Andrea Scarso named managing partner at Finnish fund IPR.VC in reshuffle

Finnish investment fund IPR.VC has promoted Andrea Scarso to managing partner as founder Timo Argillander moves into a new role as executive chairman.

Andrea Scarso

Leena Vaahtera

With the appointment, London-based Scarso, who joined in 2023 as partner and investment director of UK operations, will lead the fund, while Argillander will focus full-time on long-term growth and portfolio development.

In addition, the Helsinki- and London-based fund revealed that its chief financial officer Joonas Pönniö will see his role expand to include chief operating officer.

IPR.VC has invested in more than 60 films and TV series since its formation in 2014, in addition to striking up partnerships with the likes of A24, XYZ Films, MK2 Films and Red Bull Studios.

The fund was an investor in the recent Timothée Chalamet-led Marty Supreme, with Scarso and Argillander both serving as executive producers on the US film. It was involved in that project as part of a slate-wide investment deal with A24 that also includes Materialists and Eddington.

It has also recently invested in XYZ Films titles Hallow Road, Ash, Get Away and Mile End Kicks and MK2 Films titles Gentle Monster, Deli Love and Love Is Not the Answer, as well as the upcoming TV crime drama Hildur, based on the novels by Satu Rämö.

As it has looked to expand its reach, in 2024 IPR.VC also established IPR Lab, a research and development division created to identify opportunities in the creator economy. The first of those investments will be announced later this year, said the fund.

IPR.VC is supervised by the Finnish Financial Supervisory Authority. Since 2014, it has launched three separate funds with capital from institutional investors, pension funds, family offices and non-profit sector investors. The most recent of those funds stands at €104m (US$121m).

“2026 will see us doubling down on demonstrating that content financing can be executed responsibly, efficiently and at scale with creative companies whose portfolios span auteur-driven cinema, premium television and, from this year, next-generation content creators and distribution models,” said Scarso.

Argillander added: “Our mission has always been to be the company that understands the creative process and can help bring quality curated stories to global audiences, while providing institutional investors not only with returns and fast distributions, but governance, structure, cultural relevance and a long-term perspective.

“Continuous renewal of how we operate is central to that ongoing promise, and these changes equip us for what promises to be an increasingly active and diverse next phase of content investment.”