Raisoft plans to visit Winston-Salem next fall once travel is opened up.
Over the past 6 months Raisoft has been participating in Nordic AMPlify, a program here in Finland managed by Business Finland, for Nordic companies to enter the US Healthcare market.
More than 100 companies across Finland, Sweden, and Iceland applied for the program arranged for the first time. Norway and Denmark did not jump on board in time, but they will join in the next round. Raisoft was one of 12 companies chosen for the program.
The past six months have been intense, eye-opening, rewarding, and exciting. Now the program is coming to an end – but the work continues. Lawrence Smith, Raisoft's Area Manager USA and a native of Charleston, South Carolina, is very pleased with the results.
– In the beginning, we set a realistic end goal; to gain new contacts, grow our network and learn. We achieved all of that to a wider extent than we expected. And even more – we now have a partner in the US.
Smith sees the program as an important reality check.
– This has helped us to find our strengths. Coming this far demands us to take the next step and to define what we are ready to do and how to proceed. There are plenty of opportunities on the horizon.
– Raisoft's biggest strengths are the people, history, and company culture. That is something you rarely find in the US. We know who we are, where we are coming from, and why we do what we do. Being a member of the Raisoft staff is like being a member of a family, part of something important. And at the same time, we are a group of highly skilled professionals, humble with pride, Lawrence sums up.
The US is a huge market with plenty of opportunities and for healthcare professionals Winston-Salem in North Carolina is the place to be.
– Winston-Salem has the best universities in the healthcare and medical field. A lot of know-how and expertise has centered in the area. A huge tech boom is rising, and North Carolina has a history of being innovative in the Healthcare field. Many big Healthcare systems in the US are from NC, Lawrence Smith explains the background.
Smith sees the program being highly valuable for Raisoft and is eager to take the next steps forward.
– We have been able to create valuable contacts and the program gave the opportunity to “start from the top”. Amplify gave us a clear structure and direct advice on how to proceed'. Now we´ve completed the training and it is time to step into the real world, Smith says while his thoughts are already working with an upcoming presentation for a top executive.
– We already had a few very successful meetings, and are excited to continue building on those relationships. I´m looking forward to showing what we are made of!
- This whole event was a team effort. Alongside myself, Magnus Björkgren, Jan Finell, and Carolina Ahlstrand worked on the AMPlify project. They all played a large role in networking and market research.Their hard work and vigilance throughout the event were inspiring. I'm proud to have been a part of this project and look forward to our continued efforts to break into the US market.