Moldovan IT companies get to know the Swedish market

Through Open Trade Gate Sweden, OTGS, 12 Moldovan IT companies have received support to understand the Swedish market and advice on how to find customers in new markets. The project has involved e-learning sessions, coaching and two visits to Stockholm. Three companies share their experiences from the project.

Atomate Software first heard about OTGS through Startup Moldova and then applied to be part of the export project. Their goal is to export their services to the European market, and Valentina Botnazu Sisman says that they are specifically interested in the Nordic countries.

Valentina Botnazu Sisman from Atomate Software describes the education and support the company has received through Open Trade Gate Sweden.

Mentorship possibility sparked interest in participating

“We feel that they are quite close to us when it comes to honesty and working hard. For us, Sweden, it’s not only about nice new innovation technologies, but also about innovation and how to improve our lives through technology.”

The mentorship possibility was a key factor that made Atomate Software interested in the project.

“To get someone from the outside to tell us if we were fit at all for the Swedish market and what specifically we must do to be part of it – that was super helpful for us and really what we needed most at this moment,” says Valentina Botnazu Sisman from Atomate Software.

Atomate Software specialises in developing web software and mobile apps. During the project, the company both participated in group sessions with other Moldovan companies and had one-to-one coaching sessions with a collaboration partner to OTGS.

“It is the first time we have somebody giving us their honest opinion about our communication and marketing materials. After that, we could refine our message, and this helped us to express a lot more clearly what a company gets in a partnership with us. We also received coaching in building an export plan and we are now working on getting that plan implemented as soon as possible.”

Coaching sessions helped develop an export plan

Nicolae Guzun at Bend came to Sweden to investigate the exporting possibilities.

Nicolae Guzun from Bend talks about the importance of understanding the business culture. 

“Considering our current customer base, exporting to the EU is paramount to us. And this step also aligns with our goal to provide tech talent in Europe while also providing sustainable job growth back home,” says Nicolae Guzun.

He thinks that the visits to Stockholm has been very important parts of the project. Also, the assistance from OTGS has been of great importance to understand the Swedish market, according to Nicolae Guzun.

“We obtained insights to the market. We have also been introduced to key markets with a high demand in the tech sector. Also we had several coaching sessions where we learned new methodologies to be able to prepare an export plan, specifically tailored for the Swedish market.”

But to be able to start new partnerships it is important to get to know the partner. As with any other country, Sweden has a unique business environment and has specific regulations.

“In order to find a partner, we need to understand the business culture, the way of doing business with Swedish companies. We also want to understand the actual needs in the tech sector here. But with the expert coaching and insights from OTGS I am sure we will be able to navigate through these challenges,” says Nicolae Guzun.

Impressed by the openness to Moldovan companies

The Moldovan company Oneest already exports to some EU countries, but their new goal is to enter the Nordic markets. Through OTGS, the company got important insights and advice on how to approach the Swedish market.

Eugenia Surucinski from Oneest describes the importance of insights into the market and the business environment in Sweden.

Oneest specialises in building custom technology solutions for automotive and mobility companies and start-ups.

“OTGS together with Invest Moldova and our mentor that we received through OGTS, have been instrumental for us to obtain more insights into the market, to the challenges, and to the business environment here”, says Eugenia Surucinski. 

During the cooperation with OTGS, the participants designed and created an export strategy for Sweden and received advice and coaching along the way.

Finding the unique selling point is key

The Moldovan companies visited different science centres and universities and also met with various companies during their session with OTGS in Sweden.

“After the visits, I got some important insights. I think the public sector and the private sector in Moldova need to get together and design a strategy on how we can be competitive and what we need to work on to improve our country’s brand. Because we want to be a country known for tech expertise and its highly skilled workforce.”

Eugenia Surucinski thinks the Swedish market, like other markets in Europe, offers a lot of possibilities, but she also recognises challenges. The biggest challenge for her company, she says, is to establish trust and to become known to big companies in the automotive and mobility industry.

“It’s a fierce competition in this market and we really need to define what our unique selling point is, and how best we can communicate this to potential partners.”