”I was impressed by the openness of Swedish people to our companies”
The Moldavian company Oneest already export to some EU countries but their new goal is to enter the Nordic markets. Through Open Trade Gate Sweden, the company got important insights and advice on how to approach the Swedish market.
Coaching sessions and strategies
“We are very interested in the Swedish market, as it is home to top initiatives in innovation and advancements in technology among the EU countries. I was really impressed to see the openness of the people here in Sweden to companies like us,” comments Eugenia Surucinski, Chief Operating Officer.
Oneest was founded in 2015 and specializes in building custom technology solutions for automotive and mobility companies and startups. It is one of the companies that has participated in a project by Open Trade Gate Sweden, OTGS. The aim of the project is to support companies from developing countries to export to Sweden and the European Union.
“Open Trade Gate Sweden together with Invest Moldova and our mentor Mikael Wällstedt from Ultero have been instrumental for us to obtain more insights into the market, to the challenges, and to the business environment here.”
During the project, the participants designed and created an export strategy for Sweden and received advice and coaching along the way.
“I think that we’ve been very fortunate to benefit from the advice of Mikael because he has in-depth expertise in this domain. He gave me very precious advice, both in terms of expectations and which activities we need to do in order to be successful.”
Eugenia Surucinski points out that Moldova has a lot to offer to Sweden and the EU when it comes to highly skilled IT and other technology professionals.
“I think that we can help Swedish companies implement their products, projects and initiatives. And I also think that we can use this knowledge and maybe develop products for our own country.”
Finding the unique selling point is key
During the project, the Moldavian companies visited Sweden, where they went to see many different science centres and universities, and met with various companies.
“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.”
The next step will be to be an exhibitor at the Stockholm Tech Show 2024.
Eugenia Surucinski thinks the Swedish market, similar with the other markets in Europe, offers a lot of possibilities, but she also recognises also challenges. The biggest challenge, 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.”