Nokia Growth Partners (NGP), the corporate venturing arm of communications technology provider Nokia, has promoted Walter Masalin to partner.
Masalin had been a principal at the growth-stage unit since 2010, having joined Nokia’s graduate scheme in 2007 before taking a business development manager position in 2009.
“I was privileged to be offered an opportunity to join NGP in 2010,” Masalin said. “Back then, it was early days and we invested out of Fund II, a $250m fund. We were a small, focused team of six investors. It was the steepest learning curve ever…but I felt at home.”
Masalin focuses on Europe and Israel, and said in a feature on NGP’s website he is chiefly looking at the digital healthcare sector at present, but that the fund as a whole seeks out “growth-stage opportunities with a product-market fit and a strong team”.
Companies in which Masalin has overseen investments for NGP include language learning app developer Babbel, where has a board observer position, period tracking app developer Clue, adtech developer Fyber, which was acquired for $190m, and mobile game studio Mag Interactive, where he is chairman.
– Photo courtesy of Nokia Growth Partners.