Tarun Sharma

Tarun Sharma is a dynamic venture leader, accomplished TEDx speaker, and captivating storyteller, currently serving as Partner & COO at Nokia Ventures. With over two decades of experience in venture investments, corporate innovation, and building high-growth businesses, he bridges the worlds of Fortune 100 leadership and startup grit. Having held senior roles at Microsoft, IBM, and Nokia, he combines global corporate expertise with hands-on experience as an advisor, board member, mentor, and angel investor. His work spans digital innovation, venture building, corporate strategy, and entrepreneurship, with a special focus on the intersection of business, technology, and design.

Tarun’s philosophy is that every action creates a ripple effect. Impact, he believes, comes from clarity of goals, resilience when setbacks occur, and the courage to take action even when outcomes are uncertain. His own journey moving from India to Finland over 20 years ago, building a global career, and becoming a Finnish citizen allows him to share lessons on perseverance, adaptability, and leadership from a deeply human perspective.

On stage, Tarun is known for making complex ideas both accessible and inspiring. He has delivered keynote addresses such as at Dream2024, judged leading startup competitions like Arctic15, spoken on the future of AI, Metaverse, and Web3, and shared insights at events across Europe. Whether as keynote speaker, panelist, or moderator, his talks blend strategic foresight with storytelling, leaving audiences with both inspiration and practical takeaways.

Beyond corporate and speaking engagements, Tarun is dedicated to giving back to the entrepreneurial ecosystem. He serves as Executive in Residence at Aalto University, co-teaching corporate venturing, supporting commercialization of research, and mentoring early-stage founders. He is also a mentor with the University of Helsinki’s Incubators, where he helps startups navigate the challenges of growth and scale, emphasizing perseverance, execution, and tackling the hardest problems first. For him, mentoring is a two-way street: guiding founders while learning from their fresh perspectives.

Tarun has also been involved in ventures with meaningful global impact, from real-time video technologies improving safety in hazardous environments to energy grid solutions enabling sustainable growth. He passionately advocates for Finland’s innovation economy and sees unique opportunities in leveraging connections between Finland, India, and global growth markets.

A perpetual optimist, Tarun draws on setbacks as much as successes to inspire others: “Those who thrive aren’t the ones who never fall; they’re the ones who rise, again and again.” He encourages leaders, teams, and entrepreneurs alike to stay focused, adapt quickly, and pursue bold ideas with courage and humility.

Today, Tarun lives in Espoo with his family, enjoying cricket, reading, travel, and the Finnish dream of apple trees and a wood-heated sauna. His personal story from an ambitious engineer in Delhi to a global venture leader rooted in Finland embodies resilience, purpose, and hope. He inspires audiences with the belief that entrepreneurship, innovation, and human courage can shape not only successful ventures but also better futures.