Scale-Able shows how cross-border collaboration supercharges growth

Startups are often told to “think global from day one.” But scaling internationally is easier said than done. That’s where the Scale-Able project, an initiative run by Ignite Sweden, Norrköping Science Park, and Tehnopol, made a difference. Over the course of 2,5 years, it provided scaling companies and corporates with something both sides urgently need: direct access to each other, in the form of carefully curated one-to-one meetings across three countries. 

And it worked. During three matchmaking events held in Sweden and Estonia, more than 132 startups and scaleups sat down with 32 corporates in 273 tailored matchmaking sessions. Remarkably, 50% of these meetings led to follow-up processes, and 17 concrete success stories have already emerged. 

Why this model clicks 

The magic of Scale-Able is its laser focus on quality conversations. Each meeting was designed to match corporate needs with solutions offered by scaling companies, whether in energy, securetech, dual-use, or digital innovation. 

“You can find new ideas, new techniques, that you, in your own space, can’t see. And sometimes you need to go outside of that box to find new solutions that you might not know about or haven’t even thought of,” said Fredrik Tärneberg, Investment Manager at Södra. 

Startups and scaleups, too, walked away energized. For many, Scale-Able was their first direct access point to decision-makers at multinational companies—conversations that could have taken months or years to arrange on their own. 

“It’s great to have the networking opportunity to actually meet the people in these corporates in person. But most of all, it’s the feedback and understanding of what challenges they see in the world today,” noted Elin Sandahl, Co-founder and Business Developer at Swedish startup Norgald. 

More than just meetings 

Scale-Able’s impact went beyond the matchroom. Site visits, informal dinners, and cultural exchanges built trust and familiarity between ecosystems that don’t always intersect. 

“There are several important aspects of meeting in person, not only the physical meeting itself, where they can get a feel for each other and really discuss and focus on the important points. But also another important aspect of these physical events is the opportunity to meet other corporates and startups and exchange ideas with them,” highlighted Arwin Zendehrokh, Project Manager at Ignite Sweden. 

Enefit’s perspective: turning matchmaking into real collaboration 

Estonian energy group Enefit participated in two of the matchmaking events and is now moving forward with three collaborations: two proof-of-concepts already underway and one in the planning stage. For Enefit, the project offered a chance to tackle some very concrete challenges. 

“One of our aims is to address data quality challenges and establish proper validation to ensure data consistency and reliability,” said Kenneth Hütt, Technology Manager at Enefit. By teaming up with startups, Enefit has been able to bring in specialized product knowledge in areas such as data validation, automation, and system integration—expertise that helps accelerate development and co-create tailored approaches. 

So far, the company and its partners have aligned on proof of value at the architecture level, set up applications, completed initial trainings, and defined scope and requirements. While it’s still early days with no measurable impact yet, Hütt emphasizes the importance of committing fully to a proof of value process and including all relevant parties from the start. “A structured, well-prepared technical due diligence process is essential, as it enables both sides to demonstrate readiness,” he explained. 

Crucially, Scale-Able made this possible. “It has enabled us to more quickly evaluate potential service providers, and to co-develop solutions together with startups based on our use cases,” noted Hütt. Without the project, such international scouting and rapid validation would have taken significantly longer. 

A corporate lineup that turned heads 

One of Scale-Able’s strongest signals of success was the caliber of corporates that joined the journey. Alongside already mentioned corporates, the project brought together leading companies from across the region, including Saab, Siemens Energy and Stena Metall from Sweden; SEB, Telia and G4S from Estonia; and Royal Caribbean Group, Valmet Automotive and Fortum from Finland. 

For scaling companies, sitting down with this level of decision-makers was more than networking. It was an accelerated path into industries often seen as closed or hard to penetrate. For corporates, it was a chance to source innovation directly from agile teams solving tomorrow’s problems. 

Structured matchmaking brings results 

The final results of Scale-Able show a clear case: structured matchmaking works. It cuts through noise, accelerates business development, and builds long-term trust across borders. 

Because when scaling companies and corporates sit down at the same table, innovation doesn’t just happen. It scales. 

Strengthening cross-border collaboration in the Central Baltic region 

Beyond the impressive numbers, Scale-Able also helped deepen the ties between innovation ecosystems in Sweden, Finland, and Estonia. By building trust between startups, scaleups, corporates and innovation actors across the region, the project laid the groundwork for continued collaboration in the Central Baltic area. A key priority of the EU programme that made Scale-Able possible.