Money | The mystery man donated three million euros to sports – he is an investor himself and a “very tough” athlete

Top sports and the Läpimurtosäätiö, established to support children and young people, is working in a strong tailwind. The foundation has recently received a donation of three million euros.

“The most recent major donor is my venture capitalist colleague. He is himself, maybe not quite a top athlete, but a very tough one nonetheless”, founder of the foundation and chairman of the board Tuomas Lang open.

“He has only recently joined the activities, and his spouse is actively involved in the activities of children and young people.”

Lang and his family donated three million euros as the initial capital of the foundation. The soon-to-be two-year-old foundation has metaphorically just learned to walk and is now curiously exploring where the path can lead.

According to Lang, the first two years have gone according to his imagination.

“Now, so to speak, the appetite grows when you eat, that is, when you have received these big donors and the capital has grown to around 12 million, the bar has started to rise with success,” he says.

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“The most recent major donor is my venture capitalist colleague.”

The first one The foundation received its big donation from the Koskimie family last fall.

CEO of asset management company eQ Mikko Koskimies donated 100,000 St1 Nordic oy shares to the foundation through his family’s investment company Teamet oy. According to Lang, the value of the share pot is just under four million euros.

Koskimie’s children Life and Antti belong to the board of the Läpimurtosäätiö. Elina Koskimies is also known from the basketball courts as a member of the women’s national team. In the coming season, he will play in Kotka Peli-Karhui.

The goal of the Läpimurtosäätiö is to increase its capital with the help of donations to 30 million euros, which is realistic according to Lang. At first it was a stated goal by the end of the decade.

“It can be filled even earlier – especially if the 20 million is filled by the end of next year, as is now the shorter-term goal,” he says.

“Yes, there are people in Finland who share the same world of values ​​and are also ready to dig deep and invest money. It’s damn great.”

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“There are people in Finland who share the same world of values ​​and are ready to dig deep.”

Lang is aware that the decision to donate a significant amount of money is not easy. However, there are already a few families among the major donors, and in addition, several discussions are ongoing.

“We want children and young people to succeed in life and also be able to compete in an international environment on an equal footing with other top players,” he says.

Lang, who is one of the founders of the private equity firm Intera Partners, has a fierce competitive drive and an interest in elite sports.

His daughter Julia on the other hand, looks at things from the point of view of moving children and young people and the problem of immobility.

“We thought about how these would fit together and under the same foundation. It seemed a little challenging at the time, but now with hindsight we can say that they serve each other very well,” says Lang.

“Every top athlete has gone to their first training sessions at some point.”

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“We want children and young people to succeed in life.”

Breakthrough Foundation gets some earmarked donations, according to Lang. Some of the donors definitely want to allocate their money to children and young people.

“We have one gift book of 500,000 euros, of which there are fifty every year. It must be distributed that year specifically to grants for children and young people,” he says.

“In the other direction, it’s not so absolute, but you can clearly see that top sports can speak and children and young people can. It shares quite well.”

Last year, the foundation distributed support money in two installments totaling 262,000 euros. This year there is one distribution, and the pot has swelled to 400,000 euros.

“On the top sports side, I have used the analogy that it is easier to say who is not there. The cream of Finland’s young athletes, that is, in principle, almost all the top young athletes have applied,” says Lang.

The foundation aims to support the athlete in the longer term. The support can therefore last for several years, and all last year’s support recipients are considered.

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“The cream of Finland’s young athletes, i.e. almost all the top young athletes, have applied.”

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Markku Kalevo (left) and Mikko Pekkala (right) have each donated 100,000 euros to the Läpimurtosäätiö. Tuomas Lang, the founder of the foundation, in the middle. Picture: Juha Salminen / HS

Last with the support of the foundation, more than 900 children and young people were able to practice. The largest target groups of the clubs’ projects were divided into low-income families, those with an immigrant background and those in need of special support.

The foundation does not think that it alone solves the whole problem of immobility in Finland. However, its operation can have a big impact on both sports clubs and individuals.

“To what kind of practices the clubs choose and how to get children and young people at risk of exclusion or those with an immigrant background involved in some sensible hobby,” says Lang.

The editors got to see a four-page document, which contains the experiences of top athletes who received a grant last year. The answers of promising young people competing in individual sports convey genuine gratitude for the grant money.

“That group is really one for whom the foundation’s support is really very important. Even now, when help from society is scarcer than ever,” says Lang.

“If you want to go out into the world to compete with international partners, be they athletes, companies or whatever, it requires investment. And usually there is not enough money, which is when this has become necessary.”