Founder: Jesse Nieminen
Business: Viima
Revenue/Month: $150K
Founders: 3
Employees: 10
Website: viima.com
Location: Espoo, Uusimaa, Finland.
Founded: 2013

In a world where innovation is a key driver of success, Viima has established itself as the most widely adopted innovation management software in existence. Headquartered in Finland, the company enables organizations to harness and refine raw ideas into actionable, impactful innovations. At its essence, Viima is about transformation: turning the spark of a concept into measurable outcomes. This capability has made it an indispensable tool for over 13,000 organizations worldwide, spanning industries from healthcare to manufacturing. 

Jesse Nieminen, Viima’s Co-founder and Chief Growth Officer, is candid about the company’s purpose. “We want to make innovation systematic, accessible, and efficient for all organizations,” he says. This clarity of purpose is reflected in Viima’s impressive growth trajectory. Despite its expansive reach, the company has maintained a bootstrapped approach, focusing on sustainable, disciplined growth. The results are hard to ignore—an annual revenue growth rate of 70%, achieved without sacrificing profitability. In an era when many software firms burn through capital in pursuit of scale, Viima’s approach is refreshingly pragmatic. 

Nieminen explains that one of the keys to Viima’s success lies in its ability to tackle a problem that most organizations struggle with: the overwhelming flood of ideas. “Companies are full of creative people with great ideas, but the process of organizing and turning those ideas into reality is often chaotic,” he says. Viima’s platform simplifies this chaos. By providing a clear framework for collecting, organizing, and nurturing ideas, the software ensures that no potential breakthrough is lost in the shuffle. 

What makes Viima particularly effective is its flexibility. “We’ve designed the platform to adapt to each customer’s unique needs,” Nieminen adds. For many organizations, the innovation process is siloed and rigid, with communication barriers that prevent ideas from flowing freely. Viima removes those barriers by integrating into existing workflows, creating a collaborative environment where employees at all levels can contribute. This inclusivity not only fosters engagement but also improves the quality and diversity of ideas being developed. 

Nieminen emphasizes that the software’s accessibility has been a crucial factor in its widespread adoption. “One of the things we’re most proud of is how easy it is to use,” he notes. Whether an organization is just beginning its innovation journey or is a seasoned leader in its field, Viima provides tools that scale with their needs. It’s not just about enabling innovation but making it a natural, seamless part of how a business operates. 

As companies face increasing pressure to stay ahead in a competitive market, Viima continues to prove that effective innovation doesn’t have to be complicated. For Nieminen and his team, the goal is clear: give organizations the tools they need to turn ideas into real-world results, and do so in a way that fosters creativity without adding unnecessary complexity. 

From Dorm Room to Boardroom: The Humble Origins of Viima 

Every groundbreaking business begins with a moment of clarity, often born in unexpected circumstances. For Nieminen and his co-founders, that moment took shape at Aalto University, where a group of ambitious freshmen bonded over their shared passion for problem-solving. What started as casual conversations among friends gradually solidified into a serious partnership, rooted in both their technical acumen and a collective determination to build something meaningful. 

“We didn’t plan to start a company right away,” Nieminen recalls. “But we had this undeniable energy within the group, this feeling that we could build something impactful if we worked together.” That camaraderie planted the seed for Viima, although the path from an idea to a global software company would be anything but linear. 

In the beginning, the idea of launching a software business seemed almost deceptively straightforward. Nieminen and his co-founders poured their time and sweat into their project, funding its earliest stages with little more than personal grit. Balancing Master’s programs and day jobs, they worked nights and weekends, carving out time to tinker with ideas and develop prototypes. “We had very limited resources, so we had to be really scrappy,” Nieminen says. “Looking back, that constraint forced us to focus on what truly mattered, which became a huge advantage later.” 

The turning point came when they joined an incubator program designed to help budding entrepreneurs hone their concepts. It was during this period that they confronted a harsh truth: their initial idea wasn’t viable. “It wasn’t easy to pivot, especially after putting so much effort into that first concept,” Nieminen admits. “But we recognized an even bigger opportunity—one rooted in a challenge we had faced ourselves.” 

