From zero to hero: How a Latin American turned his dream into a startup in Finland
When moving to a new place, especially a foreign country, one usually struggle with not only the language barrier and cultural shock but also building a personal and professional network. This is exactly what Luis was facing when he first moved to Finland
Co-Founder of Jockpharm, Luis, a fighter, is very passionate about training and very eager to compete in pro kickboxing when he first moved to Finland in 2006.
However, he struggled to find fighting opportunities. All the information was very scattered, some were on social media, some was in gyms. Information varies and most of it was up to each coach and it wasn’t simple to contact a lot of coaches at once.
That’s when the idea of a platform for fighters came to him. Luis wanted to build a place where fighters can easily connect with others, with coaches, managers and get all the necessary information to start creating their network to boost their careers as professional athletes.
How the startup formed
In 2019, when Luis and his family moved back to Finland after a few years abroad, that he started setting up the company with his wife as a co-founder. The other 3 team members are his ex co-workers from Bolivia.
Luis sees Finland as an amazing country with a lot of great opportunities and supports for startup companies
I thought to myself it is now or never. I have always wanted to have my own company in order to provide opportunities to others, not only the athletes but to any who is a part of the JockPharm family.
For Luis, during his journey building Jockpharm, one of the biggest challenges they have had and have overcome was finding the right team and the right path.
“My family and especially my children motivate me to continue in the hard times. I want to show my children that you can become someone with hard and smart work if you just keep trying.”
Small business, significant impact
The platform has changed the way many of Jockpharm’s users manage and expand their network. Noufel El Kasri — Pro MMA fighter and Champion in his division got to sign with Sucker Punch Entertainment, one of the most respected management agencies in all mixed martial arts through the platform.
Zac Jaschaev — MMA Manager:
“JockPharm makes scouting so much easier and more interesting.”
Khai Wu — Pro MMA fighter:
“It’s great to have a platform where you get to connect with other fighters and network with people in the same field. JockPharm helps up and comers and experienced fighters connect and grow together. “
Currently, Jockpharm is upgrading their platform to make it more sophisticated with function and interface like social media so fighters can create great profiles to present themselves. They are also aiming to enter the US market in the near future while looking for funding opportunities.
How is your experience at Nordic Startup School? Where do you see yourself in 6 months/2 years?
We have had an amazing experience with NSS. Bootcamps were amazing, we got a lot of useful and relevant information and meeting with the mentors has been incredible. It was very interesting to see different aspects of our business and the comments we got from the mentors.
In 6 months we hope to have received the necessary funding for product and team development ;).
In 2 years from now, we hope to launch Mobile Application, upgrade our platform, and partner up with more talent management agencies.
For more updates on our program and mentors follow us on Linkedin. Visit NSS website for more details of our programs.
