Success stories | Finnish Business & Culture in Poland
Photo by Agileday
Photo by Agileday
Agileday - Interview with Mikko Virtanen
INTERVIEW WITH MIKKO VIRTANEN Co-CEO and One of the Founders of Agileday Agileday, founded in Finland in 2022, provides a SaaS-platform for the knowledge work industry that connects sales, projects, people, and strategies into one single source of truth, providing a connected systems view of the entire operation. Tuomas Asunmaa talked with Mikko Virtanen about entering the Polish IT market.
You are a relatively young company and have already entered the Polish market – how did it come about? We launched last March, and from day one our company has been focused on international growth. We were considering both Sweden and Poland as our first export markets, but things started to happen in Poland much faster and we gained our first Polish client in May. And then you stepped up a gear? We then investigated the Polish market more closely and began meeting people there. During our visits, we held around 15 meetings a week and received a positive overall reception. We also joined SoDA* and their event. Our target is now to focus more on the Polish market. Why Poland exactly?
*SoDA - Software Development Association Poland - which helps promote, support, grow and integrate Polish software companies. Mikko Virtanen +358 50 5583 777 mikko.virtanen@agileday.io www.agileday.io
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Well, I can give you four reasons. First, it's a large market with high volumes. Secondly, it's a growing market. Third, the IT market is already mature and ready; companies are engaged in numerous international projects and successfully compete in tough markets, especially in the UK and USA. Other CEE countries have not yet reached that level. Finally, all of that means that Polish companies are very focused, hungry for growth, and eager to expand
rapidly. The energy level is great and we are helping them reach the next level. Yes, the Polish IT market is experiencing lots of top-level startups nowadays. Exactly, and it's also fun to work with Polish companies! Have you encountered any surprises? At times, Polish business culture is still quite hierarchical, with managers overseeing even the small details. But the IT companies are challenging these norms and leading the change big time now. However, there has been nothing too significant overall. What would you advise other foreigners looking to enter the Polish market? First, meet people face to face. Online meetings followed by demos and followups won't suffice; you have to establish a local presence. If we weren’t physically present here, we would have failed. Secondly, be curious and creative and meet with everyone who is willing to connect with you. Don't exclude them if you don't see an exact match. You will gain something from every meeting. Last but not least – if you come from Finland, a small gift like Fazer chocolate always works wonders!