That challenge was the difficulty of validating early-stage ideas. In their own journey, Nieminen and his team had struggled to gather actionable feedback quickly, a problem they realized was widespread among businesses. From that struggle came a lightbulb moment: why not create a platform that helps organizations cut through the chaos and focus on ideas with the greatest potential? 

From there, Viima began to take shape. The team started small, working closely with their first few customers to refine the software based on real-world needs. “Our early adopters were invaluable,” Nieminen says. “They helped us see what worked, what didn’t, and where we needed to improve. It was a constant process of iteration.” Those iterations soon paid off. What started as a modest tool for a small cohort of companies evolved into a highly scalable platform, capable of addressing one of the most pressing challenges faced by organizations around the world. 

Even as Viima grew, its roots in those long nights at Aalto University remained an integral part of its identity. For Nieminen, those humble beginnings are a reminder of what’s possible when persistence and vision come together. “We didn’t have a lot going for us in terms of resources or experience,” he reflects. “But what we did have was a willingness to learn, adapt, and keep pushing forward. That mindset is still at the heart of everything we do today.” 

Crafting Viima: From Lean Beginnings to Global Reach 

Every successful startup has its scrappy origin story, and Viima’s early days were no exception. For Nieminen and his co-founders, resourcefulness was not just a virtue but a necessity. With no outside funding and minimal resources, every choice carried weight. From product development to customer acquisition, their approach was defined by ingenuity and an unwavering focus on learning by doing. 

“We knew we couldn’t afford to wait for the product to be perfect,” Nieminen explains. “So we put together a basic MVP, showed it to potential customers, and let their feedback shape what we built next.” This principle—prioritizing customer input over perfection—was forged during their time in the incubator program, where seasoned mentors urged them to build in tandem with the market rather than in isolation. 

Feedback Over Perfection 

With this advice fresh in their minds, Nieminen and his team moved fast. They developed an initial prototype in just weeks and began pitching it to potential customers, not expecting immediate sales but hoping for direction. While those early demos didn’t land deals, they brought something even more valuable: candid feedback. 

“The first few meetings were tough,” Nieminen recalls. “But every ‘no’ helped us understand what wasn’t working and how to make the product better.” The team fine-tuned their software based on what they heard, leading to countless small iterations that slowly brought their solution closer to what companies needed. After months of effort, they landed their first paying customer—a breakthrough moment that validated their iterative approach. 

Even with early traction, resources were tight, and outside help was out of the question. Nieminen and his co-founders wore multiple hats, juggling roles as product designers, coders, salespeople, and marketers. “We didn’t have the luxury of outsourcing,” he says. “We had to teach ourselves everything and apply it immediately.” This self-reliance became a hallmark of their operations, allowing them to stay lean while building out their product. 

Building a Business on a Shoestring 

When it came time to officially launch Viima, the same scrappy mindset drove their decisions. Costs were kept to an absolute minimum: hosting fees were capped at $50 per month, and their “office” was no more than their student apartments, where they relied on campus Wi-Fi to keep things running. Nieminen and his co-founders juggled their day jobs and coursework, dedicating nights and weekends to pushing the company forward. 

For nearly two years, they operated with this lean model, slowly growing their customer base through a mix of cold outreach and early referrals. Only when they began generating steady revenue did they bring on their first hire—a sales representative—to help scale their efforts. This gradual approach gave the team the breathing room to transition to working full-time on Viima, confident in its growing momentum. 

Growth Through Strategy, Not Spending 

Nieminen knew that securing those first few customers wasn’t just about cash flow; it was about learning what the market truly valued. For the first couple of years, the team avoided aggressive spending on marketing or sales, instead focusing on building relationships and refining their product-market fit. “We didn’t want to throw money at growth until we knew the product was exactly where it needed to be,” he says. 

When they were ready to scale, Viima’s strategy was clear: make the product as accessible as possible and let its quality speak for itself. To that end, they introduced a generous free plan, allowing organizations to experiment with the software without any upfront cost. “We wanted to remove any friction,” Nieminen explains. “Once customers saw the value for themselves, they were more likely to upgrade to a paid plan.” 

This approach proved instrumental. The free plan lowered the barrier to entry, enabling Viima to attract businesses of all sizes. Over time, many of those free users converted into paying customers, fueling organic growth. 

