Sara Rywe Becomes the Third Partner of byFounders

Do you know how difficult it is to find a needle in a haystack? That’s how Tommy and I felt as we started to search for a third partner after having launched byFounders back in 2017.

Granted, we have high standards and our list of requirements was quite long and specific.

We wanted to partner with someone who is from the Nordics - but not Danish - and younger, to secure good succession. Someone with analytical skills as well as startup and operational experience. A strong investor who aligns with our values, takes responsibility, independent action, and can engage with all of the stakeholders in our community.

Above all else, we wanted someone we would enjoy working with on a daily basis. A partner who could serve as a strong ambassador for our mission to fuel innovative companies through founder compassion and community support.

Fortunately, when you’re looking for someone special, that someone special, at times, finds you.

Sara Rywe joined byFounders in 2019. Her professional drive and extraordinary founder engagement makes her a key ambassador for the fund and it quickly became clear that she was that special someone we’d been searching for.

Sara has brought a unique toolbox of applicable experience from her years working with startups and as a management consultant at McKinsey. She has added a higher level of detail to our due diligence process and constantly turns every rock to make sure that once we take the decision to invest, we can be sure to invest with true conviction.

"Sara Rywe is a rock in the Danish ecosystem, passionate about supporting entrepreneurs and the innovative ideas that will benefit our society. She tackles challenges with compassion and a positive mindset, which makes her a dream to partner with." - Sara Naseri, CEO and co-founder of Qvin.

With an extensive international network and a unique way of winning the hearts and minds of founders, Sara now has eight investments under her belt at byFounders, spread across Sweden, Denmark, US, France, UK, Romania, Estonia, and Germany.

A true force of nature, she will go above and beyond to help any founder who is lucky to partner with her. She will continue to challenge you, only because she knows you can do better.

Sara challenges us as well.

A true visionary, she took the initiative to drive byFounders to a better tomorrow, spearheading our push to become the leading early-stage impact-aware venture fund. This was not an easy feat but Sara delivered only as a former McKinsey consultant can do and prepared the most comprehensive impact-aware fund strategy you can imagine. We now have a framework driving all aspects of the impact and ESG work at byFounders: our investment strategy, portfolio management, and internal team management. VC friends, LPs, and other key stakeholders within the ecosystem are reaching out, hoping to learn more from her.

"We've spoken with investors from all around the world and no one has acted as professionally and openly as Sara. Initially, she quickly understood our industry and company and ran a fair and transparent process. Since making the investment in us, Sara's analytical understanding has repeatedly helped us make difficult decisions and she has time and time again helped us with business-critical introductions into her extensive international network. With all the uncertainties that comes with running a startup, Sara has been a stable rock and a huge asset for us." - Morten Krarup, CEO and co-founder of Proper.

Her professional drive is paired with incredible compassion for founders and a want to support the ecosystem. She is constantly venturing out to connect with and build strong and valuable relationships with the wider community of founders and investors.

Anyone who has had the pleasure of meeting her will know what an extraordinary human she is. She is genuine, honest, and very passionate about what she believes in.

Thanks to Lisa Dubost from our byFounders Collective, who originally introduced us to Sara. We managed to find the needle in the haystack and today, Tommy and I are excited to see Sara step up and join us as the third partner of byFounders.