What others are saying about OWI
Choosing the right partners is so important during a company's growth phase that the decision should not be taken lightly. The best business card of an expert is a job well done. It is worthwhile to listen to the experiences of other entrepreneurs. This is what some of the companies OWI has already assisted say:
In a young, creative and innovative research group, we developed a real-time method for measuring the body's fluid balance, an ability which offers considerable opportunities in critical health care and world-class sports. Fluid imbalances are one of the significant factors in causing acute medical seizures, and fluid deficiency of just two per cent reduces an athlete's performance by as much as 20 per cent.
The research has been very rewarding, but developing the business concept and aspects related to the entrepreneurship have caused the biggest headaches for us engineers and physicists. But understanding and internalizing these aspects was not impossible because we have been supported by the surrounding professional network, of which I'll mention Oulu Wellness Institute (OWI) as the most important.
The people of OWI have helped us to conceptualize our solution almost completely. Furthermore, they have assisted the company in a concrete way by introducing me to a venture capitalist and possible customers and competitors. The confusion surrounding the business has given way to a manageable whole. It really was not always very easy; it has taken a lot from me to become an entrepreneur — luckily we are not alone.
Every economy must have a portfolio of innovative companies pursuing a diversity of growth paths to sustain itself over the long term. High growth ventures are especially important in the technology and biotech sectors, as these sectors change rapidly and new companies must develop themselves and go to market even faster than general market trends. OWI clearly recognizes this need in the Finnish economy and is setting up a comprehensive program to address high growth venturing.
The dealflow arriving via OWI has been high quality. Case X was a good presentation and investment proposal. Although it did not progress all the way to an investment decision, the presentation formed a whole: the foundation of the business activity, need for money and its use, as well as what the investor gets out of it, and the exit. OWI's role is to assist in other ways too during the early stages, but also at the later stages when business is booming and the company is seeking to expand internationally.