I was approached with a very interesting opportunity.

A group of highly experienced professionals were preparing to start a company around a fully mechanical combustion engine designed for the defence industry. Unlike countless other startups, they were not trying to find the next big opportunity in the future. Instead, they were looking back. More than 200 years into the past, actually.

No AI. No futuristic promises.

The technical team had already made great progress with product development, but one important piece was still missing. They needed someone to take care of the commercial side. Someone willing to roll up their sleeves, do the hard groundwork and get the business moving. My work in bringing RAULI to international markets had caught their attention. They wanted me to join the team, both as an investor and in an active role in the business.

My main responsibility is to build a network within the defence industry, open doors, find the right partners and create a roadmap for bringing the product to market. I had never worked in the defence industry before, apart from my 12 months of military service and my background as a peacekeeper. The startup world was also completely new to me.

But I do know a thing or two about sales and business.

Basics are always the same. Understand your market, build the right connections, find the right opportunities and make sure people know who you are.

Early in the year, we joined the DEFINE accelerator program. For me personally, it felt like an intensive, fast-track university course in the defence industry. An excellent way to learn how the industry works, understand its rules and get to know the key players.

One thing quickly became clear. If you want people to hear your message, you need to find a stage where you can share it. And I was determined to find those stages. During the first six months, I actively worked to get myself in front of the right audiences, arranging speaking opportunities at countless events. It was definitely worth the effort. After all, almost everyone loves talking about the combustion engines. Or at least hearing the impressive sound they make when running.

Finding the right partners and starting business discussions in the defence industry is very different from traditional B2B or B2C business. You cannot simply knock on doors or make cold calls asking people to join a Teams meeting. Relationships, networks and who you know play a much bigger role in this industry.

Someone working for a prime contractor once explained his personal "three meeting rule" to me. He told me that before he really trusts a new company, he wants to meet someone from that company face to face at least three times. Only then does he start to believe that the company is serious and here to stay. Quite a challenge for a newly founded company!

I have always believed that success comes from being active and getting things done. Don't wait for the perfect moment. You don't need to plan every little detail before getting started.

If you really want to meet someone, be creative. Offer to pick them up from one meeting and drive them to the next. You might become their personal driver for a while, but that car ride could lead to a very valuable conversation. Been there, done that. The more you do, the more opportunities you create. And sooner or later, that hard work starts to pay off.

Over the past six months, I have had more travel days than ever before. Seminars, trade shows, conferences, private discussions behind closed doors and test events where carefully selected companies get to demonstrate their equipment in the field. I have travelled to events in Finland, the Baltics, the Nordics and other parts of Europe. And wherever I have gone, it has been surprisingly easy to find common ground with the people I meet.

There is a reason for that.

European security and Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine are topics that bring people across the defence industry together.