Software Sauna – Born international

Two Finnish friends sat in the sauna in 2017 and got an idea to create a service to meet the needs of modern software development. At that time Ilkka-Cristian had already spent 9 years in Poland working for Finnish companies and now it was time to build something on his own. With a vast international experience and knowledge of ICT business in the CEE region it was obvious that the future company will be established somewhere outside the Nordics. But the Nordic business and work culture should be the core of the startup. Unique combination of trust, freedom, empowerment, and work-life balance are values that every Nordic business should cherish when expanding to new markets. 

The name of Software Sauna was invented in the very same evening after a few rounds of löyly (steam) and Finnish beer. Our vision was to combine “the Nordic twist” with expertise of top-notch engineers from our destination. Croatia was not yet chosen, but it was on the top of the list. After thorough market research of CEE and SEE region, Zagreb was chosen as a location of HQ for the company. 

“Sauna is a hot place, but for us the heat is a synonym for teamwork, friendship, commitment, work-life balance, and zero hierarchy. We want to give everyone a chance to make an impact. Talented people should always be given responsibility and freedom.“ says Ilkka-Cristian Niemi. 

Obviously, Croatia was not chosen as the home country to Software Sauna only due to beautiful landscapes, but it may have played a small role in the decision-making process.

We saw Croatia as an excellent place for such an investment due to its somewhat unhidden IT scene that was growing constantly, a very good country image and educated people. As an EU country it would also serve us as a great beachhead when expanding our business in the region.

We started our story four years ago in 2018 with a mission to build one of the best workplaces in Croatia and the region. It was clear that one day we will expand our presence in SEE and today we are a team of 30 people in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and North Macedonia where we just established our new subsidiary. Next destination is the fatherland of our founders – Helsinki we are coming to town! 

We are a boutique shop offering agile software craftsmanship services fully remotely to our clients in the Nordics and other parts of Western Europe. Our team consists only of experienced developers that are carefully chosen to ensure the highest possible quality delivered to our clients. The code quality and agile work methods among transparency and open communication are our main principles. 

Most of our clients are companies from Healthtech, Fintech, Edtech, Retail and eCommerce businesses. 

In short, we build custom software from scratch, or support the development of our clients’ existing software. We grant the wishes of our clients with a modern technology stack, according to the challenge we want to solve. 

We believe that open communication, transparency and freedom are the greatest values of the Nordic work life and business culture. Every Nordic company going international should cherish and emphasize those in their new destination. That combined with the best of local culture will brew a winning recipe. Though you should have other differentiators too, in order to stand out from your competition. 

When you are about to go live in the new market, be present in the scene. It makes your (HR/Recruiters) life much easier when you put efforts in marketing and make sure people will know about your future presence. Start to build your own brand before you even establish the business officially. We have been receiving a lot of positive feedback from our candidates from North Macedonia where we are currently building the team. They have seen Software Sauna’s adverts around social media and recognized the name when our recruitment team approached them.

Collaboration with local partners, particularly with lawyers and accountants, is essential for a successful start. You may also consider local marketing agencies and other partners as they know their own market better. DIY is a good attitude, but professional support cannot be valued enough. 

Happy internationalization, be brave and go abroad!