Jyväskylä helps companies break into the international sports business market

Finland has tremendous expertise in exercise and sport. Jyväskylä in particular is known for sports-related research. There is commercial potential for competence, even internationally. But how can Finnish companies get break into the international market?

Immobility costs Finland a huge amount. This increases the risk of several common diseases and increases healthcare costs. How can we get people moving?

The solution to the immobility crisis is being worked on in Jyväskylä. The city is known for its sports expertise, as it is home to Finland’s only faculty of sport and health sciences and a research centre for competitive and elite sports.

"There are several companies in Finland that are finding solutions to immobility directly or indirectly through gamification, for example. These companies are typically in the start-up phase and need more capital to really take off. However, the Finnish market is small," says Nina Rautiainen, Program Manager at Jyväskylä Business Services.

"There are several companies in Finland that are finding solutions to immobility", says Nina Rautiainen, Program Manager at Jyväskylä Business Services.

Jyväskylä is part of the Sport Finland network, which also includes the cities of Lahti and Kuopio. Among other things, the network develops innovations that increase well-being by helping the companies that develop them to grow. One way to grow is to look for markets outside of Finland.

But how can you break into the international sports business from home?

Relationships are created face to face

"Getting out into the world and building a new market requires companies to go local. The impact is still made face to face," says Rautiainen.

Jyväskylä and other Sport Finland cities decided to organise two trips to Spain in 2024: in the spring to Madrid and Bilbao and in the autumn to Seville. Both trips included companies that are all linked to mobility in one way or another. The goal of the delegations was to meet as many new partners and customers as possible in Spain, i.e. to build networks. On these trips, the companies met local sports clubs and teams, for example.

Spain was chosen because Jyväskylä has worked with Spanish football brands and sports influencers for many years. For example, courses were organised at Jyväskylä University of Applied Sciences in cooperation with LaLiga’s Nordic delegate Juan Fuentes Fernandez. In addition, Jyväskylä and Bilbao have a joint Innovation Bridge agreement through which the cities cooperate in research related to football. The aim was to make use of the existing connections for the benefit of all cities and companies.

"The football business in Spain is huge, and the interest is not limited to improving athletes’ physical performance. For example, stadium technology, the mental well-being of athletes and engaging fans are of interest to Spaniards. Finnish companies have solutions for these," says Rautiainen.

ONIT Sport trains athletes’ minds

One of the companies that has started this journey is ONIT Sport, which offers athletes psychological coaching digitally. Psychological coaching means developing an athlete’s mental skills, such as self-confidence, concentration, social skills and motivation. The customers of a company in the start-up phase are mainly sports teams, clubs and sports federations.

"Clubs have understood the significance of mental abilities for athletes’ well-being and performance. The problem is that, especially in junior sports, coaching is done by volunteers, and clubs do not have the money or time to look for a competent coach," says Laura Andelin, founder and CEO of ONIT Sport.

Laura Andelin, founder and CEO of ONIT Sport. 

ONIT Sport offers research-based, easy and cost-effective psychological coaching tools. The company develops a mobile app that is suitable for all athletes, regardless of age and sport. Now the goal is to become international.

“In recent years, we have tested and developed the application in Finland, and now it is ready for the international market; for example, in terms of its operating capacity,” says Andelin.

A well-prepared trip saves companies time 

According to Andelin, for a small company, establishing relationships on the international market is like looking for a needle in a haystack. The opportunity to go to Spain came at a suitable time for ONIT Sport.

The trip was very efficient for us, as we had the opportunity to meet several different companies over the course of a few days. No more than two out of ten meetings will lead to the next steps, so it is important to meet many companies," says Andelin.

The Sport Finland team took care of everything from travel arrangements to arranging meetings. This allowed companies to focus on the actual matter in hand, i.e. meetings and presenting their business idea. According to Andelin, the small startup is used to doing everything itself, so having everything prepared felt particularly luxurious.

After the trip, ONIT Sport has continued its cooperation with the Spanish national football league LaLiga. The trip also confirmed the fact that the company’s expansion abroad is starting in the Spanish market.

Building trust requires years of work

According to Nina Rautiainen, most of the work was done before booking flights.

Before the trip, the project team spent time identifying suitable companies.

The companies going on the trip were found through an open search for companies in the technology sector. The search was directed at companies focused on sports, fan engagement, stadium technology, artificial intelligence and energy solutions.

Arranging appointments was a task of its own.

"Being able to arrange meetings requires long-term work and even years of building trust. International players need to be convinced that we are special and not wasting their time. A well-prepared trip is about respecting the recipient," says Rautiainen.

Careful preparation for Spanish business culture and performance was an important part of the preparations for the trip. In Bilbao, for example, the partners are looking forward to a relaxed meeting with enough time to chat about the entrepreneurs’ backgrounds. Madrid, on the other hand, is a big city where busy representatives of large companies expect a sharp performance and a confident presenter. With the help of advance preparation, the participating companies were able to adapt their presentation to suit each audience.

Contacts have been created – what happens next?

Now the gates to Spain are open. The project will end in December, but a joint event with LaLiga is in the pipeline next autumn. Following the trip, the companies themselves have kept in touch with the contacts they made.

Andelin hopes that the next step will be to help companies enter the market. Very concrete help, such as advice on local legislation and taxation, would be extremely valuable.

"For example, there could be a local support person in Spain who would help Finnish companies find financing opportunities. This would ensure that good contacts are not wasted," says Andelin.

According to Rautiainen, presenting Finnish expertise abroad is in the interest of the whole of Finland. When Finnish companies present themselves as one group, it gives an impression of a country with enormously interesting business activities.

“When we appear confident abroad, we open up the market for Finnish companies and attract valuable talent here as well,” Rautiainen points out.

Jyväskylä is part of the InnoCities network. The vision of the city is to create better conditions for growth business related to physical activity, health promotion and well-being in Finland. A further aim is to solve societal challenges and promote the well-being of humanity.