Espoo-based Prenew has secured €1.8 million in fresh funding to expand its refurbished gaming PC marketplace internationally and ramp up hiring in Finland. The round was led by Antler, with participation from Outlast VC, Silence VC, Nuard Ventures, and a syndicate of operators from Swappie, Wolt, Framery, and Just Eat. Prenew plans to use the capital to enter new European markets and hire up to 100 employees in Finland over the next 18 months, doubling down on automation in device refurbishment and marketplace infrastructure.
Founded in 2024 by Viljami Meriläinen and Roope Aarnio, Prenew operates a cross-border marketplace for professionally refurbished gaming PCs, targeting a fast-growing segment of price-conscious and sustainability-driven gamers. The company is currently active in Finland, Sweden, and Germany and employs 20 people.
“Second-hand commerce will become a significant part of buying and selling gaming PCs in the future. In a short time, Prenew has built a service with great potential to become the standard in this category. This is reflected, for example, in the fact that nearly half of customers currently come through referrals,” says Viljami Meriläinen, Co-Founder of Prenew.
With the new capital injection, Prenew plans to accelerate its expansion into additional European markets while significantly growing its team. According to Co-Founder Viljami Meriläinen, the company intends to hire 100 employees in Finland over the next 18 months, primarily across operations, technology, and marketplace functions.
“We are extremely happy about the warm reception Prenew has received. With this new funding, we are able to expand into new markets and recruit for several key roles. To support our growth, we will be hiring 100 employees in Finland over the next 1.5 years,” says Viljami Meriläinen, Co-Founder of Prenew.
Unlike smartphones or laptops, gaming PCs are highly customized, component-based devices, making refurbishment and standardization significantly more complex. Prenew has focused on automating key parts of the refurbishment process to ensure quality, scalability, and transparent pricing.
Jussi Kallasvuo, Partner at Antler, says, “Prenew has succeeded in automating the refurbishment of complex devices. This enables the introduction of an entirely new type of product to markets where second-hand operations have previously been very limited.”
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Read the orginal article: https://arcticstartup.com/prenew-raises-e1-8-million/
