` Kristel Raidla-Talur | COBALT

Kristel Raidla-Talur

Partner / Estonia

About

Kristel Raidla-Talur is a Partner and Co-Chair of the Banking & Finance practice group at COBALT Estonia. She advises clients mainly on venture capital and other financing transactions as well as fund formation matters. Kristel also has extensive experience in financial regulatory matters, including in relation with operating licences of banks, payment institutions, credit providers, fund managers and other financial institutions as well as requirements applicable to their activities. Her area of expertise also includes ESG related matters.

Kristel is continuously advising Karma Ventures, Rubylight and other investment funds on their investments in Europe, USA and elsewhere. Kristel has also led the pan-Baltic team of COBALT in several major assignments involving Luminor Bank by acting for DNB Bank in the process of combining the Baltic operations of DNB Bank and Nordea Bank for the purpose of creation of Luminor, continuing supporting Luminor in the cross-border merger of its Baltic banking entities and advising DNB, Nordea and Luminor in the sale of Luminor’s majority stake to Blackstone.

Kristel is a member of the Estonian Bar Association since 2004. She serves as a member of the Legal Committee of the Estonian Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (EstVCA). Kristel is also a member of the Management Board of COBALT Estonia.

Practice

Recognition
  • Chambers Europe, Banking & Finance, Ranked Lawyer – 2015 – 2024
  • The Legal 500, Fintech, Hall of Fame – 2023 / 2024
  • The Legal 500, Banking, Finance, and Capital Markets, Leading Individual – 2020 / 2021 / 2022 / 2023 / 2024
  • IFLR1000, Capital Markets, Banking, M&A, Highly Regarded – 2020 / 2021 / 2022 / 2024
  • IFLR1000, Capital Markets, Banking, M&A, Women Leaders – 2024
  • Chambers Europe, Corporate/Commercial, Ranked Lawyer – 2019 / 2022
CV

Languages

  • Estonian, English

Membership & education

  • Member of the board of the Estonian Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (2017-2019)
  • Master of Arts in Law (LL.M), University of Cambridge, England (2006)
  • Estonian Bar Association (2004)
  • Master of Arts in Law (M.A.), University of Tartu, Faculty of Law, Estonia, cum laude (2003)
    Experience

    EBRD leads the €6M pre-Series A investment round in Estonian AI startup Miros alongside other investors

    Karma Ventures invests in the Estonian cybersecurity startup Patchstack leading the USD 5 million Series A investment round

    BonVenture invests in Fairown, supporting EUR 5.7 million seed extension for German expansion

    Warsaw Equity Group invests in UP Catalyst, a startup revolutionizing electric car battery technology

    Karma Ventures leads Pactum AI’s $20 million Series B round

    Esgrid secures pre-seed funding for value chain sustainability tools

    Karista invests in 10Lines

    Change Ventures invests in Estonian start-up Inspectle Food

    Karma Ventures invests in the Austrian company HYDROGRID

    Karma Ventures makes an additional investment in start-up DRUID

    Nordic Secondary Fund II acquired a stake in Cleveron

    Binalyze raised 19 million dollars in a Series A financing round

    Karma Ventures makes an additional investment in V2X solutions company Commsignia

    Change Ventures invests in startup Formaloo

    European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) makes an equity investment in Sunly

    COBALT advised SmartCap on investment in eAgronom

    COBALT advised Change Ventures on creating their €20M Fund III

    COBALT advised BayWa and EdgeCap Partners on investment in Roofit.Solar

    COBALT advised Mirova Energy Transition 5 S.L.P on signing a contract with renewable energy developer Evecon OÜ

    COBALT advised 3VC on its investment in start-up Pactum

    COBALT advised Change Ventures on investment in start-up Modash

    COBALT advises SmartCap on the launch of its Greentech Investment Programme

    COBALT advised the creation of fine wine investment fund WineFortune

    COBALT advised Nordic Secondary Fund II on its investment in Eurora Solutions

    COBALT advised venture capital fund Northzone on investment in startup Katana

    COBALT advised Change Ventures on investment in green tech start-up Cloud Factory

