Making sci-fi real - Johan Jessen joins byFounders.

Johan joins us with a clear conviction: the future doesn’t arrive on its own, it’s invented! 

After more than a decade pushing the limits of technology in the US, from moonshot projects at Google X to scaling Lyft’s self-driving car program, he’s seen firsthand what it takes to build at the frontier. Today, he brings that same ambition to investing at byFounders. 

From Building the Future to Backing the Builders 

At byFounders, Johan will focus on supporting exceptional founders who aim to redefine what’s possible in their industries. While his curiosity spans many domains, he’s particularly excited about three areas. 

Robotics and autonomous systems.
After years of false starts, Johan believes we may finally have the right machine learning and data paradigms to make autonomy work at scale.

Personalized health and novel biotech.
We deserve better than a yearly visit to the doctor. Engineering biology is still too hard, which is exactly why it’s one of the most important frontiers to unlock.

Next-generation computing platforms.
AI is reshaping how we work and interact with technology. Advances in agents, world models, and voice and video interfaces open entirely new ways of rethinking what a computer is and what it could become.

Zooming out, Johan’s focus is on Europe.
He sees Europe as a sleeping giant, with the potential to become a third technological superpower alongside the US and China. But potential isn’t enough. If Europe wants to control its destiny and protect its values, it must invest in the technologies that will matter in the next century. Johan believes the Nordics can become one of the best places in the world to build truly important companies, if we’re willing to think bigger and move faster.

We Asked Johan: Why byFounders?

“Simply put: The team. It’s rare to find folks of this caliber that think big while going the extra mile to help founders.”

Based in Copenhagen, Johan spends his time outside of work exploring nature with his kids. He enjoys biking through the city, reading widely across philosophy, physics, and history and cooking whenever he gets the chance.

Taken together, his interests reveal exactly how he would describe himself: endlessly curious. 

We’re thrilled to have Johan join byFounders and can’t wait to see the founders and futures he’ll help bring to life.

Welcome to byFounders, Johan.

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