Jyske Bank Growth helps tomorrow’s growth companies both privately and professionally: “Our ambition is to support the entire journey”

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Ambitions. Potential. Growth.

These are the keywords behind Jyske Bank’s new Growth department, which specializes in advising not only Danish growth companies, but also their owners. Although smaller than some of their competitors, their ambitions are big.

“We were created to support Danish entrepreneurship. As Denmark’s third-largest bank, we combine the best of both worlds: an international setup that growth companies need, while maintaining our agility and ability to make decisions close to the customer. Our ambition is to support the entire journey that the company and the people behind are on,” says Anders Christian Hovaldt, Head of Jyske Bank Growth.

Close to the founders

Jyske Bank’s new department has the competencies to combine more classic advisory services with relevant knowledge and insight from the startup environment. This can be anything from equal access to a large network of ecosystem players and new investors to understanding and advising on ownership composition or the management of a possible exit.

“Traditionally, it can be difficult to understand that a growth company is not making a profit, but is being funded by venture funds and angel investors. And this can ultimately have a negative impact on the assessment of the owner’s personal finances. We have a better understanding of this situation because we know what it means to be a founder and we know the ecosystem in depth,” explains Jeppe Dybdal, Head of Private Banking Growth.

Kristoffer Juhl, founder and CEO at Tekla says: “As a client of Jyske Bank Growth, we have received the relevant wealth strategy advice that is precisely targeted at growth companies like Tekla and the owners behind it. We have really experienced the value of being seen and an understanding of the journey we are on – both as a company and as a founder.”

A new growth journey

The new banking unit, Jyske Bank Growth, is also an expression of the fact that the classic business adventures look different than they did just a few years ago. Many growth companies have a different type of lifecycle that requires a very specific type of advice, says Anders Christian Hovaldt.

“The lifecycle of companies today is shorter than in the past. They are sold much faster and often on the basis of technology alone, before they even have revenue. The journey has simply become more compressed. This makes it even more important for founders and owners to get the right advice early in the process.”

We find that the new generation of successful business people have a strong desire to reinvest in new startups and scaleups. They want to remain an active part of the startup ecosystem they come from, where they can contribute to new growth adventures, explains Jeppe Dybdal.

“This means that they allocate more resources to that universe and it requires a different approach to Private Banking. Overall, we want to help expose them further to the ecosystem, while at the same time contributing with advice and sparring about their other financial businesses.”

A new generation of founders

In the future, the business world will be increasingly dominated by startups and scaleups. The new business unit must be able to serve this future today – and in the future.

“The most important task for us is that we can gather the right information and present it with a comprehensive overview. We can only do this because we are a business unit that moves across the bank. We see the whole picture. The flexibility we have by being small and agile means that we can look founders in the eye and make decisions close to the task at hand,” describes Jeppe Dybdal, Head of Private Banking Growth.

Supporting founders and investors from startups and scaleups requires advisors to be flexible. The new generation of entrepreneurs are breaking the boundaries of conventional practice every day, and as a bank, you need to be able to constantly adapt to new situations.

“The future of Danish business is changing and we as a bank must be a part of that future. We have launched Jyske Bank Growth because we want to promote Danish innovation and the jobs of the future by adapting to the new generation of founders. We have the flexibility and agility to adapt to rapidly changing needs and deliver tailored solutions to our customers. Our focus on customer satisfaction and personalized service is unwavering, because we believe in being close to our customers, listening to their needs and delivering solutions that really make a difference in their lives and for their growing business,” concludes Anders Christian Hovaldt.