But their efforts didn’t stop there. To amplify their reach, Viima turned to content marketing. In late 2015, the team began publishing blog posts and resources focused on corporate innovation, aiming to establish themselves as thought leaders in the space. SEO became a key part of their strategy, ensuring that their content reached the right audience. “It wasn’t a quick win,” Nieminen acknowledges. “But we saw it as an investment in building trust and visibility over the long term.” 

That investment has more than paid off. Today, Viima’s blog is the most widely read innovation blog in the world, driving significant traffic and leads for the company. Coupled with a strong product and an accessible pricing strategy, this content-first approach has allowed the company to scale globally while keeping costs low. 

What started as a lean side project in cramped apartments has evolved into a thriving global business, trusted by thousands of organizations to help them innovate smarter and faster. At the core of this success lies an approach grounded in resourcefulness, adaptability, and an unrelenting focus on customer needs. 

Scalable Systems: The Backbone of Viima’s Sustainable Growth 

Achieving rapid growth while staying profitable is a challenge that eludes many startups, but for Viima, it’s become second nature. With monthly recurring revenue in the six-figure range and a consistent 70% year-over-year growth rate, the company is thriving in a market crowded with competitors. What sets Viima apart, however, isn’t just the numbers—it’s the scalable systems and deliberate choices that underpin their success. 

“We knew from the beginning that if we wanted to grow sustainably, we’d have to do it on our own terms,” Nieminen says. Instead of chasing short-term wins, the team invested early in building an inbound marketing engine that could run efficiently at scale. Today, that engine generates roughly 1,000 new leads each month, funneling potential customers through a process that aligns seamlessly with their product. 

A Lean, Self-Sufficient Growth Engine 

At the heart of Viima’s success is a product that practically sells itself. The platform’s intuitive design and flexibility make it easy for organizations to adopt with minimal friction, allowing Viima to bypass the expensive, high-touch onboarding processes that plague many competitors. “We wanted to make the experience so seamless that customers wouldn’t need us holding their hand every step of the way,” Nieminen explains. That philosophy has kept onboarding costs low while enabling the team to focus on refining the product rather than chasing operational inefficiencies. 

But it’s not just the product that scales—it’s the financial model as well. Viima’s cost-efficient lead acquisition strategy allows the company to grow rapidly without cutting into profitability. Their EBIT margin, an impressive 30% last year, is expected to climb even higher this year. “A lot of companies sacrifice profits to grow quickly,” Nieminen points out. “We’ve taken the opposite approach—proving that you can do both if you’re disciplined and thoughtful about how you scale.” 

This discipline extends to how they handle the work itself. While many startups rely heavily on agencies, freelancers, or external consultants to drive growth, Viima deliberately kept operations in-house. “When you outsource too much, you lose control and fail to build the skills your team needs for the long term,” Nieminen says. Instead, the company invested in developing expertise internally, ensuring that they owned their processes and had the knowledge to optimize them independently. 

Continuous Refinement for Long-Term Success 

This focus on scalability is paired with an obsessive dedication to improvement. Every system, from customer acquisition to product development, is refined continuously to ensure it serves both the company’s goals and its customers’ needs. “We don’t just focus on what works—we focus on what works for us,” Nieminen explains. That clarity has allowed the team to avoid unnecessary complexity, prioritizing simplicity and efficiency across every aspect of the business. 

The results speak for themselves. With a lean structure and scalable processes, Viima has carved out a model for sustainable growth that allows them to thrive without relying on the aggressive spending or convoluted systems that often drag down software companies. Their emphasis on long-term thinking and customer value has created a foundation strong enough to support their ambitions. 

As Nieminen reflects on their journey so far, he emphasizes the importance of staying true to their vision. “We’ve built Viima to grow, but we’ve also built it to last,” he says. It’s this dual focus on scale and sustainability that continues to propel the company forward, proving that smart systems, not just bold ideas, are the real drivers of enduring success. 

Lessons in Resilience: Advice for Aspiring Entrepreneurs 

The road to entrepreneurship is often portrayed as exhilarating and rewarding, but behind the scenes, it’s a journey marked by sacrifice, self-discipline, and a relentless pursuit of improvement. Reflecting on his experience with Viima, Nieminen shares the hard-won lessons that have shaped his approach to leadership and growth, offering valuable insights for anyone considering taking the plunge into entrepreneurship. 

