NORTHGLOW
Snowball Growth Partners

Mika Syrenius · Managing Partner

From livelihood to owner value.

I help founders build companies that grow, scale and hold their value without them – through board work, advisory and investing.

Get in touchSnowball Growth Partners ↗

The starting point

Many good companies are still their founder's job.

The business runs, customers are happy and cash comes in – but everything goes through the founder. That makes the company a livelihood, not an asset. Owner value is created when the company runs, grows and could be sold without its founder being there every day.

  1. 01

    Runs without the founder

    Decisions, know-how and customer relationships don't depend on one person.

  2. 02

    Grows and scales

    Growth comes from repeatable models, not from the founder's extra hours.

  3. 03

    Organisation and leadership model

    Clear roles, metrics and a management team that owns results.

  4. 04

    Exit readiness

    Numbers, contracts and structures are in order when the opportunity comes.

How I help

Alongside owners, boards and founders.

Board work

I serve as board chair or member, bringing data-driven management, systematic strategy work and clear reporting.

Advisory

As an advisor to the CEO and owners, I help prioritise, make the hard calls and keep the direction.

Investing

I invest through Snowball Growth Partners and Northglow in companies whose growth I can genuinely take part in. Always as an active owner.

Financing and M&A

I help arrange financing, acquisitions and exits – from preparation to negotiation.

Internationalisation

I have taken retail and e-commerce companies to new markets. I help choose the markets, the order and the operating model.

Organisation and leadership

Together with management, I build the structure, roles and leadership rhythm that let a company outgrow its founder.

Two ways to invest

Managing Partner

Snowball Growth Partners

A growth investment firm bringing capital, strategic support and hands-on e-commerce expertise to retail companies. A typical target has €1–20M in revenue and international potential.

Visit Snowball ↗

Owner

NORTHGLOW

My own holding company, through which I invest directly and act as an active owner – often as board chair as well.

Portfolio

Companies whose growth I'm building.

Revenue at entry → latest financial year (2025)

Exits

  • Edututor
    Sold to: Bygghemma Group
  • Grillikauppa.com
  • LED-valot.fi
  • Paista
  • Padestro
  • Rinkka
  • ALVin
Mika Syrenius

Mika Syrenius

Merchant, board professional and investor.

I have been the CEO of a fast-growing online retailer, chaired several boards and worked as a management consultant for over 400 companies. I have led internationalisation, acquisitions and exits – and I know the difference between a polished strategy and Monday morning's fires.

Today I focus more deeply on fewer companies: on the board, as an owner and alongside the founder. I also want to help build a better retail culture in Finland – more responsible, bolder and more meaningful to the customer.

Mika Syrenius
400+
companies consulted
1000+
executives trained
8
portfolio companies

Speaking

I take on a selected number of keynotes and workshops on the transformation of retail, growth and ownership.

Enquire about speaking →
Mika Syrenius speaking on data and AI driven commerceMika Syrenius on stage
Cover of the book Menesty yrittäjänä

Book

Menesty yrittäjänä – 68 practical guidelines for entrepreneurs

Antti Sekki & Mika Niemi · Talentum Pro (in Finnish)

I co-wrote this book with Antti Sekki, back when my surname was Niemi. It brings together 68 field-tested guidelines on strategy, financing, sales and marketing, leadership and processes, all the way to exiting a business. It draws on our work with more than 600 companies.

Writing

Thoughts on retail and growth.

Contact

Tell me where your company is today.

Whether you're thinking about your board, growth financing or ownership arrangements, a first conversation is a good place to start.

Send an email

mika@northglow.com