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Estonian startups kick off their international growth journey through the GSAI program

From June 30 to July 1, Movexum hosted the international Scaling Launchpad Workshop in Gävle, Sweden, bringing together 15 startups from Estonia, Finland, and Sweden to develop their scaling plans and AI strategies. The workshop marked the official launch of the GSAI (Growth and Scaling Through AI) program. The Estonian startups participating in the program are: Eetos, ELDYcare, FitSphere, Scrubin, and raal.io.

GSAI (Growth and Scaling Through AI) is an international growth program funded by the Interreg Central BalticProgramme. Its goal is to accelerate the growth of startups in the Central Baltic region through data-driven business development and strategic implementation of AI. The program combines key scaling principles with the development of AI capabilities and offers support from experienced mentors and industry experts. Participants also take part in hands-on workshops held in Sweden, Finland, and Estonia. 

During the first workshop, participating teams analyzed the current limitations in their business models, evaluated potential EU target markets, and began developing tailored growth and AI integration plans.

 

Day 1: The science and practice of scaling — with Prof. Davide Sola

The first day featured a deep-dive session led by Professor Davide Sola, focusing on: 

  • The fundamentals of scaling: understanding key growth drivers and common pitfalls to avoid 
  • Internal business analysis: mapping product and business model constraints 
  • Selecting target EU markets: assessing market attractiveness, competitive advantage, and regulatory fit 

This allowed startups to return to the core architecture of their businesses and align their goals with data-driven growth strategies.

 

 Day 2: Market expansion, AI strategy, and growth planning 

On the second day, the focus shifted to international growth and AI integration: 

  • Defining the AI development challenge: each team identified a specific AI opportunity related to value creation, delivery, or capture 
  • Initiating growth and scaling plans: startups started building actionable blueprints that will guide them into the next phase — AI Studio Sprint 

This workshop was a key milestone for the GSAI program — it strengthened cross-border collaboration and offered a structured approach to planning growth and applying AI in a meaningful way. The next stage — AI Studio Sprint — will take place on September 23–24, 2025 in Stockholm, hosted by AI Sweden. The focus will be on advanced AI performance gap analysis, data availability, and AI applications in business models and value propositions. 

The next application round for the GSAI program opens in spring 2026. It’s a great opportunity for early-stage startups looking to scale their business and apply AI solutions in product or service development. Read more about the program here.  

GSAI – Growth and Scaling through AI is a joint initiative by Movexum (Gävle, Sweden), Yrityssalo (Salo, Finland), AI Sweden (Stockholm, Sweden), and Tehnopol (Tallinn, Estonia). The programme runs from 2025 to 2028, supporting 45 startups from the Central Baltic region in scaling their business through the strategic application of AI. The aim is to help startups expand or improve their value proposition or business model to enter their first or next EU market. 

Funded by: Interreg Central Baltic Programme 

Join the program!