Onneksi olkoon Supercell! (…that means Congratulations Supercell! in Finnish)

We could not be happier for our friends at Supercell. Today’s news that Softbank and GungHo have made a strategic investment in Supercell, giving them a 51% share that values the company at $3B, is an amazing story for a company that released its first two games, Clash of Clans and Hay Day, just over a year ago. We take our hats off to what Ilkka Paananen and Mikko Kodisoja, Supercell’s co-founders, and their truly phenomenal team have achieved so far — and the even more exciting part is that there is a lot more to come.

When we first met Ilkka and Mikko, we were immediately struck by their global ambition, clear strategy and a genuine passion for building a business with a strong culture of talented people. They deeply understood that a strong brand needs not just passionate customers, but also passionate employees. The more time we spent with them and their team, the more excited we became.

For us, it was proof that great companies really can come from anywhere. Here, in Finland, was a group of people building an amazing hyper-growth business, combining products loved around the world with high margins and the fastest growing revenue and profits that we’ve ever seen — a very rare achievement.

Since we invested earlier this year, we have been fortunate to see Supercell up close as the company continued to perform incredibly. Top of the App Store’s highest grossing charts in over 100 countries from the US to Europe to China and Japan — simply an amazing achievement. And the company’s games, which until last week were available only on iOS, are now also available on Android.

It’s also been a privilege to work with Supercell as the team built on its success by scaling its business internationally. Succeeding in Asia is by no means easy for any games company. Today’s announcement is a tribute to the work the company did to bring its games to major international markets like Japan and China. Again, it’s proof that not only that great companies can come from anywhere — they can also become globally successful from anywhere too.

We’re honoured to work with some truly outstanding entrepreneurs and we’re delighted to be able to celebrate their recent successes, with Climate Corporation also achieving their $1.1B acquisition this month. We’re so proud of everyone at Supercell and Climate Corporation, and what their teams have achieved.

So Ilkka, Mikko and the amazing Supercell team….onneksi olkoon — congratulations!