    COBALT advised 3Commas on raising a $ 37 million investment

    COBALT advised Karma Ventures on investment in startup Jobbatical

    COBALT advised Nordea in selling its shareholding in Luminor

    COBALT advised clients on investing in a new technology fund

    COBALT advised SmartCap on investment in Superangels new deep tech fund

    COBALT advised Change Ventures on investment in startup Werk

    COBALT advised venture capital fund Hummingbird Ventures on investment in Reiterate

    COBALT advised venture capital fund Karma Ventures on investment in Al start-up DRUID

    COBALT advised venture capital fund Element Ventures on a seed equity investment in Wert

    COBALT advised one of the leading European venture capital funds Redalpine Capital on investment in Byte Trading

    COBALT advised venture capital fund Curiosity on investment in Al start-up Alpha AR

    COBALT advised venture capital fund Change Ventures on investment in startup Kwota

    COBALT advised venture capital fund Karma Ventures on investment in start-up CybExer Technologies

    COBALT advised start-up Binalyze on raising a 10 million dollar investment

    COBALT advised venture capital funds Change Ventures and Crosslight Partners on investment in Gelatex

    COBALT advised IBM on reorganization for separation of Kyndryl regarding Baltic jurisdictions

    COBALT advised venture capital fund Change Ventures on raising additional investments

    COBALT advised Blossom Capital on investment in Aurelia

    COBALT advised EdgeCap Partners on investment in Roofit.solar

    COBALT advised Passion Capital on $ 1.7 million investment round in Remato

    COBALT advised venture capital fund Fly Ventures on investment in Fusebox

    COBALT advised venture capital fund Change Ventures on investment in Outvio

    COBALT advised Change Ventures on investment in Eurora

    COBALT advised on EQT Ventures on leading a 7.9 million dollar investment round on Single.Earth

    COBALT advised Nordic Secondary Fund on the acquisition of shares in Fiizy

    COBALT advised Lixea in raising a 2-million euro investment from the European Innovation Council

    COBALT advised Respiray’s seed investment round

    COBALT advised Earlybird Digital East Fund on investment in Binalyze

    COBALT advised Karma Ventures on follow-on investment in CGTrader

    COBALT advised Swedbank on evaluating structural changes at the Baltic level

    COBALT advised Change Ventures on investing in INZMO

    COBALT advised Change Ventures on investment in Fyma

    COBALT advised 3Commas on raising $3 million in series A funding

    COBALT advised Passion Capital’s investment into warren.io

    COBALT advised Rubylight on investment in Tandem

    COBALT advised Karma Ventures and byFounders on investment in Lucinity

    COBALT advised Change Ventures’ seed investment into Planet42

    COBALT advised APX’s investment into Haslle

    COBALT advised Change Ventures on investment in fintech startup askRobin

    COBALT advised APX’s investment into Marine Digital

    COBALT advised SEB life insurance undertakings on cross-border merger in the Baltics

    COBALT advised Change Ventures on investing in 99math

    COBALT advised EIB on giving EUR 50 million venture debt facility to Bolt

    COBALT advised Karma Ventures on follow-on investment in MeetFrank

    COBALT Advised Salv on Raising $2 Million in Seed Funding

    COBALT advised Luminor, Nordea and DNB on closing transaction with Blackstone

    COBALT advised inHouse Pay AS on obtaining an e-money institution license

    COBALT advised Karma Ventures on investing in Commsignia

    COBALT advised Karma Ventures on series A round investment in Xolo

    COBALT advised Karma Ventures on investment in Infermedica

    COBALT advised Karma Ventures on series A round investment in Sonarworks

    COBALT advised European Investment Bank on EUR 12 million loan to Elcogen

    COBALT advised Luminor on cross-border merger

    COBALT advised on the merger between Ha Serv and Thermory

    COBALT advised Luminor on EUR 1 billion majority stake acquisition by Blackstone

    COBALT advised Karma Ventures on investing in MeetFrank

    COBALT advised Luminor on obtaining ECB approval for cross-border merger in the Baltics

