Tech industry leader Row Knapp joins NordicNinja as Chief Operating Officer to support portfolio companies go from zero to IPO
TL;DR
- NordicNinja is Europe’s largest Japanese VC backing companies tackling the world’s carbon footprint with a focus on climate tech, deeptech and digital society
- Following the announcement of a new €200M fund, experienced operator Row Knapp (King, Skype) is joining as COO
- Row’s company-building experience will be invaluable to NordicNinja’s growing portfolio
We are extremely glad to announce that Row Knapp is joining the operator-led fund as Chief Operating Officer (COO). Row is an experienced tech operator having worked at fast-growing European tech companies including Skype and King. Row’s expertise in company-building will be invaluable to NordicNinja’s growing portfolio.
After beginning her career at eBay, Row has scaled through the ranks of European tech, with stints at Skype, King and Tech Nation amongst others. This real-world experience in the complexities of scaling tech business, through periods of amazing hypergrowth, means Row will be an invaluable addition to the NordicNinja team. Hiring an experienced operator as a COO is a big step for any organization, let alone a VC firm in Europe which is chronically lacking in this category.
As Row said, “I’m delighted to be joining NordicNinja. It’s rare to find an operator-led fund of this calibre in Europe and I’m excited to get started in supporting our portfolio to grow successfully. I think a good operator should use their past experience to look around corners and approach the business with flexibility and agility. They should be able to steer a company in the direction of growth and read people well, and I look forward to working with our founders to help them do just that.”
As COO, Row will focus on developing the operational excellence of fund operations as well as working with founders and their teams across the NordicNinja’s portfolio to help them solve mission-critical issues and grow their businesses. She is also passionate about diversity – whilst COO at Tech Nation, Row implemented Libra, a programme for ethnic minority founders for Tech Nation. At NordicNinja she will continue to prioritise diversity both within the team and with founders.
You can read more about the announcement from UKTN. Find all Ninja team members here.
