1. If you aim on international
markets – you need to learn
how to compete !
Email: petri.lehmuskoski@gorillaventures.fi
Twitter: @petrileh
2. Background
• Started first company in 1983 at age of 18
– Build company to 120 Meur with over 180 man-years pa.
employment and operations in 7 countries
• Portfolio entrepreneur
• Angel financer since 80’s
– Initially project financing and more active since 2008
– Presently eight ”alive” investments
– Best investment 100 % ROI during first year. Overall ROI – 60 %
• Co-Founder at Gorilla Ventures accelerator
3. Finland has many promising start-
ups with potential
• Yet very few of them ever reach international scale and
become succesfull !
• Big challenge being able to compete in international markets
and being succesfull company !
4. Defination of being succesfull
1. Being able to create long lasting business (>5 years)
2. Operative cash-flow is positive and it is able to be profitable
in near future
3. Benefits the ecosystem around it
5. What is your approach angle ?
• PSC PROBLEM SOLUTION CUSTOMER
• SPC SOLUTION PROBLEM CUSTOMER
• PCS PROBLEM CUSTOMER SOLUTION
• CP$ CUSTOMER PROBLEM $OLUTION
6. You can be succeed only…
• From customers perspective
• On customers scale
7. Fishing as a pastime hobby
or
Making living as a fisherman ?
Email: petri.lehmuskoski@gorillaventures.fi
Twitter: @petrileh
8. Typical way to catch fish…
• Identify problmem: ”I want fish”
• Buy best equipment, find the prettiest spot, throw your bait
out, enjoy great weather and wait for the fishes to arrive
• And in the evening go to supermarket to buy ”something” to
bring home
• And sometimes tell the biggest fish story…
10. Get hints from the locals and learn
from the masters – no two places
are similar
Striped Bass
• Large
• High value
• Rare
Large Mouth Bass
• Medium
• High value
• Moderate Freq.
Crappie
• Small
• Moderate value
• Plentiful
Catfish
• Small to large
• Low value
• Moderate
11. Have patience to pivot and learn.
Different targets need different
baits.
12. After mastering it, it is time to
scale - build your own flotilla and
conquer the seas
14. Recap: How professionals catch
fish, and make living out of it
• Get hints from the locals and learn from the masters
• Decide on strategy – what you want to catch ?
• Test drive your hypothesis, pivot again and again. Finetube
your baits to suit targets
• And then scale and build your flotilla
• Or someties doing it special way might be sufficient…
