This document provides advice on how to successfully compete in international markets from an experienced entrepreneur and investor. It discusses that while Finland has many promising startups, very few reach international scale or success. The key is being able to solve customers' problems at a large scale from their perspective. It provides an analogy that amateur hobby fishing involves waiting for fish to come, while professional fishing involves learning from locals to target specific high-value fish, testing different baits, and then scaling up operations to catch more fish through building a larger fleet or unique approach. The overall message is that international success requires deep customer understanding and a strategy to scale up problem-solving.

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…

9. Professional fisherman needs to
catch fish ! How do they do it ?

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

13. Or do it your own special way…

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…

15. Kysy vaikka ”ammattilaiselta” –
reijo.syrjalainen@gorillaventures.fi

16. Happy fishing…