Annija Eizenarma
Built and exited an innovative technology company within traditional space in Europe. Now building the relationship layer for the markets the modern playbook forgets — from Europe to the USA.
LinkedIn
I spent years inside the rooms most tech founders never enter — factories, yards, construction sites, electrician rooms, rental shops, family-run businesses. Engineering, automation, deals closed on a handshake, not a Calendly link.
Then I moved to San Francisco and watched brilliant founders build exactly the right product for exactly those buyers — and hit the same wall, every time. Not because the product was wrong. Because the bridge wasn't there.
AE Bridges exists for both sides of that gap. For the companies that have built something real and need to be seen, understood, and trusted in a new market. And for the traditional businesses and investors who know what they're looking for — but need someone who speaks both languages to find it.
Built in Europe. Learned in USA.
Built a traditional industry company. From the inside.
Co-founder and co-owner at Echoo Group — electrical networks, low-voltage and building automation across Europe — and at BISS, Latvia's leading parking and access systems developer, acquired by Echoo Group. Built and operated until 2023 in fragmented, relationship-driven markets where contracts close on trust, references, and decades of reputation. Echoo Group was later acquired by Nordomatic, Europe's largest building automation manufacturer.
Sold the company. Learned the deal side.
Worked through the BISS transaction end to end — owner conversations, diligence, integration. Saw acquisition from the seller's seat: how targets are really found, how trust is built before a single number is shared, and how most processes leave value on the table because no one opened the door properly.
Crossing the ocean with the same thesis.
Moved to San Francisco after my exit — without a clear plan for what to build next. Ended up mentoring 100+ startups through Techstars, EWOR, and other accelerator programs. Along the way became a venture scout, completed venture capitalist university, and made angel investments in Silicon Valley. The more I worked with founders, the more I realized I wanted to make a bigger impact and actually enjoy the creative process. So I shifted into hands-on advising, going deep with companies across construction, equipment rental, energy, manufacturing, healthcare, and fashion. Same pattern, every time: modern playbooks break. Relationships, and the right positioning, still win.
The bridge, built on purpose.
AE Bridges is the practice I wished existed when I started: a GTM and M&A advisory built for technology companies selling into legacy sectors, and for operators growing through acquisition. Built from inside the industry — on both sides of the Atlantic.
Three things I believe — and run the practice on.
Hands on advisor, not consultant.
I've sat in the seat. Carried the number. Closed the deal. Every engagement is run by people who've done the work, not just diagrammed it.
Relationships compound.
The owners, operators, and acquirers I've built relationships with over the last decade are the layer. That layer doesn't appear in a sequence — it's earned, slowly, and rented selectively.
Two cultures, one bridge.
Raised in Latvia, building in San Francisco. Comfortable in the room with a third-generation equipment rental owner — and in the room with a YC founder. The translation between them is the work.