Reveel: Entrepreneurship means having the courage to do something that you believe in

The team was later joined by Fredrik Fazer, who had a background in business, after which they needed to find someone who could turn the idea into a real product better than anyone else. The trio eventually discovered William Helmenius, a then 17-year-old Swede who had already spent half his life programming.

Today, Reveel has an enthusiastic team of eight people taking the company to destinations around the world.

The business idea came about when Sebastian and Robin were both on different holiday trips at the same time. They asked themselves how it could be that, despite all the talk about sustainability, accessibility and digitalisation, we are still using old paper maps or read limited information on signs when we visit an attraction. The duo concluded that technology is already at a level where better, more sustainable and more modern solutions are sure to be found. Inspired by this, they set out to conduct interviews at sights, museums, churches and UNESCO sites. In the end, everyone agreed: digitising the visitor experience is an expensive and time-consuming process. Could we solve this problem by building a ready-made platform that could be put to use immediately?

Eventually, the Ehrensvärd Society in Suomenlinna was the first organisation to adopt Reveel. Today, Reveel is already used at almost 100 sites in Finland, and the company has clients from six different countries.

"Building something that is useful to someone from scratch gives motivation and meaning to the work."

For the duo, entrepreneurship means actively doing something every day for a better future. When times are tough, they can remind themselves that no one is forcing them to be entrepreneurs – they have made that choice themselves. On the other hand, entrepreneurship is first and foremost an opportunity to create real changes. There is always demand for good products and ideas, whether there are one or a thousand users. If the product provides someone with added value, entrepreneurship is rewarding in itself.

"Helsinki has a very entrepreneur-friendly atmosphere, and it has been great to build relations here."

Reveel is a member of Business Helsinki’s Helsingin Tekijät operator network, which has brought the company to the heart of the tourism sector in Helsinki in particular. In fact, the City of Helsinki was one of Reveel’s first clients. Through the operator network, the duo have taken part in several workshops and meetings, and they have a weekly virtual morning coffee session with the network.