Growth and Scaling Through AI – How 15 ambitious startups are building global growth strategies with AI 

Artificial intelligence is no longer a futuristic add-on – it’s a core driver of competitiveness. Companies that strategically embed AI into their operations are better positioned to grow, scale, and succeed internationally. This belief drives Growth and Scaling through AI (GSAI), a joint initiative by Movexum (Gävleborg, Sweden), Yrityssalo (Salo, Finland), AI Sweden (Sweden), and Tehnopol (Tallinn, Estonia). 

This 9-month international scale-up programme supports startups from Estonia, Finland, and Sweden in expanding beyond their home markets and reaching scale-up status. By combining business development, AI capability building, investor readiness, and internationalisation, GSAI equips founders with the tools to grow efficiently and sustainably. 

 “Our goal is to help founders integrate AI in a way that drives measurable business results while preparing them for the challenges of international growth,” says Kristiina Libe, Project Manager of GSAI. 

 A journey of four sprints 

 Over nine months, participating startups take part in four intensive sprints across Sweden, Estonia, and Finland – each designed to strengthen their international growth journey. 

The programme began in Gävle with a focus on scalability and market readiness, then continued in Stockholm, where founders explored responsible AI deployment and built their first AI application roadmaps. Next comes Tallinn, where the Growth Essentials sprint will focus on growth hacking, sales strategies, and team productivity. The journey will conclude in Salo with Growth Convergence, where startups will refine their scale-up strategies, review AI development, and prepare for investor pitching. 

 Sharpening growth strategies in Tallinn 

 The Growth Essentials sprint, taking place on 22–23 October 2025 in Tallinn, will help startups translate their AI potential into market success. This sprint focuses on the human and operational aspects of scaling- how to build high-performing teams, sharpen sales processes, and design growth strategies that work across borders.  

 To guide this process, the sprint brings together an exceptional lineup of experts who combine international experience with hands-on insight. 

Mariliis Uibomäe, a growth marketing strategist with experience in more than 50 countries, will help teams translate growth ambitions into actionable marketing and AI strategies – moving beyond theory to real-world traction. “AI isn’t here to replace people – it replaces the shortage of time, talent, and hands. Real growth begins when those former blockers become your leverage,” Uibomäe said.  

Kalev Kaarna, a former investor and startup coach with deep expertise in sales and positioning, will challenge founders to think beyond niche markets and establish themselves as category leaders. “A strong sales strategy helps clients compare alternatives, positions your product as the category leader, and removes decision-making fears. FOMU – the Fear of Messing Up – is always greater than FOMO,” Kaarna explained. 

Finally, Stoyan Yankov, a productivity consultant and bestselling author who has mentored hundreds of companies worldwide, will lead a hands-on workshop on building resilient, high-performing teams that can that can sustain growth and execution under pressure. 

Together, this trio of experts brings a balance of growth marketing, sales mastery, and organisational performance – giving participating startups not just insights but practical blueprints they can apply immediately. 

Meet the startups 

Meet fifteen startups from Estonia, Finland, and Sweden participating in the first GSAI cohort — each applying AI to strengthen their business, scale efficiently, and expand into new international markets. 

🇪🇪 Estonia 

Raalio is redefining IT device lifecycle management by automating HR and IT operations while promoting circular economy practices. The company is expanding into the UK and Sweden, using AI to streamline logistics and marketing. 

FitSphere has reached over 150,000 users in Estonia with its playful wellness app. Now, it’s scaling into Belgium, the Netherlands, and Finland, using AI for sales optimisation, personalisation, and product development. 

ELDYcare is transforming elderly care with a smart management platform, integrating AI into workflows for care facilities and caregivers to deliver more personalised and proactive care. 

Eetos (Ethos Books) helps elderly adults preserve their life stories through AI-powered memoir creation, blending human interviewing with advanced AI storytelling for scalable legacy preservation. 

Scrubin is building the first global professional network for healthcare providers, already connecting over 60,000 professionals. With AI-powered recruitment and scheduling, Scrubin is tackling inefficiencies in healthcare staffing across the Nordics, Canada, and France. 

🇫🇮 Finland 

Koll Group Oy is redefining telecommunications by creating a secure and transparent call network where every caller’s identity and purpose are clear. The company uses AI to enhance user security and automate customer operations while preparing to expand into new markets. 

Paljon Oy is helping SMEs grow through smarter customer engagement. Its AI-powered platform, NANO, personalises loyalty and reactivation marketing at scale. Paljon is expanding to Sweden and Estonia, building strategic partnerships to sharpen AI capabilities. 

People Cloud Oy simplifies subcontracting and sourcing with a digital platform that automates vendor management. By integrating AI into sourcing process automation, People Cloud aims to drive operational efficiency and scale across European markets. 

Vauhtisammakko Oy brings its popular Finnish running coaching expertise to the world through RunFrog, a digital training platform. Integrating AI into content creation and personalised training, the company aims to expand internationally and strengthen its data-driven coaching model. 

Superhood Oy empowers communities and citizens by connecting local information, services, and conversations in one app. The company uses AI to personalise news feeds, automate moderation, and enhance community engagement as it scales globally. 

🇸🇪 Sweden 

DevUP Solutions helps businesses take control of Azure with Helium, a SaaS platform that automates cloud management and governance. Using AI for automated analysis and improvement suggestions, DevUP enables teams to optimise security, compliance, and performance across complex cloud environments. 

Flowity AB revolutionises road maintenance with its Flowity Road AI system, which detects and analyses road defects using AI computer vision and machine learning. The company is expanding into Europe and North America, using AI to predict maintenance needs and optimise infrastructure investments. 

Saluto is a healthtech company applying predictive AI algorithms to preventive health and employee wellbeing. The company’s data-driven health analytics platform delivers personalised insights and supports fitness and wellbeing providers in creating engaging, efficient services. 

Nudgd is a behavioural science SaaS company enabling large-scale climate action through its Smart Nudges platform. By applying AI to personalise and automate behavioural interventions, Nudgd helps cities, companies, and institutions promote sustainable choices in everyday life. 

PryvX is a privacy-preserving data collaboration platform for telcos, banks, and financial institutions. Using privacy-enhancing technologies and AI-driven analytics, PryvX enables secure, real-time fraud detection across organisations without exposing sensitive data. 

These startups demonstrate how AI-driven innovation is thriving in the Central Baltic region. By working together through shared learning, mentorship, and international collaboration, the GSAI participants are building the foundation for smarter, more resilient, and sustainable growth across borders. 

Growth and Scaling through AI (GSAI) is funded by the Interreg Central Baltic Programme. Over three years, it will support 45 startups through sprints in Gävleborg, Stockholm, Tallinn, and Salo, helping ambitious founders refine AI-powered business models, strengthen growth strategies, and scale into new European markets. 

If you’d like to join future editions of the programme, you can register your interest here.