Startup Grind Stockholm

Join us for an exclusive fireside chat with Itamar Novick, founder and general partner at Recursive Ventures, a seed-stage fund backing mission-driven founders building category-defining companies. With a track record as an operator, investor, and advisor to unicorn startups, Itamar brings a rare perspective on what it takes to spot and support startups that blend commercial success with global impact.

In this session, we’ll explore:

What today’s VCs look for in purpose-driven startups

How to balance financial return with long-term societal value

Signals of resilience, traction, and founder-market fit at the earliest stage

The investor-founder relationship and how to build trust early

The evolving landscape of climate tech, digital health, and AI for good

How Recursive Ventures helps founders stay true to their mission as they scale

Whether you're a founder raising capital, an investor seeking meaningful returns, or a builder driven by purpose—this conversation will offer rare insights from both sides of the table.

The session will be moderated by Naimul Abd – Regional Director Nordics at Startup Grind, CEO at Connect East, CEO at SweBAN, Nordic Head for Founder Institute, Nutty Ventures, and Founders Live, and founder of Brim – Brands for Impact.

👉 Register now to dive into what it really means to fund with purpose—where capital meets conviction, and visionary investors back the people and ideas reshaping our future.

Agenda

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Speaker

Itamar Novick - Recursive Ventures (Founder)

Investor in early stage technology companies at Recursive Ventures. Supporting entrepreneurs since 2010 (100+ investment). Business insider Top 100 Global seed investor in 2021-2024.
Previously Entrepreneur & Startup executive at Life360 and Gigya.
Specialties: Entrepreneurship, Venture Capital, Angel and seed investing, VC, Artificial intelligence (AI), Strategy, Product Ma…

Hosted By

Naimul Abd, Regional Director Nordics Startup Grind

Naimul Abd is a leading Nordic Ecosystem Builder and coaches more than 500 entrepreneurs per year. A finalist in Nordic Startup Awards 2023, he is Regional Director Nordics for global startup ecosystems including Founder Institute, Startup Grind, and Founders Live. He has headed several EU funded acceleration programs, transformed advisory services, events, and partnerships at a government funded social impact organization, and moderated leading startup events like Stockholm Entrepreneurs Day, Nordic Startup Festival, and Nordic Pitch Battle. Naimul is also a serial entrepreneur and an angel investor with a portfolio of impact startups. He has previously worked in the corporate sector as a strategic marketing & insights consultant for more than 20 multinational brands including Nestlé, Coca Cola, Honda, Tetra Pak. He has also tripled the topline of a fashion retailer as their marketing head and held leadership positions at advertising and research agencies. Naimul holds M.Sc. in Marketing and M.Sc. in Entrepreneurship from Sweden and, in his free time, he makes music and loves to write. His favorite quote? “The best way to predict the future is to create it,” by Peter Drucker.

Peggie K. Ovesen, Partnerships Lead

I’m passionate about the startup journey and driven to build solutions that are good for both people and the planet. With a background in tech and business, I’ve led product development in deeptech startups across fashion, fitness, and entertainment.

My experience spans from marketing and sales at the multinational brand Nestlé to launching MVPs for early-stage startups — giving me a well-rounded perspective on building purposeful, scalable solutions.

I believe in the power of collaboration and in creating products where innovation and impact grow through shared purpose.

Outside of work, I’m a wine enthusiast , enjoys playing tennis, meditation, hiking, and weightlifting. I am always embracing new challenges that fuel personal and professional growth. Message to all- “alone we go fast, but together we go far.”

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Startup Grind is a global startup community designed to educate, inspire, and connect entrepreneurs. We host monthly events in more than 600 cities and 125+ countries featuring successful local founders, innovators, educators and investors who share personal stories and lessons learned on the road to building great companies. Our monthly fireside chat interviews, startup mixers and annual conferences provide ample opportunities to connect with amazing startups and the people behind them, tap into a strong support network, form meaningful connections and gain inspiration for the startup journey ahead. For more information visit StartupGrind.com or follow us on twitter @StartupGrind.

Complete your event RSVP here: https://www.startupgrind.com/events/details/startup-grind-stockholm-presents-backing-what-matters-through-funding-purpose-driven-innovation-w-itamar-novick/.