In a year that tested the resilience of the fintech sector, 2023 emerged as a period where Draivi not just faced the industry’s hurdles but also excelled, marking new heights of success and growth. Dive into our yearly recap of 2023 to see how we turned challenges into relentless growth together with our dedicated team and long-lasting partnerships!
Financial and Operational Milestones
Our financial performance in 2023 has been extraordinary, with our revenue jumping to €17.1 million, marking an impressive 84% increase from last year. In addition, our EBITDA growth to €1.4 million highlights our unwavering dedication to operational excellence and profitability.
Key Operational Milestones
Throughout the year, Draivi has seen growth in various key areas:
- Most importantly, our team has grown by eight talented individuals, including our first Market Lead for Finland, a crucial step in enhancing our market reach and operational excellence. Meet our new team lead.
- We’ve moved into new centrally located offices in Helsinki and Turku, mainly due to the new recruitments and to fostering environments that enhance creativity and collaboration.
- We’ve forged strong relationships with our main partners in media buying, where we get first-hand help from Google, Meta and TikTok to be able to take our media buying activities to new heights.
- Complementing our growth, we unveiled a new company brand identity that mirrors our true growth ambitions. This rebranding had a positive impact on our ability to recruit new personnel and add new partners outside the Nordics. Discover our new brand.
- We built a Teamtailor-page to enhance our recruitment experience, ensuring we attract and retain top-tier talent. Read more here.
- We’re proud to have joined Fintech Farm, a move that underscores our commitment to innovation and excellence in the fintech sector. Details on our membership can be found here. Read about our partnership.
- We established a personnel fund for our employees, a strategic move to reward our talent by enabling them to invest long-term that grows over time in a tax-friendly manner. This initiative not only enhances employee satisfaction but also aligns with our goals with financial well-being and employee welfare.
Enhancing Our Work Through Collaboration
2023 was a year of transforming our work approach with the implementation of agile project management tools, streamlining operations across all departments. This change, met with positive feedback from our team, has led to a more organized, transparent, and engaging work environment. At the same time, we onboarded a great number of new employees to work in our marketing and IT-teams.
Our Secret to Success: Empowered Employees
Our team’s satisfaction speaks volumes about our culture. In August 2023, we achieved an impressive eNPS score of 77, highlighting the positive sentiment within our team. This score is a reflection of our inclusive, international, flexible, and growth-oriented work environment that Draivi employees thrive in.
Employees have expressed their appreciation for the intelligent and dedicated colleagues surrounding them, the educational opportunities presented daily, and the freedom to innovate. From enjoying the flexibility of remote work to valuing the chance to continuously learn and tackle new challenges, our team’s motivation is fueled by the drive at Draivi.
Celebrating Success: The Draivi Conference in Malaga
In May 2023, our team converged in Malaga for a conference focused on how to manage exceptional growth and work in a united way. During the conference the company’s new brand identity was revealed and we had excellent keynotes from our industry partners. It wasn’t all work; we bonded over great food, enjoyed the local culture, and engaged in fierce games on the tennis and padel fields.
Measurable Results with Media Buying in 2023
In 2023, Draivi’s media buying strategy continued to be a cornerstone of our marketing efforts. During the last year, we made significant improvements and tweaks to our proprietary DMStats platform, allowing us to more effectively leverage the AI-based bidding algorithms of Google, Meta, and other tech giants. We also strengthened our team with both seasoned media buyers and new talent. This led to us scaling our marketing spend while keeping our customer acquisition cost sustainable. Despite a tough market in the Nordics, we were able to triple our media buying spend from 2022.
Our growth caught the eye of industry giants, leading to our selection for Google’s International Growth Program, which opens new opportunities for learning and growth.
Key Takeaways From 2023
- Remarkable growth: Our significant revenue and team growth highlight our scalability and resilience despite the tough market situation in the Nordics.
- Solid team foundation: Our robust team is the cornerstone of our ongoing success and future growth.
- Geographical impact: While the Nordics remains our stronghold, our considerable scale-up also outside the Nordics sets the stage for future growth. We are also actively looking for new markets to enter.
- Focus on profitability: We’re channeling our efforts towards enhancing profitability for sustainable growth.
“As we closed a successful year, I’m filled with gratitude to our team and partners. Even amidst challenging economic conditions, we’ve achieved remarkable milestones. I’m proud of our team’s resilience and ingenuity which have been the driving forces behind our extraordinary growth. The expansion of our team, both in size and in the refinement of our work processes, has been pivotal. In collaboration with our dedicated long-term partners, we’ve not only met but exceeded our objectives. Together, we have turned aspirations into tangible successes and will continue on the growth path in 2024 as well.”
– Ville Kymäläinen, CEO Draivi
Recognition on the FT1000 List
A hallmark achievement of the growth was being listed on the FT1000 Europe’s Fastest Growing Companies, a testament to our rapid growth and innovation in the fintech sector. This recognition is a tribute to our team’s hard work and dedication. Read more about this distinguished recognition here.
About Draivi
Draivi, co-founded by Oula Lehtinen and Antti Patana in 2012, is a leading performance marketing company specializing in financial services. Draivi has made it to the annual FT1000 Europe’s Fastest Growing Companies 2024 list. With a mantra of ‘business unusual with measurable results,’ Draivi is dedicated to delivering superior outcomes, forging long-lasting partnerships, and continuously challenging traditional marketing paradigms. Operating across seven markets, including the Nordics, Germany, and Spain, Draivi continues to expand its influence and disrupt the industry. For more information, visit www.draivi.com.
Press Contact
Ville Kymäläinen, CEO of Draivi
Tel. +358452565669
info@draivi.com