Intera focuses on accelerating growth of its portfolio companies. Both organic and M&A-driven growth are in the core of Intera’s strategy. The aim is to considerably strengthen the strategic position of portfolio companies, which is often supported by international expansion during Intera’s ownership.
Portfolio company management teams have a key role in reaching the objectives for growth. Intera supports the management teams with all possible means. Portfolio company management will always have a significant ownership in their company. Management ownership is structured individually for each investment to fit the investment situation and growth phase of the company.
Intera´s role is to ensure implementation of the business strategy formulated for each portfolio company and provide the portfolio companies with access to capital. Execution of the strategy is supported through intensive and professional board work. Together with its entrepreneurial partners Intera recruits a competent board of directors with relevant experience and fit to the growth phase of the individual company.
Intera can add value especially in demanding transformative situations, such as major acquisitions, industry restructurings and generational shifts. Intera´s investment professionals have been involved in creating a number of corporate success stories together with successful entrepreneurs.
Intera is committed to responsible investing and implementing principles of corporate social responsibility in our portfolio companies. Our portfolio companies employ over 9000 people, which means that by furthering our companies efforts in economic, ecological and social responsibility we can have a significant societal impact.
Our approach to corporate social responsibility is pragmatic, transparent and tailored to fit the operations and the specific industry of each company. Responsibility plays a key role in our investment decisions and it is taken into account already during the early stages of the investment process. We start developing a corporate social responsible model for each portfolio company when it is first acquired and the work continues for the duration of Intera’s ownership in the company. Our goal is that the principles of responsible business conduct become a part of the companies’ daily operations.
Our role at Intera is to support and to monitor the sustainability work of our portfolio companies. This way, even the companies that have not previously conducted systematic corporate responsibility work will get the support they need. We also share best practices between our portfolio companies. The portfolio companies themselves decide on the responsibility measures they choose to adopt.
During ownership changes in our portfolio companies, buyers -both major venture capitalists as well as industrial actors- will set demanding requirements for the companies they acquire. Similarly, a potential public offering of a portfolio company sets clear requirements for the company’s responsibility work. Therefore, Intera’s efforts in the portfolio companies responsibility work will have positive effects also on the companies’ valuations.
Intera uses the international ISO 26000 standard as the risk management tool and in developing corporate responsibility work in the portfolio companies.
ISO 26000 has the following 7 core subjects:
Intera is a member of corporate responsibility network FIBS ry, which focuses of advancing sustainable and financially sound solutions for local and global problems.
Additionally, Intera follow the rules and guidelines of Finnish Venture Capital Association regarding openness and transparency in the venture capital industry. The association’s recommendations serve as the industry standard in openness and transparency in the venture capital field in Finland.