Mikael is a Finnish biochemist who swapped the lab for the launchpad.

He chose to make Croatia his home in 2014, and quickly realized that the 9-5 life was not the right fit. After several years offering academic writing services, along with connecting Finnish and Croatian businesses, he joined the start-up Earthbound Sneakers as Head of Sustainability. Over the next few years, his work helped the company become Croatia’s 1st B Corp and achieve the title of “world’s first pair of OEKO-TEX certified sneakers”.

Mikael transitioned into venture capital in the summer of 2024 to manage social impact at Feelsgood Capital Partners, and continues to serve as a mentor at Zagreb Innovation Center (ZICER) and Bird Incubator, with an emphasis on purpose-driven early-stage companies.