How I Built A Portfolio of 135+ Startups Against All Odds

If I managed - you can too. Technically, I could retire.

How I built a large portfolio of companies often surprises the VCs I work with - who usually start by raising millions.

In my case, there was no huge exit, no millions in fundraising and no inheritance money.

Just a laser-focused approach, investment strategies, my obsession with maximising my efforts, my own (little) money and hacking your way in via the network.

Here’s an overview of my portfolio and my holding company, Grundr AS, which I started 10 years ago, without really knowing what it would eventually become.

One day, I was googling my company name, “Grundr AS,” and I ended up on this website. I had no idea I had so many investments…

But this was not luck.

This was strategic and intentional, I just did not realise its impact. I will explain below.

In Norway, this info is public and easy to find on dn.no/investor. It shows my Norwegian investments, but not the ones abroad, and not the convertible loans I have in place.

In total, I’m invested in over 135 companies.

And the number keeps growing, since I also invest via accelerators, investment companies, syndicates, and VC funds.

You name it, I’ve done it.

Today, I’m sharing how I built a large portfolio of companies, some of them unicorns, others well on their way.

The process I followed is one that anyone can apply, even without millions in the bank.

I’ll also open up with personal insights I’ve never shared before. While startups are a big part of my journey, I don’t stop there, I invest in other assets too.

I started in Norway 10 years ago where:

• I had just arrived

• I didn’t have a network

• I (still) don‘t speak the language,

• I had no investor or solid founder experience.

• I had no big bank account.

If I managed, against all odds, you can too.

This is how you build a portfolio of 135+ companies.

Let’s go! 👇