{"id":4477,"date":"2025-03-13T11:37:50","date_gmt":"2025-03-13T11:37:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/portfellow.com\/?p=4477"},"modified":"2025-04-04T11:44:23","modified_gmt":"2025-04-04T11:44:23","slug":"portfellow-founder-story-meet-marko","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www2.portfellow.com\/et\/portfellow-founder-story-meet-marko\/","title":{"rendered":"Portfellow Founder Story: Meet Marko"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Meet the Founder: Marko Oolo<\/h3>

\u00a0<\/p>

Building wealth isn\u2019t about luck\u2014it\u2019s about discipline, strategy, and making smart decisions consistently over time. My name is Marko Oolo, and my investment journey started in 2014 with \u20ac3,000\u2014the amount I got from selling my car. Fast forward to today, my portfolio has grown past \u20ac1 million, and investing has become more than just a side project\u2014it\u2019s a way of life.<\/p>

But how did I get here? Let me take you through my journey\u2014from my first small investments to becoming a partner at Superangel, co-founding Portfellow, and my biggest lessons along the way.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/h3>

From First Investments to Financial Independence<\/h3>

\u00a0<\/p>

Like many, I started my investing journey in university. Money was tight, and I wanted to find a way to create income beyond just a salary. Living in Portugal at the time, I sold my car, freeing up \u20ac3,000\u2014money that I decided to invest rather than spend.<\/p>

My first investments were in Baltic stocks and peer-to-peer lending, specifically Olympic Entertainment Group shares and early crowdfunding platforms like IsePankur and Omaraha. While my portfolio was small, I tracked every investment, every expense, and every financial goal from day one. I knew that in order to reach financial freedom, I had to be disciplined and commit to long-term growth.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/h3>

The Mindset Shift: From Side Project to Full Commitment<\/h3>

\u00a0<\/p>

At first, investing was just a way to save and grow my money, but as my portfolio grew, I realized it could be a path to financial independence.<\/p>

I started setting clear goals\u2014one of the biggest being to achieve financial freedom by 30. I knew this meant saving and investing aggressively, keeping my lifestyle costs low, and continuously increasing my income.<\/p>

Over the years, I explored almost every asset class and investment opportunity available. Some worked, some didn\u2019t. But the key takeaway was this: to achieve above-average returns, you need an edge. That edge can come from:<\/p>

Experience \u2013 Personal long-term experience in a field can put you ahead of others<\/p>

Information \u2013 having access to the right information and a wide network can be a competitive edge<\/p>

Access to capital \u2013 leverage can be a useful tool when used right<\/p>

Through trial and error, I found my strengths in real estate, fixed-income instruments, and venture capital \u2014 a strategy that continues to shape my portfolio today.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

How I Built My Portfolio from \u20ac3,000 to \u20ac1,000,000+<\/h3>

\u00a0<\/p>

Investing wasn\u2019t just about putting money into stocks\u2014it was also about maximizing income. While growing my portfolio, I worked long hours in demanding roles:<\/p>

  • Balancing full-time university studies while working full-time at Wise (then TransferWise)<\/li>
  • Learning SQL, Excel, statistics, and financial analysis to advance my career<\/li>
  • Organizing 200+ investment events with Investeerimisklubi, meeting top investors and founders<\/li>
  • Building side projects and starting my own business ventures<\/li><\/ul>

    My portfolio growth came from a combination of increasing my monthly income, saving as much as possible and investing wisely. Even during market downturns, I stuck to the plan\u2014buying when others hesitated and staying consistent.<\/p>

    By 2021, my portfolio officially passed \u20ac1 million, proving that discipline, long-term vision, and taking calculated risks pay off.<\/p>

    \u00a0<\/h3>

    My Portfolio Today<\/h3>

    My investing philosophy has always been about balancing growth with stability while maintaining enough liquidity to adapt to new opportunities and market cycles.<\/p>

