NordicNinja VC invests into FLEXOUND
The newly established venture capital firm NordicNinja VC has made a new investment into Finnish FLEXOUND – The Augmented Audio Company.
The company provides FLEXOUND Augmented Audio™ that adds the sense of touch to audio-visual listening experience — be it music, games, television, streaming or movies. Its proprietary technologies combine high-quality audio with physical sound wave vibration, creating a globally unique immersive experience. FLEXOUND attracts international business customers, especially from the automotive, aviation, and cinema industries. On 15 February 2019, it opened its first commercial movie theatre in Finland and further announcements are soon to come.
“When we started with our first therapy product Taikofon™ and then the home entertainment HUMU Augmented Audio Cushion™, we were constantly told that our technology should be embedded into cars and cinemas. And now we are doing exactly that. The investment and co-operation with NordicNinja enable us to grow faster within the target segments. FLEXOUND is disrupting audio by offering multiple benefits over traditional loudspeakers, for instance being very energy-efficient and light weight,” says Mervi Heinaro, the CEO and Co-founder of Flexound.
“We are extremely excited to accelerate the international growth of Flexound,” says Shinichi Nikkuni, a Managing Partner of NordicNinja VC. “There has been already a great amount of international interest towards the company especially from mobility and cinema sector,” adds Marek Kiisa, a Managing Partner of NordicNinja VC.
The €100 million NordicNinja VC started operating in January 2019 and is backed by Japanese blue-chip companies Honda, Omron, and Panasonic, as well as the Japan Bank for International Cooperation. It aims to support scale-up goals in the New Nordics (Nordic and Baltic region) through supporting startups expand into and develop business opportunities in Japan. The official name of NordicNinja VC is JB Nordic Ventures Oy which is a Helsinki-based joint venture by JBIC IG Partners and BaltCap. JB Nordic Ventures provides investment advisory to JB Nordic Fund I SCSp.
FLEXOUND Augmented Audio™ is designed and engineered in Finland. The multinational team started the work in 2015 to help autistic children by adding the sensation of touch to music. The versatile and globally unique technology can now be embedded into cinema, airplane or car seats, gaming chairs, cushions, furniture and more. The patented FLEXOUND Augmented Audio™ has won both hearts and awards internationally.
For more information, please contact:
Mervi Heinaro
Flexound, CEO and Co-founder
Phone: (+358) 405 531 000
E-mail: mervi@flexound.com
Shinichi Nikkuni
NordicNinja VC, Managing Partner
E-mail: shinichi@nordicninja.vc
Marek Kiisa
NordicNinja VC, Managing Partner
E-mail: marek@nordicninja.vc