Anton Helanterä

Associate, Master of Laws

I advise our domestic and international clients in assignments related to private equity and venture capital.

Before joining Castrén & Snellman, I worked at a major Nordic bank with securities law matters and as a trainee at another major Finnish law firm.

I have a Master of Laws degree from the University of Helsinki.

Latest references

We advised Tesi (Finnish Industry Investment Ltd) in its investment in the heavy duty vehicles company Oy Sisu Auto Ab. With this investment, Tesi became an owner in the company with a share of 24.4 per cent. Sisu Auto is a pioneer in the Nordic market in the development of heavy duty vehicles. Sisu’s core competences are in the product development and production of trucks and military vehicles. Tesi is a state-owned, market-driven investment company that invests in venture capital and private equity funds and directly in Finnish startups and growth companies. The investments managed by Tesi total 2.1 billion euros.
Case published 19.8.2024
We advised Exsitec Holding AB in a transaction whereby it acquired all the shares in M-flow Finland Oy. M-flow Finland Oy is a Finnish company engaged in reselling Medius B2B standard S2P software-as-a-service solutions in Finland. Exsitec Holding AB is a Swedish company part of the Nordic Exsitec group, which has over 20 offices in the Nordics. Exsitec delivers digital solutions to improve its customers’ businesses.
Case published 4.7.2024
We acted as the legal advisor to OP Finland Infrastructure LP in its investment in Cactos Fleet Finland Ky. Cactos Fleet Finland invests in smart electricity storage systems in Finland. OP Finland Infrastructure is a fund investing in Finnish infrastructure. The fund is managed by OP Financial Group. Cactos Fleet Finland primarily invests in electricity storage systems installed in real estate properties. In addition to their grid-related tasks, these systems can level out peaks in the property’s electricity consumption and provide back-up power. 
Case published 29.4.2024
We acted as Zendesk, Inc.’s Finnish legal counsel in its acquisition of Ultimate Enterprises Oy, an industry leading provider of service automation using AI technology. The cross-border acquisition was completed in cooperation with the transaction’s lead counsel Allen & Overy. Zendesk is a leading global technology company that provides software-as-a-service and customer experience (CX) products based in the US. The acquisition of Ultimate expands Zendesk’s AI-powered CX offerings.
Case published 26.3.2024
We acted as legal advisor to OP Finland Infrastructure LP in its investment in Lounea, a Finnish optical fibre operator. The EUR 50 million convertible loan was made available to Lounea’s operative subsidiary Lounea Net Oy for investments supporting the company’s strategic growth. The aim of the investments is to increase fibre network coverage in Finland and develop the Finnish digital infrastructure. Lounea is a Finnish optical fibre operator whose business consists of telecommunications infrastructure and ICT solutions. OP Finland Infrastructure is a fund investing in Finnish infrastructure. The fund is managed by OP Financial Group.
Case published 25.1.2024
We acted as the legal and ESG advisor to Mérieux Equity Partners on the acquisition of a majority stake in Labquality through a leveraged buyout by its buyout fund, Mérieux Participations 4. Existing shareholders of Labquality, including Cor Group and the management, will reinvest a portion of their proceeds into the company in connection with the transaction. Headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, Labquality is a Nordic player specialized in EQA, CRO activities and regulatory affairs, with a strong local presence in Central and Eastern Europe. The company provides a comprehensive array of services for the healthcare, medical technology, and pharmaceutical industries. The company, employing over 120 professionals and supported by a network of more than 150 external experts and consultants across its offices in Finland, Germany, and Poland, serves a diverse clientele of over 8,000 customers, including major pharmaceutical companies in over 60 countries. Mérieux Equity Partners (MxEP) is an AMF-accredited management company dedicated to equity investments in the Healthcare and Nutrition sectors. MxEP actively supports entrepreneurs and companies with differentiated products and services, giving them privileged access to its sector expertise and international network. The transaction will enable Labquality to pursue its buy & build strategy in Europe to accelerate its CRO activities while continuing strong and recurring growth in the EQA segment. Labquality will benefit from MxEP’s sector expertise and financial resources to achieve its ambition of becoming a leading European CRO and EQA platform, with fully integrated regulatory consulting capabilities to serve major customers across Europe.
Case published 4.12.2023
We advised Husqvarna Ventures in their investment in Angsa Robotics GmbH to expand innovation in green space management. With this investment, the corporate venture capital arm of Husqvarna Group aims to accelerate the development and commercialisation of Angsa’s groundbreaking robotics platform. Angsa Robotics is a Munich-based startup disrupting automated waste collection in green spaces. They are developing an autonomous solution, providing a cost-efficient, ecologically friendly and AI-adaptive robot for waste collection in green spaces. With its ability to navigate autonomously, detect obstacles and collect litter, Angsa Robotics’ technology offers a new way to manage green spaces. Husqvarna Group is a global leading producer of outdoor power products and innovative solutions for forest, park and garden care. Products include chainsaws, trimmers, robotic lawn mowers and ride-on lawn mowers. The Group is also the European leader in garden watering products and a global leader in cutting equipment and diamond tools for the construction and stone industries. The Group’s products and solutions are sold under brands including Husqvarna, Gardena, McCulloch, Flymo, Zenoah and Diamant Boart via dealers and retailers to consumers and professionals in more than 100 countries.
Case published 29.8.2023
We advised Inventure, Tesi (i.e. Finnish Industry Investment) and Presidio Ventures on the EUR 13.7 million series A funding round of Algorithmiq, a Helsinki-based growth company developing quantum computing algorithms and solutions for drug development and discovery. The round was led by Inventure, with participation from Tesi, Presidio Ventures, Thames Trust and existing investors. This latest round of investment will enable Algorithmiq to pursue its proof-of-concept work with pharmaceutical companies globally, dramatically reducing the time and cost of drug discovery and development, a process that typically takes around a decade and a billion dollars for a new drug to reach the market.  We advised the investors alongside Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati.
Case published 24.8.2023