Nicolai Chamizo, a former professional ice hockey player turned financial expert, is a co-founder and CEO of Incore Invest. His unique journey from sports to finance embodies a blend of discipline, strategic thinking, and entrepreneurial spirit.
At Incore Invest, Nicolai leverages his diverse experience and deep industry knowledge to drive the company’s focus on early-stage tech and fintech investments.
Nicolai Chamizo has an unconventional background for an investor: He spent much of his early twenties playing professional ice hockey in Sweden and the US before eventually developing an interest in the financial sector. Before choosing a more entrepreneurial path, he began his professional career at one of Sweden’s largest banks. He found that much of the value he could create in the ecosystem hailed from connecting other entrepreneurs with well-funded business angels, earning shares in exciting startups in return. What started with connecting contacts in his network for their mutual benefit soon became a full-time passion – he started his own investment company, A Group of Friends. The venture was a success, with its profits recently distributed to investors.
Nicolai’s career took a significant turn with the establishment of Incore Invest, co-founded with notable industry experts like Magnus Mivér (former partner at ABG Sundal Collier), Martin Larsson (former partner at Stella Capital Advisors), Jonas Mårtensson (CEO of Mojang), and Lena Hackelöer (founder of Brite Payments and senior alumni of Klarna). Incore Invest is renowned for focusing on early-stage tech investments, particularly fintech. Incore led one of Brite’s early investment rounds and has since remained an active investor. Shortly after, additional investments into the trading platform Savr and the spend management system Mynt followed.
Incore Invest is driven to cultivate the next Swedish unicorn in the fintech sector. The company is proactive in scouting new investment opportunities, aiming to complement its existing portfolio with new ventures. One of its significant early investments, Brite, highlights Incore’s commitment to innovation in open banking and its potential to disrupt traditional card payment systems. Nicolai’s leadership as the chairman of Brite underscores his belief in the company’s capacity to lead the European market and beyond.