The obvious choice for Webropol
Before Webropol decided to set up in the West Midlands, UK Manager Henrik Romar had little knowledge of business in the region. However the Bridge To Growth (BTG) initiative meant that the company did not even consider any other regions before moving in to the Warwick Science Park in November 2007.
A survey software sales operation founded in Finland in 2001, Webropol has 1500 clients and 20 staff, with agents and retailers in several European countries, South Africa and Singapore. Initially selling through an agent in the UK, the company felt that it could achieve greater success with its own UK team focussed solely on its own product. The product is a natural fit for the UK market too, as the software is available in English, and all company employees speak the language. The final piece in the decision-making jigsaw was the BTG initiative, which caught the interest of the company Chairman.
Henrik Romar, UK Manager for Webropol, explained that "there was a latent need to come to the UK, which was sparked by a BTG seminar in Finland. The BTG initiative certainly helped in our decision, and it may not have happened without that nudge. What BTG does is to lower the barriers, making it easier to take the leap."
As Webropol had no UK connections and no experience in making the necessary arrangements for establishing a business in the UK - such as registering a company and finding a suitable location - the help and support of AWM and BTG made the West Midlands the obvious choice: though the company did investigate the Region's demographics and quality of life before making the final commitment. Once the decision had been made, the other advantages of the Region became clear to Henrik, including the central location, the proximity to Birmingham (providing big city credibility), and the international airport.
On his first visit to the Region in May 2007, together with his Chairman, Henrik was impressed by the countryside and towns such as Kenilworth, Leamington Spa and Stratford-upon-Avon, as well as finding Birmingham "much nicer than I'd expected!"
Soon after that visit, Webropol signed up for six months' free accommodation at Warwick Science Park, and subsequently took advantage of the free research offered by BTG through TechMark, and the free expert and professional help with the logistics of setting up a business in the UK, offered by EBS, Tenon and Handelsbanken via BTG.
Henrik Romar is confident that Webropol will remain in the UK beyond the six months' free accommodation term - and is even looking into incorporating his product into the BTG programme, in the form of a web-based questionnaire. With that kind of entrepreneurial spirit, Webropol and the West Midlands Region are obviously made for each other.
Interview given by Henrik Romar, UK Manager
