasts a wealth of experience in both the start-up sector and as an investment advisor.
In the role, Lehtmets intends not merely to maintain but to strengthen the association’s position as the spokesperson for the sector, and to foster relations with EstVCA members, lawmakers and the representative organisations of other sectors in Estonia and abroad. “Boosting Estonia’s position as an attractive place for investment is incredibly important,” the incoming Managing Director said. “I want to do my bit towards Europe becoming an ever more unified and globally competitive market as well.”
Kaari Kink, who chairs the management board of EstVCA, says that as the organisation representing the industry in Estonia, the association is focused on the sector’s development in cooperation with the state and market players, and on building international trust. “The private equity and venture capital sector has come along in leaps and bounds in the last decade, and local funds have demonstrated their competence as partners with a wide range of experience and international networks of contacts for portfolio companies, advancing the Estonian economy and innovation through business growth and development,” she said. “We are expecting Madis to further enhance international cooperation and to bolster the reputation of the New Nordic region in the eyes of international investors.”
Lehtmets is a Forbes ‘30 under 30’ entrepreneur who ran Remato – the construction software company he co-founded – for more than four years. He has been working as an advisor for the last two years, assisting entrepreneurs in raising investments and managing their finances. He is also involved in the organisation of one of the biggest business festivals in the Baltic States, sTARTUp Day, the 2025 edition of which will be taking place at the end of January.
Lehtmets says that to date, he has mostly been involved in building up companies. "But over time I have gravitated more towards the capital markets, helping companies raise capital and establish better relationships with investors. So joining EstVCA seems like the logical next step for me, since it will give me the chance to contribute on a larger scale, not just through supporting individual companies.”
EstVCA, which recently marked 15 years of operations, is currently focused on strengthening international cooperation, further developing the regulatory environment and boosting the proportion of private capital in Estonian funds.
EstVCA is also working to more broadly promote its field and to foster the next generation therein by partnering with universities and Nordic foundations. As in previous years, it continues to gather statistics and publish annual reports on the private and venture capital markets in the Baltic States, highlighting investments, active funds and the assets they manage.
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