Kistefos is a privately owned holding company

Holding company

A holding company is a company or firm that owns other companies' outstanding stock. It usually refers to a company which does not produce goods or services itself; rather, its purpose is to own shares of other companies. Holding companies allow the reduction of risk for the owners and can allow...

 that pursues investments within venture capital

Venture capital

Venture capital is financial capital provided to early-stage, high-potential, high risk, growth startup companies. The venture capital fund makes money by owning equity in the companies it invests in, which usually have a novel technology or business model in high technology industries, such as...

, private equity

Private equity

Private equity, in finance, is an asset class consisting of equity securities in operating companies that are not publicly traded on a stock exchange....

, offshore, shipping

Shipping

Shipping has multiple meanings. It can be a physical process of transporting commodities and merchandise goods and cargo, by land, air, and sea. It also can describe the movement of objects by ship.Land or "ground" shipping can be by train or by truck...

 and other sectors. It is owned by Christen Sveaas

Christen Sveaas

Christen Sveaas is a Norwegian businessperson.He was born in Oslo, and has a degree from the University of St. Gallen in 1981. His paternal great-grandfather Anders Sveaas , who founded the company Kistefos Træsliberi in 1889. The company was sold by the family to Viul Tresliperi in 1983, against...

 and led by CEO

Chief executive officer

A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...

 Åge Korsvold

Åge Korsvold

Åge Korsvold is a Norwegian businessperson and since 2006 chief executive officer of Kistefos.He was born in Oslo. He is educated in business administration from the University of Pennsylvania in 1971. He started working for Storebrand in 1972 before becoming chief financial officer in Golden West...

.

Among the subsidiaries of Kistefos are Viking Supply Ships

Viking Supply Ships

Viking Supply Ships is a supply shipping company based in Kristiansand, Norway. Owned by Kistefos it owns four anchor handling tugs, six platform supply vessels and seven barges as well as for anchor handling tugs on order....

, Viking Barges and half of Trans Viking Icebreaking & Offshore

Trans Viking Icebreaking & Offshore

Trans Viking Icebreaking & Offshore is an icebreaker shipping company. A joint venture between Viking Supply Ships and Rederi Transatlantic the company operates three icebreakers on contract with the Swedish Maritime Administration for icebreaking in the Baltic Sea from January through March...

, Waterfront Shipping

Waterfront Shipping

Waterfront Shipping is a shipping company that operates six clean product tankers each at about 84,000 deadweight tonnes. The company is based in Oslo, Norway and is a subsidiary of Kistefos...

 and Western Bulk

Western Bulk

Western Bulk is a dry bulk shipping company based in Oslo, Norway. A subsidiary of Kistefos, the company charters and operates around 60 handymax vessels.-History:...

, all in shipping. The group also owns a number of smaller technology venture companies in addition to a large real estate

Real estate

In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...

 portfolio managed by Kistefos Eiendom.

The company dates back to 1889 when Sveaas' family founded the lumber mill Kistefos Træsliberi

Kistefos Træsliberi

Kistefos Træsliberi is a former pulp mill and hydroelectric power plant in Jevnaker, Norway. It was founded by Kistefos at the river Randselva in 1889.-History:...

.