The Helsinki startup scene has a new reason to celebrate: Freepress has successfully secured €1 million in funding to expand its AI-driven news service. For any startup founder or entrepreneur, this milestone speaks volumes about the global appetite for fresh, scalable approaches to news management.
Let’s dig into Freepress’s bold vision. The core of their platform is about making global news accessible and truly tailored to the individual. Co-founders Joel Uussaari and Aleksi Kaistinen have leveraged artificial intelligence to automatically analyze vast amounts of public and licensed news articles and turn them into language-specific summaries that anyone can easily follow. This isn’t just about convenience; it’s about bridging language barriers and giving local publishers a slice of the future.
Why Is Freepress Gaining Traction?
Freepress’s ability to attract significant funding rests upon three key ideas that resonate deeply with both users and investors:
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Personalized, Multilingual News: As their virtual news editor summarizes articles in multiple languages, users get global headlines in a format that feels custom-made for them. Imagine having personalized updates without tediously combing through hundreds of sources, it’s a winning formula for today’s overwhelmed reader.
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Publisher Partnerships: What stands out about Freepress is its commitment to collaborating with local media. Up to 50% of content revenue is shared with publishers, incentivizing them to partner with the platform and ensuring quality journalism maintains its foothold in an increasingly tech-centered world.
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Scalability for International Markets: With this funding, Freepress aims to prepare its service for overseas markets. This includes rolling out its platform in new languages while simultaneously adding features that deepen its local partnerships.
How Freepress Is Using Its €1 Million
When startups receive funding, strategic fund allocation is crucial. Freepress’s targeted plans demonstrate clear priorities:
- Product Enhancement: The funds will help improve Freepress’s multilingual AI capabilities, ensuring seamless scale-up for diverse audiences.
- Global Expansion: Central to their strategy is entering new markets, powered by their publisher revenue-sharing model. Key deals, such as a Reuters partnership commencing in January, will likely pave the way for their international success.
- Support for Journalism: By sharing revenue with publishers, Freepress positions itself as a platform invested in sustainable, high-quality journalism.
What Entrepreneurs Can Learn from Freepress’s Strategy
Every journey has lessons. Here are practical takeaways for fellow entrepreneurs:
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Solve for Scale: Freepress didn’t simply build a product; they built a scalable model that works beyond Finland’s borders. From day one, they designed a service ready to adapt to varying languages and cultures.
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Collaboration Matters: Rather than viewing traditional journalism as competition, Freepress empowers publishers by inviting them into its ecosystem. This strategy ensures wide adoption and builds goodwill.
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Focus on Timing: Launched in 2025 and securing funding within two years, Freepress capitalized on the growing need for curated news amid an overflow of global content. Timing their entry into the market was clearly pivotal.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid When Seeking Expansion
While Freepress appears destined for growth, startups looking to follow in its footsteps should be wary of these traps:
- Overemphasis on Tech: Relying too much on AI without human oversight can lead to credibility issues in news distribution.
- Ignoring Localization: A one-size-fits-all approach rarely works in diverse markets. Freepress’s flexibility with language and cultural nuances should set the example.
- Weak Cash Flow Planning: Expansion costs can balloon unexpectedly. Without steady revenue sources, such as Freepress’s publisher partnerships, scaling becomes high-risk.
A Simplified Guide for Crafting Scalable Services
For emerging startups hoping to achieve ambitious milestones like Freepress, here’s a short how-to guide:
- Start with User Needs: Build around the convenience and practical value your audience seeks.
- Invest in a Revenue-Sharing Model: Getting established professionals on board can create recurring income streams early on.
- Test Regionally Before Scaling Globally: Launch in one market, perfect the formula, then expand with confidence.
- Be Transparent with Fund Usage: Treat your investors as collaborators by outlining clear plans to deliver measurable outcomes.
Conclusion: Creating Space for Collaboration
As someone deeply connected with early-stage startups, I find Freepress to be a compelling case study. They’ve struck a balance between using technology to disrupt traditional models while ensuring their product works with, not against, industry stakeholders like publishers. Entrepreneurs building their own companies can take inspiration from how Freepress aligned its growth ambitions with meaningful partnerships and a user-first model.
For those keen to follow Freepress’s journey, you can explore their platform in action and watch how they transform the way people consume news. Whatever your niche may be, their story serves as a reminder: there’s always a place at the table for innovation that values inclusivity and collaboration.
FAQ
1. What is Freepress, and what sets it apart?
Freepress is an AI-powered news platform based in Helsinki that uses artificial intelligence to analyze and summarize vast amounts of global news articles in multiple languages. It provides personalized, multilingual news feeds for users and partners with local publishers, sharing up to 50% of revenue. Discover Freepress’s AI-driven platform
2. How much funding did Freepress raise, and what will it be used for?
Freepress recently raised €1 million in seed funding. The funds aim to enhance its AI-driven international news platform, expand to global markets, develop multilingual capabilities, and build stronger publisher collaborations. Learn about Freepress’s funding plans
3. Who are the founders of Freepress, and what is their background?
Freepress was founded by Joel Uussaari, an experienced CEO with a background in real estate, and Aleksi Kaistinen, a seasoned software developer. Together, they envisioned a scalable AI platform for accessible, personalized news services. Meet Freepress’s co-founders
