Tatiana Shalalvand joins Cherry Ventures as Stockholm partner

Tatiana Shalalvand has joined Cherry Ventures as a partner based in Stockholm, adding another investor on the ground in the Nordics alongside partner Sophia Bendz. The Tatiana Shalalvand Cherry Ventures hire gives the early-stage firm a partner whose background spans Nordic seed investing, Kinnevik’s early-stage strategy and operating roles at technology scaleups.

Cherry said Shalalvand started her career in crisis management before moving into commercial leadership positions at scaleup technology companies. She then spent four years at Inventure, where she invested in Nordic pre-seed and seed businesses, before leading Kinnevik’s early-stage strategy, according to Cherry.

The firm also said Shalalvand was an early investor in, and sits on the boards of, Tandem Health and Encube. Cherry did not disclose any new fund, investment allocation or specific deal connected with her appointment.

Why did Tatiana Shalalvand join Cherry Ventures?

Cherry frames the appointment as an expansion of its Nordic investment presence. In its announcement, the firm said Shalalvand’s Stockholm base would strengthen its ability to find and support founders across the region, where it already counts legal-tech company Legora and finance-operations company Light among its portfolio businesses.

Shalalvand said she believes Europe’s first trillion-dollar company will emerge from the Nordics. That is an investment thesis, not a forecast supported by a disclosed pipeline or fund plan. For Cherry, the immediate practical change is additional local coverage in Stockholm rather than a newly announced investment program.

Her arrival comes as investors focus on a set of rapidly growing Stockholm companies, including Lovable and Legora. Sifted reported that Shalalvand is interested in backing founders who emerge from companies such as those two businesses.

What does the “Lovable Mafia” mean?

In startup shorthand, a “mafia” is an alumni network: former employees who start companies, invest, hire one another or share experience after a successful employer’s growth. It does not suggest wrongdoing.

TechCrunch described Stockholm’s earlier “Spotify Mafia” as founders returning time, capital and lessons to the local ecosystem, and said a comparable cycle could be forming around Lovable. Its report identified Legora as a legal-AI company and placed both companies among the prominent startups in Stockholm.

The alumni-network angle remains prospective. Sifted reported Shalalvand’s interest in the next generation of founders from Lovable and Legora, but neither Cherry nor Shalalvand disclosed prospective investments or named founders. Cherry’s announcement instead emphasizes the broader Nordic mandate and Shalalvand’s prior experience across operating and investing roles.

This story draws on original reporting from Sifted.