“Keep scalability in mind from the start” – Welcoming Lyydia Lappi, Kvanted’s New Investment Manager
This blog is part of a series introducing the Kvanted team. You can get to know the entire team here.
Kvanted kicked off 2025 with a bang as Lyydia Lappi strengthened the team as our new Investment Manager. Lyydia brings a wealth of experience in the industrial tech space and venture capital. Over the last years, she worked at NGP Capital, a global VC firm specializing in Series A-C investments, focusing on industrial tech topics such as industrial data, analytics and automation. Prior to that, she was part of the team at Wave Ventures, Europe’s largest student-run VC.
Lyydia holds a master’s degree in finance from Aalto University, and her career in VC began during her early university days with the Finnish Venture Capital Association, giving her a broad overview of the VC ecosystem. She has also worked in management consulting at Oliver Wyman in Stockholm. The experience in investing in startups approaching their scaling phase equips her with valuable insights that will be instrumental in supporting Kvanted’s current and future portfolio companies on their growth journeys.
Industrial technology can tackle emerging global challenges
Lyydia’s passion for industrial tech stems from seeing the tangible impact that technological innovations can have in addressing some of the pressing challenges in the industrial sector. Issues like labor shortages in manufacturing and logistics, caused by an aging workforce and challenges in finding and retaining skilled workers, are becoming inevitable, while the pressure to improve operational efficiency continues to rise. These challenges create gaps that innovative solutions can fill.
Lyydia is particularly excited about the potential of robotics to address these global challenges. Automation is becoming increasingly essential in industrial sites, with robots enhancing efficiency by handling repetitive tasks, improving production quality with precision, and increasing workplace safety, among other benefits.
“Some great robotics companies have been founded in Europe, and VCs are increasingly active in the category. I’m excited to seize this momentum and look forward to seeing new, exciting robotics companies emerge and scale”, Lyydia states.
Strong teams build successful companies
For Lyydia, the essence of successful startups lies in strong teams characterized by technical expertise, customer-centricity, and resilience. A strong team is essential for turning a great product into a successful company – even the best ideas face significant challenges without the right people to execute them.
The best teams not only combine technical understanding with customer focus but also demonstrate grit and adaptability. The past few years have been particularly challenging for startups, especially in industrial tech, underscoring the importance of resilience. Great entrepreneurs are also deeply passionate about their market: their belief in the mission sustains them during tough times and enables advocacy that marketing efforts alone cannot achieve.
Lyydia’s advice to entrepreneurs? Keep scalability in mind from the start. Prioritize the factors that matter most to customers to ensure their retention. Complex implementation processes and an inability to generate ROI quickly can stall expansion beyond the pilot phase. Addressing these challenges early and learning from each customer case are vital for scaling the product. Furthermore, the ability to plan for long-term scalability sets great companies apart, whether by entering new geographies or expanding the product catalogue to integrate more deeply into customers’ workflows.
Kvanted couldn’t be happier to welcome Lyydia to the team! Don’t hesitate to get in touch with her (lyydia@kvanted.com) whether you’re an interested founder, investor or collaboration partner.