4. What makes Freepress’s AI platform unique?
Freepress’s AI serves as a virtual news editor, capable of analyzing hundreds of thousands of public and licensed articles, and summarizing them in multiple languages. This ensures accessibility and real-time updates for a global audience. Learn more about Freepress’s AI capabilities
5. What is the significance of Freepress’s revenue-sharing model?
Freepress shares up to 50% of content revenue with local publishers, incentivizing their collaboration and ensuring sustainable, high-quality journalism. Explore Freepress’s publisher partnerships
6. How does Freepress plan to use its funding for international growth?
Freepress plans to roll out its platform in multiple languages, enter new markets, and strengthen partnerships with international publishers. A deal with Reuters is set to begin in January 2026. Read about Freepress’s expansion strategy
7. When was Freepress launched, and how has it performed so far?
Freepress launched in Finland in Autumn 2025. Since its introduction, it quickly rose to the top rankings in App Store’s news categories, indicating strong user demand.
8. How does Freepress support localized news worldwide?
Freepress’s flexible AI platform enables localization by delivering personalized, real-time, multilingual news updates that adapt to various cultures and markets. Learn how Freepress localizes news internationally
9. What partnerships and collaborations has Freepress secured?
Freepress has a revenue-sharing partnership model with local publishers and is set to integrate Reuters as a major content provider in January 2026 to diversify its global news offering.
10. What can entrepreneurs learn from Freepress’s success story?
Entrepreneurs can learn from Freepress’s scalable AI-driven model, its collaborative approach with content creators, and its timing in entering the market to meet the growing demand for personalized global news. Discover entrepreneurial lessons from Freepress
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
Violetta Bonenkamp's expertise in CAD sector, IP protection and blockchain
Violetta Bonenkamp is recognized as a multidisciplinary expert with significant achievements in the CAD sector, intellectual property (IP) protection, and blockchain technology.
CAD Sector:
- Violetta is the CEO and co-founder of CADChain, a deep tech startup focused on developing IP management software specifically for CAD (Computer-Aided Design) data. CADChain addresses the lack of industry standards for CAD data protection and sharing, using innovative technology to secure and manage design data.
- She has led the company since its inception in 2018, overseeing R&D, PR, and business development, and driving the creation of products for platforms such as Autodesk Inventor, Blender, and SolidWorks.
- Her leadership has been instrumental in scaling CADChain from a small team to a significant player in the deeptech space, with a diverse, international team.
IP Protection:
- Violetta has built deep expertise in intellectual property, combining academic training with practical startup experience. She has taken specialized courses in IP from institutions like WIPO and the EU IPO.
- She is known for sharing actionable strategies for startup IP protection, leveraging both legal and technological approaches, and has published guides and content on this topic for the entrepreneurial community.
- Her work at CADChain directly addresses the need for robust IP protection in the engineering and design industries, integrating cybersecurity and compliance measures to safeguard digital assets.
Blockchain:
- Violetta’s entry into the blockchain sector began with the founding of CADChain, which uses blockchain as a core technology for securing and managing CAD data.
- She holds several certifications in blockchain and has participated in major hackathons and policy forums, such as the OECD Global Blockchain Policy Forum.
- Her expertise extends to applying blockchain for IP management, ensuring data integrity, traceability, and secure sharing in the CAD industry.
Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the "gamepreneurship" methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond, launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks and is building MELA AI to help local restaurants in Malta get more visibility online.
For the past several years Violetta has been living between the Netherlands and Malta, while also regularly traveling to different destinations around the globe, usually due to her entrepreneurial activities. This has led her to start writing about different locations and amenities from the POV of an entrepreneur. Here’s her recent article about the best hotels in Italy to work from.
About the Publication
Fe/male Switch is an innovative startup platform designed to empower women entrepreneurs through an immersive, game-like experience. Founded in 2020 during the pandemic "without any funding and without any code," this non-profit initiative has evolved into a comprehensive educational tool for aspiring female entrepreneurs.The platform was co-founded by Violetta Shishkina-Bonenkamp, who serves as CEO and one of the lead authors of the Startup News branch.
Mission and Purpose
Fe/male Switch Foundation was created to address the gender gap in the tech and entrepreneurship space. The platform aims to skill-up future female tech leaders and empower them to create resilient and innovative tech startups through what they call "gamepreneurship". By putting players in a virtual startup village where they must survive and thrive, the startup game allows women to test their entrepreneurial abilities without financial risk.
Key Features
The platform offers a unique blend of news, resources,learning, networking, and practical application within a supportive, female-focused environment:
- Skill Lab: Micro-modules covering essential startup skills
- Virtual Startup Building: Create or join startups and tackle real-world challenges
- AI Co-founder (PlayPal): Guides users through the startup process
- SANDBOX: A testing environment for idea validation before launch
- Wellness Integration: Virtual activities to balance work and self-care
- Marketplace: Buy or sell expert sessions and tutorials
Impact and Growth
Since its inception, Fe/male Switch has shown impressive growth:
- 5,000+ female entrepreneurs in the community
- 100+ startup tools built
- 5,000+ pieces of articles and news written
- 1,000 unique business ideas for women created
Partnerships
Fe/male Switch has formed strategic partnerships to enhance its offerings. In January 2022, it teamed up with global website builder Tilda to provide free access to website building tools and mentorship services for Fe/male Switch participants.
Recognition
Fe/male Switch has received media attention for its innovative approach to closing the gender gap in tech entrepreneurship. The platform has been featured in various publications highlighting its unique "play to learn and earn" model.