Inven Raises 11.2M Series A to Help M&A Dealmakers Create Pipeline

Welcome back to The SaaS CFO Podcast! Today, we’re excited to speak with Nilo Pirttijarvi, co-founder of Inven—a rapidly growing AI-powered deal sourcing tool making waves in the M&A world. Nilo takes us through his journey from a background in consulting and investment banking to launching his first startup, inspired by the pain points he and his co-founders experienced firsthand in finding and analyzing acquisition targets. In this episode, you’ll hear how Inven is helping private equity, investment banks, and corporate M&A teams supercharge their deal pipelines—especially when it comes to those hard-to-find, niche targets in the middle market.  Nilo shares candid insights about Inven’s rapid growth, fundraising journey (including a recent €11.2 million Series A), and the lessons learned when building both relationships and ARR to attract top investors. We also dive into the startup’s operational metrics, go-to-market strategies, pricing models, and what’s next for this ambitious international team. If you’re interested in SaaS growth, fundraising, or the future of AI in deal sourcing, you won’t want to miss this conversation!  Show Notes:  00:00 Streamlining Company Analysis Process  06:20 Rapid Startup Growth Pathway  08:16 Relationships Over ARR in Investment  12:00 "Classic Global Sales Model"  13:59 M&A Tool User Variability  17:54 Competitive Multi-Tool Market Strategy  Links:  SaaS Fundraising Stories: https://www.thesaasnews.com/news/inven-raises-11-2-million-in-series-a  Niilo Pirttijarvi’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/niilo-pirttijarvi/  Inven AI’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/inven-ai/  Inven AI’s Website: https://www.inven.ai/  To learn more about Ben check out the links below:  Subscribe to Ben’s daily metrics newsletter: https://saasmetricsschool.beehiiv.com/subscribe  Subscribe to Ben’s SaaS newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/df1db6bf8bca/the-saas-cfo-sign-up-landing-page  SaaS Metrics courses here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/  Join Ben’s SaaS community here: https://www.thesaasacademy.com/offers/ivNjwYDx/checkout  Follow Ben on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benrmurray