Powered by Community and Green Energy: VERDA’s Path to Success at Maria 01
I had the pleasure of sitting down with Ruben Bryon, Founder & CEO of Verda (formerly DataCrunch), to explore his entrepreneurial journey and the remarkable story behind his company. They recently closed a $13 million seed round and are now on track to become Europe’s first hyperscaler.
What does Verda do?
verda tackles the rising challenges of AI innovation by providing cost-effective, on-demand access to compute clusters optimized for AI workloads. As a specialized cloud provider, Verda enables businesses to scale resources flexibly, ensuring efficient management of large computational needs while adapting to fluctuating demand. Read more: verda.com
Roots of Entrepreneurship
Ruben’s entrepreneurial journey began shortly after completing his degree in electromechanical and construction engineering. Although he was working for another company at the time, starting his own business felt like a natural progression. As Ruben explained: “My family consists mostly of entrepreneurs.”
Already before launching Verda, he was exploring the possibility of establishing a data center in one of the Nordic countries. His wife’s Finnish roots played a role in the move, but so did the availability of renewable energy and ease of doing business here. “Setting up a business in Finland is incredibly straightforward—a much faster process compared to what I’m used to,” he noted.
A Balanced Approach to Impact
When asked if he had a clear mission in mind when founding Verda, Ruben’s answer was refreshingly straightforward: “A fair service for a fair price.”
But achieving this goal, he emphasised, requires a high level of execution and efficiency. Ruben is deeply committed to running a lean, sustainable business—not just for profitability, but also for the planet.
“Too many companies in our space are purely profit-driven, completely disregarding climate goals. It’s a tragedy because if everyone operated that way, we wouldn’t make any progress toward renewable energy adoption or incentivising others to do so.”
From its inception, Verda has been powered entirely by renewable energy. Ruben explained that this commitment is non-negotiable given the energy-intensive nature of data centers. Finland, with its ample supply of green energy, provides the perfect backdrop for these efforts.
“Data centers consume a massive amount of electricity, and their usage has grown exponentially in recent years. Ensuring that this energy is renewable is critical.”
While Verda’s environmental ethos is central to its operations, Ruben is careful not to overemphasise it in their communications. “When companies boast too loudly about sustainability, it can trigger negative reactions,” he explained.
Instead, Ruben believes that sustainability should be part of every company’s DNA:
“We absolutely want to make the world a better place, but that’s not the sole reason we’re in business. Our goal is to deliver a service we can be proud of—from customer support to internal expertise and sustainability. These aren’t extraordinary values; they’re standards every company should meet.”
He went on to discuss their carbon emissions, emphasising that their data centre consumes a significant amount of electricity—all of which is sourced from renewable energy. This accounts for approximately 99 % of the company’s total emissions. “So, in the grand scheme of things, nothing else really compares in importance,” he noted.
Discovering Maria 01
Ruben’s introduction to Maria 01 came through a machine learning study group he joined in Helsinki, where he met several inspiring individuals. Some of these connections later joined his team at Verda. One member of the group, who worked for a Maria 01 company, invited Ruben to events on campus, sparking his interest in the community and the startup scene.
“When we needed office space, Maria 01 was the first place I reached out to,” Ruben shared.
Initially, Verda operated with a three-person team in the flex desk area. Today, the company has grown significantly, with 35 team members soon (four based outside Finland) and a spacious open-plan office. Over the years, they’ve moved three times within the campus.
Ruben spoke highly of the value Maria 01 brings to startups:
“Having a community of like-minded people who are going through similar challenges is incredibly valuable. I’ve also benefited from the educational sessions on fundraising, product development, and marketing. These resources are crucial for companies in their early stages.”
He even called out a more practical advantage of being at Maria 01: the freight elevator. “Thanks to the building’s history as a hospital, we can unload trucks right next to our office in central Helsinki. That’s not something every startup needs, but for us, it’s increasingly important.”
A Journey of Rapid Growth
Since its founding in April 2020, Verda’s trajectory has been extraordinary. The company launched its MVP in July 2020 and achieved profitability just three months later. They operated as a self-financed company until October 2024, when they raised a $13 million seed round.
“We’ve been a bit ‘anti-startup’ in that sense,” Ruben admitted. “We’ve always run the business as a fast-growing company, skipping the typical startup phase of heavy losses. To be honest, I was very oblivious to the entire startup ecosystem, including the concept of raising funds and everything that comes with it.”
A pivotal moment came early on when Ruben attended Slush and met Oskari Saarenmaa, CEO & Co-founder at Aiven who later became an angel investor in Verda. During their brief conversation, Oskari advised Ruben to hire a recruiter—a decision Ruben considers game-changing:
“We brought Lena on board as Head of Recruiting, and she’s been instrumental in finding top talent both locally and internationally. Every new hire has raised the bar for the team, and the level of talent we’ve found in Helsinki has exceeded all expectations.”
He went on to mention that they are actively seeking new team members but are increasingly encountering challenges in finding talent locally. While this isn’t a significant issue yet, it could pose greater difficulties in the future.
Ruben is equally committed to fostering a positive work environment. “We want to make sure our workplace is somewhere people enjoy coming to every day,” he explained. “When hiring, we prioritise not just skills but how well someone will fit with the team. It’s important that interactions are pleasant and that everyone contributes to a supportive culture.”
Looking Ahead – and Looking Back
When asked about his long-term vision, Ruben’s answer was bold and confident:
“We intend to be the first European hyperscaler.”
He sees a unique opportunity to position Verda as a major player in the hyperscaler space, catering to European companies seeking local providers. “This window won’t stay open forever. In ten years, the competition will be far more established, so the time to act is now.”
To wrap up, I asked Ruben to share a fun fact about the company. He smiled, reflecting on its humble beginnings:
“The first servers we used were assembled by me in my basement. Believe it or not, they’re still operational today!”
This anecdote perfectly encapsulates Ruben’s hands-on approach and the incredible journey of building Verda from the ground up—quite literally.
“Looking back, those early days were special,” he reminisced. “Assembling servers in my basement, hauling them to the data centre—it’s amazing to see how far we’ve come. But those first steps will always hold a special place in my heart.”
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