Navigating global growth
Expanding digital development business internationally is a thrilling goal. It is common to dream big—more customers, broader talent pools and greater opportunities await beyond the current borders. Yet, while the potential rewards are clear, internationalisation has its challenges. The path can be costly, fraught with risks, and—if not approached carefully—can leave you with little more than an expensive bill, a frustrated team, and wasted time.
To seize the opportunity and make it work, it matters how you expand. Internationalisation requires a deep understanding of your target market. You need to immerse yourself in the dynamics of the new location. This often means going abroad, building local connections, and having someone in your team who truly understands the nuances of the market.
I had the chance to visit Lisbon this November during the Web Summit, where one of my key takeaways was: the companies that thrive internationally are those that physically engage with the markets they aim to enter.
But there is no one-size-fits-all approach. From hiring local talent and collaborating with international partners to leveraging global customers, the strategies are diverse. Whether your focus is on selling, serving, or delivering internationally—or adopting a hybrid local-digital model—this newsletter is here to guide your planning and help you explore strategies to get to new markets.
Let’s navigate the world together!
Riikka Uimonen , Fusion Ecosystem Investment Director at Reaktor
Reaktor’s road to Lisbon - Learnings from opening a new office abroad
Lisbon. An ambitious and talented tech community, easy access to both Central Europe and the United States, and a competitive international business scene. The perfect next chapter in Reaktor’s story. Reaktor began exploring Lisbon in 2019, and after a few years, they successfully established a new office there.
They are now sharing their valuable insights gained from launching a new location abroad. Read more here.
Fusion Ecosystem: A Global Network
Our ecosystem consists of over 6000 experts, across 30+ companies in 15+ locations worldwide. We’re fostering international collaboration, driving innovation, and unlocking new opportunities globally. Wherever you’re looking to go, Fusion companies help you pick the right route, vehicle and crew for the voyage.
Here are some of the many international Fusion companies whose growth stories you might find interesting:
Codemate
Over the past 17 years, Codemate has evolved through a couple of essential phases. Their founders, Toni Piirainen and Jukka Katajaharju, who remain actively involved in the company’s leadership, were once globe-trotting tech experts for the same employer. Burned out by relentless travel, they envisioned a better way of working – one that prioritises well-being while attracting the industry’s best talent.
In 2007, Codemate was born, simultaneously in the cold North of Finland and the warmth of Southeast Asia. From the beginning, their connection to Asia has set them apart from others. You could say they embraced remote work from sunny beaches before it became a trend. Their Northern hub in Oulu remains our spiritual home, influencing the culture and values of all their offices. This “Northern way” of working – grounded, collaborative, and practical – is part of their DNA.
Today, with offices in Helsinki, Oulu, Jyv?skyl?, and Bangkok, Codemate's team of 95+ talented designers and developers collaborates with global clients like Google and Netflix to create world-class digital products.
领英推荐
Sevendos
Sevendos operates a Talent Hub in Málaga that isn’t just a cost-effective nearshore location, it’s a strategic center where they match their clients’ specific needs with the best, specialized talent available.
This approach allows us to offer our clients the dual advantage of exceptional service and cost efficiency.
Says Mika Viskari , Co-Founder of Sevendos & Málaga Talent Hub Lead.
With talent-shoring, their main goal is to build and scale high-quality software development teams for their clients that deliver top-tier results, regardless of location. Today, their Málaga-based Talent Hub unites a diverse team of 11 nationalities, delivering top-tier results for global clients like Babbel and Finnair.
Software Sauna
Croatia, the country with a dazzling Adriatic coastline, sunny beaches, crystal clean waters, photogenic cities and villages. The home of King's Landing in Game of Thrones. Those are the first things that many people refer to when thinking about Croatia. Those same things were also in mind of Software Sauna’s CEO and founder Ilkka-Cristian Niemi after his summer holidays in Croatia.
He stepped on Croatian soil for the very first time back in 2013. The rest is history someone would say. After several holidays on the coast and hockey games in Zagreb (yes, they used to play hockey in Zagreb!) the idea of a “Nordic style” software development agency in Croatia was born.
Is a person an entrepreneur by birth or does she become one?
Mikaela Nyman , the CEO and co-founder of Nieve Consulting Services , a software consultancy based in Malaga, believes both can be true simultaneously.
Entrepreneurship is partly a combination of various personality traits, which can be nurtured by the environment people grow and work in. On the other hand, it can be a fulfilment for passions that arise from a person’s personality and environment.
There are many new elements in Nieve that tickles entrepreneurial curiosity in Mikaela. Firstly, software development is a new business for her. Secondly, the company is founded abroad. Mikaela moved to Spain with her family, and now while they build their new life in the South, she is deep-diving in the local technology scene.
Fusion Ecosystem is an ecosystem of 30+ international digital development companies accelerated by Reaktor. Driven by our core mission, to create and grow thriving companies, Fusion co-founds and funds new consulting companies, and we are constantly on a look for new founders to join us. Read more.