“You have to be ready for the grind,” Nieminen states plainly. While the initial spark of an idea is energizing, it’s only the beginning. The process of turning that idea into a sustainable business requires a level of dedication that many underestimate. “Building something meaningful takes years, not months,” he says. “You need to be prepared to keep going, even when it feels like you’re making very little progress.” 

The Weight of Leadership 

Sustained effort is only part of the equation. Nieminen emphasizes that true success comes from taking complete ownership of both the wins and the failures. “It’s easy to blame external factors when things don’t work out,” he notes. “But ultimately, it’s up to you to adapt and find a way forward. No one else will do it for you.” That willingness to take responsibility—especially in the face of setbacks—is what separates those who thrive from those who falter. 

But leadership comes with its own challenges, particularly the emotional and mental toll it can take on founders. Even with a close-knit team and access to mentors, Nieminen admits that entrepreneurship can feel isolating. “You carry the weight of every decision, and those decisions don’t just affect you—they affect your employees, your customers, and sometimes even your community,” he says. That pressure, while motivating at times, can also be draining, making resilience an essential trait for anyone at the helm of a business. 

Building Self-Sufficiency 

For Nieminen, one of the most important lessons he’s learned is the value of creating a business that can sustain itself without relying on unpredictable external factors. He warns against the trap of expecting quick wins, whether it’s hoping for a viral marketing campaign or trusting that a single big partnership will unlock exponential growth. “At the end of the day, you can’t outsource your success,” he says. 

Instead, Nieminen advocates for building systems that ensure long-term value and stability. This means developing internal capabilities, putting in the work to understand customers’ needs deeply, and creating processes that allow the business to grow incrementally. “It’s not glamorous, but small, steady progress is what ultimately gets you to where you want to be,” he explains. 

The early days of Viima were shaped by this very approach. From keeping costs low and managing everything in-house to iterating the product with direct customer feedback, Nieminen and his team focused on the elements they could control. That foundation of self-reliance and efficiency has continued to guide Viima’s evolution, enabling the company to thrive on its own terms. 

Advice to Entrepreneurs 

For those embarking on their own entrepreneurial journeys, Nieminen’s advice is both practical and profound. “Be ready to learn constantly,” he says. “The skills that get you through the first year won’t be enough for year five.” He also urges founders to stay patient, reminding them that great businesses aren’t built overnight. 

Finally, he underscores the importance of staying connected to the purpose behind the work. “When you’re in the middle of the grind, it’s easy to lose sight of why you started,” he reflects. “But if you can hold onto that, it’ll keep you going when things get tough.” 

The lessons Nieminen has drawn from building Viima serve as a reminder that entrepreneurship isn’t for the faint of heart—but for those willing to embrace its challenges, it can be one of the most rewarding paths imaginable. By focusing on resilience, responsibility, and self-sufficiency, entrepreneurs can build businesses that not only survive but thrive for years to come. 

Success Factors: Why Did Viima Succeed? 

• Customer-Centric Product Development: Viima’s early focus on listening to customer feedback and iterating the product accordingly allowed the team to build a solution that genuinely addressed real-world challenges. Their dedication to refining the platform based on direct input from users ensured that their product resonated with their target audience. 

• Scalability and Simplicity: The platform’s intuitive design and ease of use made it accessible to businesses of all sizes, reducing barriers to entry and eliminating the need for extensive, costly onboarding processes. This scalability has been key to Viima’s ability to attract and retain a broad range of customers while keeping operational costs low. 

• A Lean and Resourceful Approach: Viima operated with extreme resource consciousness during its early days, keeping costs minimal and handling all aspects of the business internally. By learning and executing tasks themselves, the founding team built foundational knowledge and capabilities that allowed them to scale without relying heavily on external agencies or consultants. 

• Inbound Marketing and Thought Leadership: The decision to invest in content marketing and SEO early on provided a steady, cost-effective stream of leads. By establishing their blog as the most widely read innovation blog in the world, Viima positioned itself as a trusted thought leader in the innovation space, driving organic traffic and generating a high volume of potential customers. 