    COBALT advised Morgan Stanley in connection with the financing of the acquisition and takeover bid of Olympic Entertainment Group shares

    COBALT advised Karma Ventures on its investment in Realeyes

    COBALT advised AS Kawe Kapital on obtaining an activity licence of investment firm

    COBALT advises SmartCap on investing in the accelerator fund Superangel

    COBALT advised Rubylight on investment in Sweatcoin

    COBALT advises Luminor on reorganising its management structure

    COBALT advised Karma Ventures on its investment in CGTrader

    COBALT advised Karma Ventures on its investment in Sonarworks

    COBALT advised Change Ventures on investing in Festivality

    COBALT advised Ekspress Grupp on investment into Zlick LTD

    COBALT advised Karma Ventures on its investment in Minut, Inc

    COBALT advised Karma Ventures on its investment in AppGyver

    COBALT advised DNB on the creation of Luminor – largest ever transaction in the Baltic banking market

    COBALT advises on ICO of Robot Vera

    COBALT advised AS DNB Pank in applying for an additional authorisation

    COBALT advised venture capital funds Creathor Venture and MTIP (MedTech Innovation Partners) in financing the Finnish startup Blueprint Genetics.

    COBALT advised Rubylight on follow-on investment in Berlin-based social newsfeed app Jodel

    COBALT advises Change Ventures on fund formation as well as on their first investments

    COBALT advises Karma Ventures on its investment in SpectX

    COBALT advised Estonian Development Fund and SmartCap on transfer of venture capital portfolio to private fund manager Tera Ventures

    COBALT advised Karma Ventures and Creathor Venture on investment in Swedish high-tech startup Adaptive Simulations

    COBALT advises Karma Ventures on its investment in Plumbr

    COBALT advises the sale of successful start-up Teleport

    COBALT advises on acquisition of Sanoma Baltics

    COBALT advised Rubylight on investment in Tandem

    COBALT successfully advised TransferFast in relation to obtaining a full payment institution activity licence

    COBALT advised Ekspress Grupp in acquisition of Babahh Media

    COBALT advises DNB upon combining its operations with Nordea in the Baltics

    COBALT advised Ekspress Grupp on acquisition of 50% of Linna Ekraanid

    COBALT advised Rubylight on investment in Jodel

    COBALT advises management team of Ha Serv on transaction with Livonia Partners

    COBALT advised IPF Digital Estonia in relation to obtaining an activity licence for providing consumer credit

    COBALT counseled Nelja Energia, the largest producer of renewable energy in the Baltics, in issue of bonds in the amount of 50 million euros

    COBALT advised on the purchase of egg producer Koks Munatootmine

    COBALT advised Valinor on investment into Bondora

    COBALT advised Rubylight on investment into Taxify

    COBALT advised Estonian founders of Teleport on set-up and seed financing

    COBALT advised EBRD regarding multiple loans

    COBALT advised Rubylight as shareholder of popular Q&A service Ask.fm

    COBALT advised on the creation of the biggest egg production company in the Nordic countries

    COBALT advised Alexela Energia on receiving merger clearance for the purchase of Kiviõli Keemiatööstuse Varad

    COBALT advised Rubylight venture fund on investment into Weekdone

    COBALT successfully represented Swedbank

    COBALT advises on acquisition of Air Maintenance Estonia

    COBALT advises establishment of Outotec and Eesti Energia joint venture

    COBALT advises Freenergy on EBRD investment in green power generation in the Baltics

    COBALT advised the sale of national processor of card transactions

    COBALT advised media group Ekspress Group on acquisition of Delfi portals

    We are driven by your recognition

    "Kristel is responsive, attentive, and ensures that our needs are met effectively."
    Chambers Fintech Guide 2024
    "In the venture capital field she is one of the top experts; she has a lot of experience in that area."
    Chambers and Partners 2021, Banking & Finance