Vestland Group is the holding structure for the Langaker family. Since the mid 80s, Erik Langaker has been an active entrepreneur in the Scandinavian capital market. With a base in applied technology, he has founded and/or developed early seed ventures into several vintages of Companies reflecting the different stages of maturity across the technology landscape – hereunder financial services, oil-tech, telecom, digital payments, digital content, analytics, and lately circular economics. Each vintage has typically lasted 5 to 10 years (the normal holding period of each investment) and has involved between 3 and 6 Companies.

At any point in time Vestland will hold 6-8 active investments, where each investment reflects a minimum initial ticket value of MNOK 20 or more. The current value (March 2023) of the portfolio across all holdings is approximately MNOK 700.

Mr. Langaker has served as an active Chairman and/or Director in nearly all of the Vestland portfolio companies, helping to drive and expand the technology platform as well as the international footprint of the business. Due to risk mitigation, Vestland has not been seeking majority positions, but rather focused on holding between 5 and 30% of each investment. This allows further potential through developing alliances with well positioned investors or technology partners.

By grouping the investments in natural ecosystems or “circles” while avoiding systemic risk factors or financial interdependencies, Vestland aims to enhance the benefit of natural networks of competencies and relevant flow of information. In a simplified model, a key tenet of Vestland investment philosophy could be described as “two steps forward and one to the side – and then 3 steps forward next.” This approach favors iterative and agile decision-making, working with existing strengths rather than prescribing a pre-set narrative. It is also particularly suitable for Business-to-Business companies, such as those which make up the majority of the Vestland portfolio, where networks of ‘sister companies’ can be both partners as well as potential customer avenues.
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Erik Langaker has close to 30 years experience in international entrepreneurship, technology, M&A and venture capital.

Since the late 80's Erik Langaker has founded/co-founded several (technology) companies, all of which are still operating independently or sold to larger corporations. Payex Group, Policom, Validsign (sold to IBM), Viken Fibernet and Resoptima are but a few examples.

Enigma Kapital AS

Vestland Invest AS

Vestland Venture AS

Vestland has avoided most binary risks and rather tried to invest in technologies and Companies that benefit from substantial process competencies –where shifts in technology act as an amplifier, allowing for radically improved services to be provided at a very affordable value. Aggressive pricing strategies reflecting belief that adoption of technology would lower the future operational cost base has allowed for landgrab of customers in selected markets.

To deliver significant value creation, Vestland has in all cases had emphasis on organic growth – and always with a dedicated focus on repeatable sales models. Since long before the SAAS model was invented, the portfolio has worked with all sorts of subscription models to secure sensible customer cost overtime, combined with very high net retention.

During the years Vestland has always also actively supported portfolio Companies to grow through M&A. Mr. Langaker has as Chairman and investoracted as principal in more than 40 acquisitions or mergers across all major geographies.

The vast majority of Vestland holdings have been in privately held companies and have over time seen exits through sale to major industrial buyers, Private Equity firms, as well as through IPO’s. In more than 90% of investments, exits have been managed by Mr. Langaker acting as Chair in selling 100% of said Company, thereby securing maximum valuation for Vestland and partners.

In summary, the investment philosophy of Vestland is one which emphasizes shareholder value and growth, whilst simultaneously empowering and accelerating new technologies to market. Mr. Langaker, as well as the network of founders and visionaries within the broader Vestland ecosystem, believe in the transformative power of human progress. While this space requires a willingness to tolerate some risk and volatility, Vestland’s long-term perspective and commitment to staying at the forefront of technological innovation is what can be expected to drive its progress in the years to come.

Investment highlights

Chairman & investor

Papirfly Gruppen is a leading marketing software company that provides cloud-based brand management solutions to tier 1 companies globally. they are recognized for their innovative platforms, efficiency, and industry expertise.

Chairman and investor

ComplAi, founded with DNV and founder management, offers an asset-centric approach to increase transparency, compliance, and cost-sharing across supply chains, with Vestland Invest as a cornerstone investor.

Chairman & Investor

Kezzler, a pioneering cloud-based track and trace company founded in 2001, safeguards brands, ensures compliance, and leads the industry with secure supply chain solutions.

Chairman & Investor (32%)

Vestland co-founded the digital media consultancy in 2005, achieving a leading position in Norway, partially selling to Danish Aller Group in 2014, and completely divesting in 2016 while retaining a small holding and continuing collaboration with key partners.

Advisory engangements

Industrial Advisor

EQT, a leading alternative investments firm, manages over EUR 80 billion in capital through 30 funds, partnering with companies across Europe, Asia, and the US to drive sustainable growth, operational excellence, and market leadership.

Member Of The Board Of Advisors

Cambridge Innovation Capital (CIC) is a venture capital investor backed by the University of Cambridge since 2013, fostering visionary global life sciences and technology companies in the Cambridge ecosystem