Per Widerström
About Per Widerström
Per Widerström has been CEO of Evoke plc, formerly 888 Holdings, since 16 October 2023. Before that he was CEO of Fortuna Entertainment Group, an omni-channel betting and gaming business in Central and Eastern Europe, from 2014 to 2022. He also served as operating chair and industrial adviser at the private equity firm Nordic Capital.
Earlier roles include managing director and chairman of Gala Interactive, chief operating officer and later chief integration officer at Bwin, and CEO of Expekt.com. Before gaming he was CEO of Telenor Mobile Sweden and COO of Kyivstar in Ukraine. One profile also says he co-founded Wannago in 2000.
Crunchbase lists a BSc in business administration from the University of Gothenburg and an MSc in International Accounting and Finance from the London School of Economics. On joining 888, he stepped away from eight non-executive board roles. These included Nordnet, Sambla Group, Qred, Turbotic and Bokadirekt.
Widerström is primarily an operating executive and board member. The only angel investment we could confirm in public sources is Matters, where he is named among the angel participants in 2026. We found no published list of other personal investments, and Crunchbase shows only the Matters round under his investor profile.
In October 2026, Matters announced a $5M pre-seed round. Matters is a Stockholm company building an AI-native consumer bank. It plans a flat monthly fee, an AI advisor that helps users spend and save, and cashback of interchange and FX revenue to customers. Swedish angel investor Jakob Johansson anchored the round. Press coverage lists Widerström, CEO of Evoke, among the other participants. The funds are for banking licence applications, EU expansion, growing the 14-person team and acquiring users.
Widerström has not published an investment thesis, stage preference or check size that we could find, so none is stated here. The one confirmed deal is a pre-seed round in a Swedish AI-enabled fintech company. His operating and board experience covers online gaming, telecoms, and Nordic fintech and digital banking, including Nordnet, Qred and Sambla. The Matters coverage also describes him as a former chair of Sambla, and he sits on the 888/Evoke board as CEO. Founders should treat these as background and not as stated investing criteria.
- Matters: Stockholm-based AI-native consumer bank with a flat-fee model and an AI advisor. He took part in its $5M pre-seed round, announced October 2026.
- arcticstartup.com/matters-raises-5m-pre-seed
- thenextweb.com/news/matters-ai-bank-5m-pre-seed-osterstrom
- finsmes.com/2026/10/matters-raises-5m-in-pre-seed-funding.html
- crunchbase.com/person/per-widerstr%C3%B6m
- crunchbase.com/hub/gaming-companies
- next.io/news/people/888-appoints-per-widerstrom-as-ceo
- investegate.co.uk/announcement/rns/888-holdings-di---888/appointment-o
- linkedin.com/in/perwiderstrom
Investing activity
Per Widerström appears in 1 AI deal tracked by the Lounge deals desk. The rounds are mostly Pre-seed, with a median round size of $5M. The most recent is Matters (Pre-seed, $5M, Oct 2026).
Per Widerström most often invests alongside Knut Frängsmyr, Douglas Stark, Johan Bladh and Jakob Johansson, and the companies they back on Lounge are mostly in AI.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about Per Widerström
Does Per Widerström invest in AI startups?
He is named as an angel participant in the Matters $5M pre-seed round, announced in October 2026. Matters is an AI-native personal finance and banking company. We found no other public AI investments.
What is Per Widerström's check size?
It is not public. He has not disclosed a check size, and the Matters coverage does not break out individual amounts.
What stage does Per Widerström back?
The only confirmed deal is a pre-seed round. He has not published a stage preference.
Who is Per Widerström?
He is CEO of Evoke plc, formerly 888 Holdings, and was CEO of Fortuna Entertainment Group from 2014 to 2022. He has also held board roles at Nordnet, Qred and Sambla.
Should founders pitch Per Widerström?
He appears to have invested in AI fintech at the pre-seed stage through Matters. His public profile is that of a CEO and board member with fintech board experience, not a full-time investor. A warm introduction through the Nordic fintech network would fit that profile.
Is Per Widerström an angel investor?
Yes. Per Widerström invests personally as an angel.
What AI companies has Per Widerström invested in?
Per Widerström's AI investments include Matters. The 1 round on Lounge are listed on this page with amounts, dates and co-investors.
What stage does Per Widerström invest at?
In the rounds tracked on Lounge, Per Widerström has invested at Pre-seed, with a median round of $5M.
Who does Per Widerström co-invest with?
Per Widerström's most frequent co-investors on Lounge are Knut Frängsmyr (1 deal), Douglas Stark (1 deal), Johan Bladh (1 deal), Jakob Johansson (1 deal) and Patrik Tran (1 deal).
How can founders reach Per Widerström?
Founders on Lounge can see Per Widerström's contact details in AI Investor Contacts (paid plans), check for a warm introduction through members who worked with them under Warm Paths, and add Per Widerström to their Investor Pipeline to track the conversation.