MANAGEMENT CONSULTING
The consulting business is supported by the Founding Partner Seppo Mäkinen. He has gained experience of over 30 years in executive positions in international companies in technical, commercial and financing operations. He is also acting as active investor in the sector and experience of over 25 years in international Venture Capital business combined with about 40 board memberships in international companies gives a good basis for value adding in customer companies.
Taikon Advisor Oy has already proven track record in assisting companies on fund raising, M&A transactions, international partnering processes and strategic planning. More details of customer references are listed on page “references”.
More info about background of Seppo Mäkinen you can find on the attached description “Seppo Mäkinen BIO”.
Seppo Mäkinen
Founding Partner
M.Sc. (Physical Chemistry)
Seppo Mäkinen has more than 25 years of senior advisory and executive experience in board level strategic leadership and venture capital management on life science / healthcare, his special expertise is on medtech / diagnostics.
• The career includes ten years as Director in Life Sciences at Sitra (Finnish Government Fund), followed by
• thirteen years as co-founder and Managing Partner in Bio Fund Management Oy from this time also five years as President of BioFund A/S, Copenhagen. With EUR 200M under management, BioFund was one of the biggest European VC funds investing into international life sciences.
• In 2008, Seppo Mäkinen exited BioFund and
• in 2010, he founded Taikon Advisor Oy, a Finnish management consultancy firm focusing on advising and investing in life science / healthcare companies and research institutes.
Past key achievements include the listing of six companies (personally involved in three) on international stock exchanges, building up one of the leading life science Venture Capitalist in Europe, as well as the completion of over ten international trade sale transactions and further over ten international company mergers within the life science / healthcare sector. Seppo Mäkinen has served on the board level, including several chairmanships, in about thirty five large international and SME life sciences companies, including Wallac/Perkin Elmer, Kone Instruments/Thermo Instruments, Pharming NV, Exiqon A/S, Egalet A/S, Merlin Diagnostica GmbH, Profos AG, SpinX Inc. and many others.
Seppo Mäkinen has during his time in Taikon been active Regional Partner to Merieux Developpement SAS (www.merieux-developpement.com), Partner in Ventac Partners (www.ventac-partners.com) consultancy network, Board member in Magnasense Technologies, Arcdia International, RSP Systems etc.
Seppo Mäkinen is currently Board Member in seven life science/ healthcare companies:
• Ginolis Oy (www.go-gin.com / www.ginolis.com), Oulu / Uppsala based start-up company with focus on Technology platforms and manufacturing of diagnostic tests. Mr. Mäkinen is one of the co-founders of the company.
• Medgroup Oy (www.medgroup.fi), Vantaa based healthcare service provider with over 1200 employees.
• Bittium Oyj (www.bittium.com), Oulu based, Nasdaq listed ICT / Wireless communication provider with focus in medical technologies, over 500 employees..
• Evondos Oy (www.evondos.com), Salo based e-health provider with main focus on tablet dispensing robot and wireless HUB.
• Valirx Plc (www.valirx.com), London based AIM listed company with focus on oncology drug discovery and oncology biomarkers. Mr Mäkinen is also small shareholder in the company.
• Neurotar Oy (www.neurotar.com), Helsinki based CRO with focus on brain imaging
• Coimbra Genomics (www.coimbragenomics.com), Portugal based genomic big data software company with products for phycisians.
Prior to moving into the life sciences venture capital arena Seppo Mäkinen obtained a number of years of industry experience mainly on liquid chromatography, including R&D and Sales/Marketing positions in Millipore/Waters. He received his M.Sc. Degree in physical chemistry from University of Jyväskylä in 1979.