Meet the team
We are a team of experienced venture capitalists, operators and founders, passionate about world-changing ideas. The team is supported by a network of venture investors consisting of more than 50 individuals with a passion for start-ups. If you are seeking investment please use this form.
Johan Gjesdahl
Managing Partner
Johan has invested in start-ups for more than a decade. Prior to that, he was responsible for M&A and business development at TANDBERG ASA, acquired by Cisco for USD 3 bn. During the dot com heydays, Johan formed part of the management team of a London-based tech start-up focusing on the pulp and paper industry.
Bente Loe
Partner
Bente has 20 years of investment and business development experience from venture capital and private equity, including board of directors’ experience from several listed tech companies. Bente is Chairman of the Board of the Norwegian Venture Capital Association. She is passionate about women in tech and enjoys working with great founders.
Anders Hallin
Partner
Anders has 20 years of entrepreneurial experience as founder, executive and angel investor in companies such as Skype, Kry, Saltside and Telenor. He is passionate about supporting startups and helping them grow
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Arne Tonning
Partner
Arne has been with Alliance Venture since 2008, and spent the last five years as Alliance partner in Silicon Valley. Pre-VC, Arne was a management consultant and research scientist. He is most excited about partnering with ambitious SaaS and deep tech founders.
Henrik Torstensson
Partner
Stockholm-based venture capital investor and occasional writer.
Board member and investor in Mjuk (Finland) and Steep (Sweden). Investor in Ark Kapital (Sweden). Board member and co-founder of Lifesum. (CEO 2013-2021).
Angel investor in Teamtailor, FishBrain, Castle. Previously an investor in Videoplaza, Sparta Sales, Tieday Group and Brisk.io.
Between 1998-2013 employed at Spotify (Head of Premium Sales), Stardoll (SVP Strategy), TradeDoubler (Affiliate Manager) and Spray (Editor/Marketing).
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Nea Piha
Investor Relations Manager
Nea is an investor relations professional with a background in business law. Nea is a Slush alumni with a wide global network in the startup and investor communities.
Prior to joining Alliance Nea worked as business development manager for a top tier fundraising boutique firm and as an analyst at a Nordic deep-tech VC firm. Nea is passionate about backing the new generation of Nordic tech founders.
Jan-Erik Hareid
Founder & Chairman
Jan-Erik founded Alliance Venture in 2001, after working in Silicon Valley for 5 years in the early days of the Internet. He has held executive roles in both start-ups and large companies - always with a strong interest in emerging technologies, innovation and entrepreneurship.