When the spotlight turned to Draivi at Google’s Think Global 2025 in Dublin, we didn’t just share our journey — we shared what it takes to scale from a Nordic startup to a global player.
Last week, part of the Draivi team had the privilege of joining one of Google’s most forward-looking events, surrounded by sunshine, sharp minds and some of Europe’s fastest-growing companies.
Draivi Takes the Stage
The highlight? Sharing the stage with Zalando to talk about Draivi’s growth from the Nordics into eight, soon nine international markets. For a performance-driven company like ours, it was a proud moment to stand beside iconic brands and prove that speed, focus, and data can outperform size.
The event, hosted at Google’s stunning Dublin campus, was flawlessly run. The atmosphere was electric with sharp content, great conversations, and high-caliber attendees from all over the world.
We were there as a group: Draivi co-founders Oula, Antti, and Jaakko, together with our CEO Ville Kymäläinen. One partner jokingly referred to Oula as “the Kimi Räikkönen of Nordic fintech” — cool-headed, precise, and always moving forward. We couldn’t agree more. Read more about our co-founders Oula & Antti.
From Nordic Roots to Global Reach
On stage, we were asked many insightful questions, but here are three that sparked particularly meaningful reflections:
Was international expansion part of your plan from the beginning, or did that ambition evolve? Yes, the global ambition was there from the start. In Finland, going international often means heading to Sweden – and we did that, along with building a strong foothold across all Nordic markets. But our aim was always bigger. Once the foundation was solid, we expanded into larger markets like Germany and Spain. By population alone, Germany is three times the size of all Nordic countries combined, and in our business model, opening up a new market requires the same effort regardless of market size – so why not go for the big ones? What started as ambition has turned into reality – Draivi is now thriving well beyond the Nordics.
Bootstrapped, Focused and Profitable
What was it like to build Draivi in the early days, without outside funding? We built Draivi from our own pockets, starting with just a €10,000 loan – no outside funding, no debt. That forced us to focus, stay lean, and do more with less. It also pushed us to become extremely strong in performance marketing and build our own proprietary marketing data platform early on. That platform remains critical today – guiding how we allocate budgets and making sure every euro we spend drives long-term value. On the downside, bootstrapping meant we had to pick our battles. We focused entirely on performance, leaving little room for brand-building. Still, we now have a strong and profitable business – even in major markets like Germany, Spain, and South Africa.
Staying Fast in a Competitive Space
What’s your strategy for staying ahead in such a competitive space? We’ve always emphasized failing fast – speed over perfection. Launch, test, learn, iterate. It’s a core part of our culture. AI is now helping to level the playing field between large companies like Zalando and smaller players like Draivi. Thanks to AI, we now have access to creative tools, content generation, and automation that used to require entire teams. That changes the game.
In today’s world, what really matters is the quality of your data and the brand you build. We stay lean, data-driven, and agile – with a small team of smart people. That’s how we keep moving fast and staying ahead.
Sunshine, Coffee and Global Strategy
We also got the chance to visit Microsoft and enjoy the surprisingly sunny Dublin weather – ideal for walking meetings, café conversations, and soaking it all in.
And yes – there may have been a well-earned Guinness or two to wrap things up. Sunshine, strong coffee, and the black stuff: not a bad combination for global strategy talks.
The Road Ahead
We came back to Helsinki energized and reminded that with the right mindset, tech, and people, small companies can move mountains — and scale faster than most think possible.
We’ll see you on the next global stage.