• A Generous Free Plan Strategy: Offering a free plan allowed Viima to remove friction for new customers, enabling them to experience the platform’s value firsthand. This approach converted many free users into paying clients over time, creating a natural and sustainable growth pipeline. 

• A Disciplined Growth Model: Viima’s emphasis on profitability alongside growth—rare in the startup world—ensured that their business was built on a solid foundation. Their cost-efficient customer acquisition strategy and high EBIT margins demonstrate that rapid growth does not have to come at the expense of financial health. 

• Self-Sufficiency and Internal Expertise: The team’s decision to prioritize developing internal capabilities rather than outsourcing critical tasks meant they could refine and optimize their processes continuously. This approach not only saved costs but also allowed Viima to maintain full control over its growth trajectory. 

• Resilience and Long-Term Vision: The founders’ willingness to embrace the grind of entrepreneurship, stay patient, and focus on incremental progress enabled them to overcome challenges and maintain momentum. Their emphasis on building for the long term, rather than chasing quick wins, has been instrumental in their success. 

• Strong Leadership and Ownership: Nieminen’s belief in taking full responsibility for both successes and failures, along with the team’s ability to adapt to setbacks, reflects a leadership style grounded in accountability. This mindset helped the company pivot effectively and persevere through tough times. 

Success Factors: Why Did Viima Succeed? 

1. Focus on Solving Real Problems: A product’s success hinges on how well it addresses genuine pain points for its customers. Viima’s ability to identify a universal challenge—the chaotic process of managing innovation—and build a solution that simplified it was central to its growth. Lesson: Start with customer needs, and let their feedback shape your product. Build solutions for real-world challenges rather than chasing trends or developing features in isolation. 

2. Build Iteratively, Not Perfectly: Viima’s team embraced an iterative approach, releasing a minimum viable product (MVP) quickly and refining it through continuous customer feedback. This allowed them to pivot, adapt, and improve without wasting time or resources on unnecessary perfection. Lesson: Don’t wait to release a flawless product—get something into the market, listen to your users, and improve over time. 

3. Resourcefulness Drives Early Success: Viima’s lean operations in its early days—working out of student apartments, managing everything in-house, and keeping hosting costs to $50/month—show that creativity and discipline can compensate for limited resources. Lesson: Start small, be scrappy, and make every decision count. Growth is achievable even with minimal funding if you prioritize wisely and remain resourceful. 

4. Scalability Is a Key to Growth: Viima’s product was designed for scalability, enabling organizations of any size to adopt it easily without requiring significant onboarding support. This allowed the company to grow quickly and cost-efficiently. Lesson: Build a product or service that can grow with your customers. Scalability, both in your offering and operations, ensures you can meet demand as it increases. 

5. Sustainable Growth Beats Quick Wins: Unlike many startups that burn through capital in pursuit of rapid expansion, Viima balanced growth with profitability. By maintaining a lean financial structure, focusing on cost-efficient lead generation, and operating with a high EBIT margin, they built a sustainable business that didn’t rely on external funding. Lesson: Fast growth doesn’t have to come at the expense of profitability. Long-term success requires discipline and a thoughtful approach to scaling. 

6. Inbound Marketing Is a Long-Term Investment: Viima’s decision to invest in content marketing and search engine optimization (SEO) early on helped position them as a thought leader in their niche. Over time, this effort drove steady organic traffic and high-quality leads, reducing their dependence on paid marketing. Lesson: Content marketing is a powerful tool for building credibility and generating leads. While it takes time to show results, it can be a game-changer for businesses looking to grow organically. 

7. Free Plans Can Remove Barriers to Entry: Viima’s free plan strategy allowed customers to test the software with zero risk, creating a funnel that converted many free users into paying clients. This approach also fostered trust, as customers experienced the value of the product before committing. Lesson: Consider how you can lower the barriers to entry for your customers. Freemium models, trials, or generous entry points can help build trust and expand your customer base. 

8. Take Ownership and Responsibility: Nieminen’s leadership emphasizes taking full responsibility for outcomes, whether positive or negative. Instead of blaming external factors, Viima’s team adapted to challenges and focused on what they could control. Lesson: Own your decisions and their outcomes. Leadership requires accountability, resilience, and a willingness to adapt in the face of setbacks. 

