Sampsa Purojärvi

Senior Associate, Member of the Finnish Bar

Services

  1. Private Equity & Venture Capital
  2. Mergers & Acquisitions
  3. Corporate Governance

Contact details

I specialise in private equity and venture capital and M&A. I also advise our clients on matters relating to joint ventures, funds, non-profit corporations and general corporate and contract law.

Prior to joining Castrén & Snellman, I worked as a trainee in a leading Finnish law firm, in an auditing firm and in an accounting firm specialising in private equity investors and foundations.

Due to my wide-ranging experience, I am fascinated by assignments that require understanding extensive arrangements and people skills. Above all, I seek to provide practical solutions that take our clients’ businesses as a whole into account.

Latest references

Husqvarna Ventures – Investment in Angsa Robotics
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
Inventure, Tesi and Presidio Ventures – Algorithmiq’s EUR 13.7 million series A funding round
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
Speechly – Delaware flip and admission to Y Combinator
We advised Speechly, a Helsinki-based spoken language understanding company, on the company’s admission to Y Combinator’s accelerator program and the related corporate and tax matters. We advised Speechly on the rearranging of its existing capital structure into a US holding company by executing a so-called Delaware flip arrangement practically in a tax neutral manner. We also advised on tax and corporate structuring and agreements in relation to the rearrangement and Y Combinator’s investment process. Speechly, founded in 2016, provides accurate real-time Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) and Natural Language Understanding (NLU) tools and APIs. In 2021, the Finnish news media Talouselämä selected the software company as one of the ten most promising Finnish startups. The company’s previous investors include international venture capital funds such as Cherry Ventures, Seedcamp, Quantum Angels, Joyance Partners, Social Starts and Tiny.vc. Based in Silicon Valley, Y Combinator is a startup fund and one of the world’s leading technology startup accelerator programs. Every six months Y Combinator invests in a group of promising international startups that are admitted to its accelerator program out of over 10,000 applicants. Y Combinator’s investment portfolio includes companies such as Stripe, Airbnb, Dropbox, Doordash and Reddit. 
Case published 13.9.2022
Level Equity – Investment in Hoxhunt
We advised Level Equity Management in its investment in Hoxhunt Oy. Hoxhunt raised USD 40 million in its Series B round led by Level Equity, along with participation by an existing investor. Hoxhunt is a cybersecurity firm based in Finland, working in the field of automated cybersecurity trainings and response solutions for enterprises. Level Equity Management is a growth capital firm based in New York, US. Level Equity is the leader in lower middle market growth equity. In 2021, Level Equity raised USD 1.125 billion for new equity funds.
Case published 25.8.2022
Blackstone Growth – RELEX Solutions’ EUR 500 Million Funding Round
Castrén & Snellman, together with Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati and Taylor Wessing, advised Blackstone Growth (BXG), Blackstone’s growth equity investing business, on the EUR 500 million funding round of Retail Logistics Excellence – RELEX Oy, a Finland-based provider of unified retail planning solutions. The funding round, led by funds managed by Blackstone Growth (BXG), values Relex Solutions at EUR 5 billion and is the largest funding round raised by a Finnish growth company to date. The funding raised allows the company to continue its growth path by hiring hundreds of developers and experts to grow its technical team that already stands at over 400 people strong. RELEX Solutions is a software company that automates and optimizes supply chain, merchandising, and operational decisions for retailers and consumer packaged goods companies. With the rise of both regulations and corporate initiatives to reduce waste and drive social, economic, and environmental benefits, RELEX Solutions is a key partner for companies to reach their sustainability goals without sacrificing customer experience. Headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, the company employs over 1,300 people globally. Blackstone is the world’s largest alternative investment firm with assets under management of USD 881 billion.
Case published 17.2.2022
Seraphim Space and Molten Ventures – ICEYE’s USD 136 Million Series D Funding Round
We advised international investors Seraphim Space Investment Trust plc and Molten Ventures on the USD 136 million series D funding round of ICEYE, a Finnish world-leading SAR data provider and expert in NatCat solutions. The round was led by Seraphim Space Investment Trust plc. New strategic investors to ICEYE also include BAE Systems and Kajima Ventures. In addition, Molten Ventures, OTB Ventures, True Ventures, C16 Ventures, Chione Ltd, Services Group of America, the UK’s National Security Strategic Investment Fund (NSSIF), Space Capital and Promus Ventures participated in the funding round. With this latest funding round, ICEYE has raised a total of USD 304 million in financing since 2015. ICEYE owns and operates the world’s largest constellation of SAR satellites and the company has successfully launched 16 satellite missions in total since its first-ever spacecraft was placed into orbit only four years ago. The financing will further accelerate the continued expansion of the world’s largest synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite constellation and the growth of ICEYE’s Natural Catastrophe (NatCat) Insights and Solutions offering. Seraphim Space Investment Trust plc (LSE: SSIT) is the world’s first listed fund focused on space technology, investing predominantly to early and growth stage private financed Space Tech businesses. Molten Ventures (LSE: GROW, Euronext Dublin: GRW), formerly Draper Esprit, is one of the most active venture capital firms in Europe, developing and investing in disruptive, high growth technology companies.
Case published 4.2.2022
Aktia Bank and Alexander Corporate Finance – Ownership Arrangement
We advised Aktia Bank Plc and Alexander Corporate Finance Oy (ACF) in an arrangement that will result in Aktia owning 20% of ACF’s shares. The share subscription is scheduled to take place in January 2022 and is conditional on the approval of the Financial Supervisory Authority. Following the arrangement, the new name of Alexander Corporate Finance will be Aktia Alexander Corporate Finance Oy. Aktia  is a Finnish asset manager, bank and life insurer that has been creating wealth and wellbeing from one generation to the next for 200 years. We serve our customers in digital channels everywhere and face-to-face in our offices in the Helsinki, Turku, Tampere, Vaasa and Oulu regions. Our award-winning asset management business sells investment funds internationally. Aktia employs approximately 900 people around Finland. Aktia’s assets under management (AuM) on 30 June 2021 amounted to EUR 15.6 billion, and the balance sheet total was EUR 11.2 billion. Aktia’s shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd (AKTIA). Alexander Corporate Finance Oy (ACF) is a Finnish investment bank established in 1988. The Alexander Group companies offer consulting services to owners and companies related to valuation, mergers and acquisitions, and capital market transactions.
Case published 22.12.2021
Karma Ventures – Investment in Wirepas
We advised Karma Ventures in their investment in IoT company Wirepas. Wirepas raised EUR 10 million in the funding round. Wirepas, the global leader in industrial internet of things solutions (IIoT), will use the collected funds to develop 5G standards and greatly contribute to the growth prospects of the company. The technology of Wirepas enables the digitalisation of, for instance, logistics and industrial manufacturing, which in turn increases the transparency of supply chains and saves energy. Karma Ventures (karma.vc) is an early-stage venture capital firm, specialised in late seed and A round investments in Europe’s most promising deep-tech software startups. Karma Ventures backs companies with strong ideas, unique technology, customer traction and global ambition. Wirepas is a software company based in Tampere, Finland, that has built a wireless connectivity platform for the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).
Case published 10.12.2021
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