get in touch.
feel free to reach out for collaboration or with investment pitches at hello@ichiban.no
purpose.
Actively looking for investments with unicorn potential, focusing on transformational opportunities as technologies converge*.
As Arthur C. Clarke famously said, any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. We have predicted, and exploited, the commercial explosion as Automation converges with Artificial Intelligence, as Digital Security converges with Identity, and as Payments converges with Blockchain.
Ichiban powers transformational journeys with entrepreneurs that are willing to be the number one, cost what it may. We invest in and engage passionately with companies from an early stage, directly and through our venture fund Confidus Venture Capital.
From humble beginnings 20 years ago, with an ambitious vision and with the capabilities to back it up, we proudly stand for our name: Ichiban (Japanese), meaning first place. We interpret it as the willingness, and the ability, to be the number one.
Ichiban has proudly co-founded and invested in EvoluteIQ, Phyron, Centiglobe, Kommando, Flip, Kikora, Penetrace, Tinymesh, Incepto and Confidus Venture Capital. Ichiban has founded/co-founded companies with 250+ employees and €300+ million in market value today. Our Venture Fund manages assets of approxmately €100 million, we have raised over €100 million of risk capital and been responsible for M&A transactions worth over €100 million.
* Technology convergence and current investments: Artificial Intelligence & Automation since 2019 (EvoluteIQ & Phyron), Payments & Blockchain since 2020 (Centiglobe & Flip), Digital Identity & Security since 2017 (Kommando) and Quantum Computing (actively looking for opportunities).
Ichiban vision.
Our vision is to be a lighthouse for future winners, powering some of the most impactful entrepreneurs and startups in Europe, with focus on world-changing themes:
- A revolution in productivity enabled by the convergence of Automation, Artificial Intelligence and Agents
- Better money disrupting the costly and inefficient financial sector enabled by the convergence of Payments and Blockchain
- The need for a safer Europe as we stand at the threshold of interesting times, enabled by the convergence of Digital Identity and Security
20 years of value.
- Venture journeys: Ichiban is a close partner to ambitious founders, as founder/co-founder of companies with more than 250 employees and over $300 million in market value today
- Right financing: $100m+ of risk capital from banks and investors has been raised by companies founded/co-founded by Ichiban and our venture fund Confidus Venture Capital
- Better strategy: Brave decisions unlock value, such as giving up on a majority of revenue to follow a new path, going all-in on becoming a platform or winning a new strategic position
- Faster growth: Acquisitions driven by strategic insight transform journeys – deal experience is essential and Ichiban has been part of more than 20 international M&A deals
core principles.
The Science of Future
Predicting the future is impossible, and the future is our playground
The world rarely embraces world-changing ideas, while for us the passionate, frantic and sometimes chaotic pursuit of knowledge and progress to make them into reality is what we love most of all
Laying new foundations
The talent, resources, insight and patience to be a lighthouse for future winners
Laying one stone upon another, Ichiban has patiently shown its ability to create value, with an ambition to power some of the most impactful entrepreneurs and startups in Europe
Embarking on new journeys
Ichiban is honoured to work with ambitious entrepreneurs with world-changing ideas
With realism and humble dedication, Ichiban is committed to partnering with a small number of exceptional people and organizations from an early stage to craft world-changing companies
Making a difference
Beyond financial returns, Ichiban believes in companies doing good
We are committed to identifying new opportunities that can genuinely make the world better
points of view.
Artificial Intelligence meets Automation
Agentic AI is reshaping not just business processes, but business itself
| EvoluteIQ | Phyron |
Revolution: As AI and automation truly converge, productivity and value created becomes orders of magnitude larger, and global wealth and power shifts so fast you must not blink
Future of Payments with Blockchain
The payments revolution and the engine room of trusted debt
| Centiglobe | Flip |
Mobile payments and FinTech disrupted payment flows, but old rails stayed – the next disruption is of the payment rails themselves, as payments will become instant, nearly free and borderless
Digital Identity and Security
The arms race and economics of Identity Security
| Kommando |
As the security of people, organizations and states increasingly rely on digital defences, Identity Security is becoming a key battleground to protect Europe in interesting times ahead
Sustainability and Change
The never-ending opportunity of sustainability and change
| Tinymesh |
As the world ceaselessly changes, there are pockets of radical opportunity – our journeys proudly contributed 100,000+ used computers to schools and powered 2 million+ energy meters with radio