9. Prioritize Internal Expertise Over Outsourcing: Viima’s decision to handle core functions like marketing, product development, and customer acquisition in-house allowed the team to develop expertise and maintain full control over their growth strategy. Lesson: Outsourcing can save time in the short term, but building internal capabilities ensures long-term sustainability and control. 

10. Patience and Perseverance Are Critical: Viima’s story highlights the importance of playing the long game. The team understood that building a great business takes time and resisted the temptation of shortcuts or quick wins. Lesson: Success doesn’t happen overnight. Be prepared for a marathon, not a sprint, and stay focused on your vision even when progress feels slow. 

11. Resilience in the Face of Challenges: Entrepreneurship is rarely smooth, and Viima’s journey was no exception. Nieminen and his team tackled isolation, uncertainty, and the pressures of leadership with determination and resilience. Lesson: Mental toughness is as important as business acumen. Founders must prepare for the emotional toll of leadership and seek out support systems to help them stay grounded. 

12. A Strong Team Makes All the Difference: Viima’s founding team worked closely together, pooling their skills and sharing responsibilities in the company’s formative years. This camaraderie and collaboration helped them weather tough times and make smarter decisions. Lesson: Surround yourself with a team that shares your vision, complements your strengths, and is willing to work hard alongside you. 

Opportunity Matrix 

Founder Background  

The founders, including Jesse Nieminen, met at Aalto University and shared a strong technical foundation and entrepreneurial mindset. They began working on Viima as a side project while juggling Master’s degrees and day jobs. 

Problem Identification  

Identified a universal issue in businesses: the chaotic and fragmented process of managing and validating early-stage ideas, which often leads to missed opportunities for innovation. 

Market Opportunity  

Innovation management is critical for businesses to stay competitive. Many organizations lack streamlined processes for harnessing and developing employee ideas. Viima addressed this gap by creating a scalable, user-friendly platform for innovation. 

Competitive Landscape  

Competitors offered complex, expensive, and user-unfriendly innovation management software. Viima differentiated itself by offering simplicity, affordability, and a generous free plan, lowering barriers to entry and making innovation accessible to businesses of all sizes. 

Market Research  

Initial insights came from the founders’ own struggles in validating ideas and customer feedback during their incubator program. Early demos and interactions with target customers provided critical real-world input, guiding the product’s refinement. 

Business Model  

Freemium model with a free plan that allows organizations to test the platform risk-free. Revenue generated through tiered paid plans that scale based on organization size and needs. Focus on recurring revenue through subscription-based pricing. 

Initial Capital  

Bootstrapped by the founding team with no external funding. Operated with extreme resourcefulness: working from student apartments, leveraging free internet, and keeping hosting costs as low as $50/month. 

Product/Service Development  

Adopted an iterative approach by releasing a minimum viable product (MVP) early and refining it based on continuous customer feedback. Focused on creating a platform that integrates easily into existing workflows and scales with customer needs. 

Marketing Strategy  

Focused heavily on inbound marketing, using a content-first approach. Built a blog centered on innovation that became the most widely read in the world for the niche. Leveraged SEO to attract organic traffic, driving significant lead generation with minimal marketing spend. 

Milestones  

• Secured the first paying customer after months of testing and iterations. 

• Grew monthly recurring revenue to six figures.   

• Achieved a 70% year-over-year growth rate.   

• Established the most widely read blog on innovation in the world.   

• Reached 13,000 organizations using the platform globally. 

Scalability 

Designed the platform to be easily adopted by organizations of any size, reducing onboarding friction and scaling seamlessly with client needs. Cost-effective lead acquisition and a lean structure enabled rapid but sustainable growth. | 

Potential Risks and Challenges  

• Managing the emotional toll of leadership and entrepreneurship. 

• Potential market saturation in the innovation management software space. 

• Overreliance on inbound marketing strategies could slow lead generation if SEO or content performance fluctuates. 

• Balancing profitability with continued investment in growth. | 

Key Performance Indicators/Metrics 

• Monthly recurring revenue (MRR). 

• Year-over-year revenue growth rate (70%). 

• EBIT margin (30%+). 

• Lead generation (approximately 1,000 leads/month). 

• User adoption and conversion rates from free to paid plans. 

• Customer retention and satisfaction metrics.