Sprint 3: Growth Essentials in Tallinn – Turning Capability Into Real-World Scaling
The international scale-up program Growth and Scaling through AI (GSAI) is progressing through its series of capability-building sprints. The programme supports startups from Estonia, Finland, and Sweden in strengthening the technical, commercial, and organizational foundations needed to scale beyond their home markets – with AI as a strategic enabler. The sprint in Tallin focused on Growth Essentials – the human and operational side of scaling – and now the teams will move into the next phase of the program: market discovery missions, funded by the project, to explore and validate opportunities in their upcoming target markets.
The startups and the project group in Tallin, Estonia.
After earlier program stages focused on AI implementation and product readiness, Sprint 3 – Growth Essentials, held in Tallinn on 22–23 October 2025, shifted attention to the elements that often determine scaling success: people, processes, and execution. This sprint explored how teams can convert technical and AI-driven potential into commercial traction, organizational clarity, and sustainable growth systems.
AI as a Growth Accelerator – Not a Replacement
The sprint opened with a session led by Mariliis Uibomäe, growth marketing strategist, who reframed what AI can mean for fast-moving teams. Her message resonated strongly with the GSAI cohort:
– “AI isn’t here to replace people – it replaces the shortage of time, talent, and hands. Real growth begins when those former blockers become your leverage.”
Mariliis guided teams through practical workflows for applying AI to reduce bottlenecks in market validation, audience segmentation, and personalized outreach across new geographies. Her approach reflects a core principle within GSAI: AI expands capacity, while human focus and strategic intent remain central.
Scaling B2B Sales by Selling Change – Not Just a Product
Next, Kalev Kaarna, startup coach and former investor, explored the dynamics of B2B sales. His frameworks were designed to help founders sharpen their value propositions and position themselves not merely as alternatives in a market – but as category leaders.
Kalev emphasised that in B2B settings founders are effectively “selling change”, and the largest barrier to adoption is often FOMU – Fear of Messing Up. His guidance helped the teams identify urgent customer problems, build consistency in their sales systems, and use AI to better understand customer intent rather than simply accelerate outreach volume.
Stoyan Yankov.
High-Performing Teams: The Human Foundation of Scaling
The second day focused on team performance, led by Stoyan Yankov, a consultant in high-performing cultures. Using the PERFORM framework, Stoyan encouraged teams to reflect on alignment, shared values, operating rhythms, and focus – all critical elements of a scalable organization.
He highlighted the importance of early cultural decisions:
– “Day one is the right time to start deciding on values and crafting the culture you want your company to have.”
Throughout the session, each startup developed its own team operating system, creating a foundation they can build on as they enter new markets and prepare for larger organizational demands.
A Spirit of Openness and Collaboration
Sprint 3 also demonstrated the value of the GSAI community. As Kristiina Libe, Project Manager of GSAI, noted:
– “The teams in Tallinn were highly engaged and eager to learn. It was encouraging to see how openly they shared experiences and challenged each other to think bigger.”
This collaborative environment – across borders, sectors, and stages – continues to be a defining characteristic of the program.
A Clear Message: Scaling With AI Is Ultimately About People
Across workshops and discussions, one insight stood out: AI enhances execution, but people set direction. The speed and sustainability of scaling depend on alignment, clarity, and culture. AI strengthens these efforts, but it does not replace the fundamentals.
What’s Next
Before the final sprint, the startups will now embark on market discovery missions to explore their next potential markets. These missions – fully covered by the project – give each team the opportunity to validate assumptions, meet potential customers and partners, and assess readiness for international expansion.
The program then concludes with Sprint 4 – Growth Convergence, taking place in Salo, Finland, on 3-4 February 2026. During the final sprint, teams will refine their scale-up strategies, review their AI development progress, and prepare for investor engagement.
Applications for the next GSAI cohort will open in February 2026. Interested startups can submit their expression of interest now.
GSAI – Growth and Scaling through AI is a joint initiative by Movexum (Gävle, Sweden), Yrityssalo (Salo, Finland), AI Sweden (Stockholm, Sweden), and Tehnopol (Tallinn, Estonia). The programme runs from 2025 to 2028, supporting 45 startups from the Central Baltic region in scaling their business through the strategic application of AI. The aim is to help startups expand or improve their value proposition or business model to enter their first or next EU market. Funded by: Interreg Central Baltic Programme .