15 October 2025
For nearly a decade, Draivi and Sambla have worked side by side to drive growth and innovation in the Nordic loan market. What started as a small collaboration has grown into a strong, long-term partnership built on trust, shared goals, and continuous development. We sat down with Brian Rinkenauer, Head of Partner Marketing at Sambla Group to reflect on a decade-long collaboration built on trust, innovation, and shared growth.
About Sambla Group
Sambla Group is one of the leading comparison services for private loans and mortgages in the Nordics. The group constitutes of well known brands such as OmaLaina.fi, Rahalaitos Oy, Rahoitu, Salus Group, DigiFinans.dk, Saverium, Advisa AB, MyMoney Europe AB and Sambla.
Brian Rinkenauer has a long history of working with Draivi — a collaboration that began well before 2012. Back then, he worked alongside Draivi’s co-founder, Oula Lehtinen, at Euroads, one of the leading affiliate networks at the time. Since then, Brian has continued to collaborate with Draivi across several companies, and in recent years, our partnership has grown even closer through his role at Sambla Group. The insights and reflections in this interview are shared by Brian based on his long experience working with Draivi.
How Did the Partnership Begin?
Sambla Group and Draivi will celebrate a 10-year anniversary of their collaboration in 2026. When the partnership began, Draivi was already a leading financial lead aggregator, while Sambla was a new player in the Finnish broker market. The start was tough, even though I had already collaborated with Draivi in other companies since 2012.
“This challenging beginning is likely one of the main reasons I hold great respect for Draivi today as a partner.”
From the very beginning, Draivi has focused on building long-term partnerships. Instead of going after short-term gains by switching from one partner to another, they have chosen to focus on relationships where both sides can grow and succeed together long-term. So we spent a long time gaining their trust and proving to them that we were the right partner and that they should focus on us. In the end, it was a decision by their then-partner that opened the door for our close collaboration, as they chose to end their partnership with Draivi. Since then, none of us have looked back; our partnership has only grown stronger, with both of us working towards our shared goal of becoming the best and biggest in our business. I believe our shared focus on close, long-term partnerships has been a key driver of growth and success for both Draivi and Sambla.
Behind every strong partnership are people who know how to compete, laugh, and win together. From the paintball field to the Sambla Partner event poker table, Draivi and Sambla’s bond is built on teamwork, trust, and a shared drive to grow.
Driving Growth Together
Sambla is a 100% fintech company. We have always automated our processes, and the development of our data platform has been crucial for pushing the boundaries of how brokerage business should evolve alongside our marketing partners. Our partner marketing platform, Connect, is a leader in the Nordics. Our platform and partner marketing products are developed solely to increase revenue for our marketing partners.
Therefore, Draivi and Sambla complement each other so well. Through a small but strong team, Draivi has been able to build a data platform that enables them to automate all their marketing processes. They work smart and data-driven in all aspects of their marketing.
“They have developed a robust marketing framework that allows them to easily scale volumes and enter new markets.“
Therefore, Draivi has always been among the few marketing partners who have helped launch all our new markets and have also collaborated with us from the start to develop and test new products. We grow together in good times and have also fallen together in tough times.
Communication and Culture
Although I work at a Swedish company, I am very Danish. The Danish and Finnish culture are quite similar. Draivi is very clear in their communication and sets high demands on us in the Partner Marketing department, which I love. It helps keep me and the team on our toes and deliver at the highest level. If we ever forget this, Draivi will certainly remind us, and vice versa. We also communicate clearly with them, and after so many years of collaboration, communication is key to establishing a good partnership.
“We grow together in good times and have also fallen together in tough times.“
We have meetings every week, but we also make sure to meet several times a year for “non-work” related events and enjoy each other’s company. In the end, people do business with people they like. The more “private” gatherings help ensure that we remember to have fun and enjoy our time together. I feel that the trust from both sides is strong after so many years working so close together.
What Results Have You Seen from Collaborating with Draivi?
Draivi always delivers some of the best quality we can get in all markets. Through their data-driven approach, they have been able to optimize their acquisition to a very high level. This also enables them to deliver many new users, which is equally important for us at Sambla.
What Makes Draivi a Strong Partner?
Draivi has always been laser focused, continuously refining their strategy without losing sight of what works. They have a clear strategy that they continuously improve but do not deviate from. As a partner, this is something we value greatly, as it means that at Draivi, we don’t have to push, but instead we continuously optimize together. They have a very lean organizational structure, which allows them to deliver at a very high level without having many employees. Similarly, they have been skilled at hiring great talents, and whenever there have been changes on their end, they have always been replaced by new skilled colleagues.
The way both parties challenge each other and push us towards constant development is what I value the most in Draivi. Looking back just at the past few years, it is huge how much our collaboration has advanced both parties. With the recruitment of Ville as CEO three years ago, Draivi has come a long way as a company. Similarly, Sambla has undergone a major transformation with many acquisitions during the same period. Both factors have meant that both parties have matured as businesses, just like our collaboration. It has become more structured. More mature and professional, one might say.
Looking Ahead
With Sambla’s new multi-product strategy, I see a lot of exciting new opportunities for us to develop together with Draivi. As Sambla expands into new products and countries, we’ll explore entirely new strategies and marketing funnels together. AI and automation will redefine how we collaborate, and Draivi’s proactive approach ensures we’ll stay ahead together. The only thing I know for sure is that we will do it together, but that our partnership will be completely different at that time.
A Partnership Built on People
After nearly a decade of collaboration, one thing remains unchanged — the human connection.
“Working with Draivi is never just about business – they are great people, and growing alongside them has always been fun, rewarding and a real pleasure.“
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