Lessons on growth, funding, and focus from Rob Connell

Rob Connell is the CEO of Nolwenture, a Finland-based software company helping startups and scaleups grow with purpose. After a successful corporate career in international product marketing, he moved to Finland and began working with B2B tech companies on international expansion. His work focused on bridging cultural gaps, building global sales and marketing strategies, introducing product management practices, and securing funding. Over time, this grew into mentoring, advisory, and interim leadership roles, supporting growth not just through tech, but through scaling, partnerships, and business planning.

We spoke with Rob about what many startups overlook early on, and how programs like Hub Panostamo Kipinä offer hands-on support without strings attached.

Supporting early-stage startups

While Nolwenture builds software, they always make sure to ask: is this the right time to build?
“We’re not just building the software. We’re also helping them as much as we can with understanding the startup journey,” To Rob said. That includes product-market fit, usability testing, funding, and aligning tech with business goals. If a team isn’t ready to build yet, he’ll say so.

“If you come to us and you’ve just won some prize money, we might say don’t build yet,” he explained. “Use that money to do deeper market research, talk to investors, and look into grant funding. That way, you might be able to turn that prize money into five times the amount.”

Nolwenture offers flexible engagement models; sometimes mixing fees with sweat equity and even giving founders the option to buy back equity later. “It reduces the risk for the startup,” Rob said. “And it gives us skin in the game too.”

Their technical foundation uses open source microservices and widely adopted languages, helping avoid costly rebuilds later. Rob also emphasizes focus: “We’ll push back and say don’t try to do too much in the first release.”

AI is helpful, but still limited

AI tools are part of Nolwenture’s workflow, but Rob is careful not to overstate their impact.
“AI is quite good at spotting problems, think of testing and analysis” he said. “But there’s no full replacement aspect at the moment human judgement for contextual awareness or semantic depth.” His team uses AI to boost efficiency and catch issues early, but always under human supervision.

Mentoring that helps

Rob also serves on the board of Hub Panostamo and is closely involved in the Kipinä startup program. What makes it different, he says, is its accessibility and approach.
“There’s no cost, no equity, no lock-in,” Rob said. “We’re not selling anything.” Mentors in the program are hands-on. They give direct feedback, review materials, and make introductions. Acting more like collaborators than distant advisors.

Going international? Start with the basics

Rob believes Finnish startups have solid technical foundations: engineering, quality, and teamwork—but often lack the commercial capabilities needed to expand internationally.
“You need to play to your strengths,” he said. “But be honest about what’s missing. If you don’t have the right skills internally, get help.”

He also encourages founders to look beyond Finnish public funding. EU grants and a broader network of international investors can offer stronger long-term support. And if you’re planning to go global, he adds, operate in English from the start: Your pitch decks, website, data room, and even your product interface.

What good fundraising looks like

Founders who raise effectively tend to have a clear story backed by data. They treat investors as long-term partners, not just as sources of capital. “Don’t just take their money and disappear,” Rob said. “Use them for introductions, business development, and recruiting.” Rob has plenty of experience to draw upon as both a founder, CEO and also in his current roles as a later stage investor/venture partner and advisor on mergers and acquisitions.

Start exit planning early

Rob encourages founders to set up a data room and CRM from the start, not to prepare for a quick sale, but to stay organized and ready for growth or investment. Not every exit has to be a major acquisition. It could be a partial sale, a strategic buyout, or a secondary transaction between investors. He also recommends building an advisory board early on. “It helps bring in expertise and gives the founder space to focus on strategy instead of daily firefighting.”

A new series on scaling smarter

Rob is launching a video series with My Fractional CEO called The Valuation Multiplier. It’s aimed at companies going through transitions—scaling, restructuring, or preparing for investment. The series covers topics like AI in organisations, product strategy, and go-to-market planning. The first episodes are already rolling out on LinkedIn.

Clarity over hype

Startups don’t fail because they lack ideas. They fail when they move too fast without structure or chase growth without a clear plan. That’s why Rob Connell focuses on helping founders make smarter decisions early—whether through Nolwenture, Kipinä, or hands-on mentoring.

If you’d like to connect with Rob or explore working with Nolwenture, you can reach him directly here: https://nolwenture.com/build-it-with-nolwenture

If you’re an early-stage founder looking for structure and support, check out the Hub Panostamo Kipinä program.