    Here\u2019s how my portfolio looked in early 2023:<\/p>

    • 48% \u2013 Real Estate<\/li>
    • 19% \u2013 Venture Capital<\/li>
    • 16% \u2013 Loans, Bonds & Crowdfunding<\/li>
    • 14% \u2013 Stocks and Index Funds (Baltic & Foreign Markets)<\/li>
    • 3% \u2013 Cash & Equivalents<\/li><\/ul>

      Unlike many investors, I have a strong focus on startups, as I believe in the potential of high-growth companies to drive outsized returns. My portfolio has evolved significantly over time\u2014from starting with stocks and crowdfunding to a more diverse mix, incorporating real estate for stability and cash reserves to remain flexible.<\/p>

      \u00a0<\/h3>

      Biggest Lessons Learned

      <\/h3>

      1. Start small, but start now \u2013 Your first investment doesn\u2019t have to be big; what matters is building the habit.<\/p><\/li>

      2. Keep track of everything \u2013 If you don\u2019t measure your finances, you can\u2019t improve them.<\/p><\/li>

      3. Surround yourself with the right people \u2013 The biggest game-changer for me was meeting experienced investors and founders from whom I could learn from<\/p><\/li>

      4. Increase your income \u2013 Cutting expenses is essential, but growing your earning potential makes a much bigger difference in the long run<\/p><\/li>

      5. Be patient and stay disciplined \u2013 The best returns come over years, not months.<\/p><\/li><\/ol>

        \u00a0<\/h3>

        Why I Co-Founded Portfellow

        <\/h3>

        One thing that always frustrated me was how hard it was to get a clear, real-time view of my investments. I had been tracking my portfolio with a self-made Excel spreadsheet for 10 years. It worked well, but taking into account the time spent on keeping the spreadsheet up to date, it was not really a scalable long-term solution.<\/p>

        That\u2019s why I co-founded Portfellow\u2014a tool designed to give investors a clear, structured way to track and manage their portfolios. It brings together stocks, bonds, real estate, startups, and alternative investments into one platform, helping investors make smarter decisions backed by real data.<\/p>


        Final Thoughts

        <\/h3>

        The biggest financial asset you have is not your money\u2014it\u2019s your mindset. If you develop the right habits, surround yourself with the right people, and stay disciplined, financial independence is just a matter of time.<\/p>

        I hope my journey inspires more people to start investing, set bigger financial goals, and take control of their future. And if you’re looking for a better way to track your investments, check out Portfellow\u2014it was built for investors, by investors.<\/p>

        Happy investing! \ud83d\ude80<\/p>

        <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

        \n\t\t\t\t
        \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
        \n\t\t\t
        <\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        Meet the Founder: Marko Oolo \u00a0 Building wealth isn\u2019t about luck\u2014it\u2019s about discipline, strategy, and making smart decisions consistently over time. My name is Marko Oolo, and my investment journey started in 2014 with \u20ac3,000\u2014the amount I got from selling my car. Fast forward to today, my portfolio has grown past \u20ac1 million, and investing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4482,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4477","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/www2.portfellow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Marko-Oolo-Portfellow-blog-1-600x400.png","author_info":{"display_name":"Portfellow","author_link":"https:\/\/www2.portfellow.com\/et\/author\/admin\/"},"featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/www2.portfellow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Marko-Oolo-Portfellow-blog-1-600x600.png","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www2.portfellow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Marko-Oolo-Portfellow-blog-1.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.portfellow.com\/et\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4477","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.portfellow.com\/et\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.portfellow.com\/et\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.portfellow.com\/et\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.portfellow.com\/et\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4477"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www2.portfellow.com\/et\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4477\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4529,"href":"https:\/\/www2.portfellow.com\/et\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4477\/revisions\/4529"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.portfellow.com\/et\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4482"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www2.portfellow.com\/et\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4477"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.portfellow.com\/et\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4477"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www2.portfellow.com\/et\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4477"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}