With over 30 years of experience, Helsinki-based software company Timehouse is a human-centric technology partner that transforms business goals into functional technology. The company’s core expertise spans digital publishing, CAD automation, and IT consulting.
For media companies like their long-term partner Alma Media, Timehouse builds tailored editorial and publishing systems. In the industrial construction sector, the company streamlines the design of log and wooden houses by developing smart extensions on top of ArchiCAD and Revit software.
Integrating public funding into the growth strategy
Timehouse CEO Kristian Töyrä admits he was initially highly skeptical about public funding. Behind this was a principle familiar to many entrepreneurs: if a business cannot stand on its own two feet, artificial backing makes little sense.
His attitude shifted when Timehouse faced two simultaneous pressures: consulting sales slowed down just as product development required funding. A conversation with a Grants sales representative proved to be the turning point.
”I told them that while it would be nice to secure public funding for our projects, I had no interest in entering that market. The response was blunt: ‘You might not be interested, but your competitors certainly are.’”
– Kristian Töyrä
Seeing that a direct competitor was successfully securing major funding year after year – combined with Timehouse’s own R&D needs – convinced Töyrä to give it a shot.
High-quality applications stand out
The results of the 1.5-year partnership between Timehouse and Grants speak for themselves: a 100% success rate on submitted applications. Together, they have successfully secured an R&D loan, an Economic Development Centre development grant, and an R&D grant, with Svetlana Smagina heading the projects as Grants’ funding expert.
Töyrä himself has years of experience in filling out funding applications, ranging from academia to private companies. He admits that he lacks the patience to fill out bureaucratic forms, and many applications have been sidelined by daily operational fires. Smagina’s involvement changed the game, and Töyrä ia vocal about the quality she brought to the table.
”Our funding evaluators weren’t always impressed with my applications. With Svetlana, it’s a completely different story. The evaluators processing our cases specifically noted that her applications were among the best-structured and best-written submissions they have ever reviewed.”
Effortless growth
Töyrä describes the collaboration with Grants as a turnkey solution. Timehouse can focus on its core business while Grants handles everything from selecting the right funding instruments to crafting a polished narrative. He highly values Smagina’s proactive, structured approach to project management.
”Svetlana has an excellent understanding of what we’re trying to achieve, which makes our collaboration seamless. She also keeps me on track, ensuring I deliver my inputs on time. We have received exactly the premium service we paid for.”
Who is Grants for?
Töyrä recommends Grants to any growth-minded company looking to productize its internal expertise. In a competitive market, public funding provides a significant competitive advantage.
”I would encourage companies to look at their assets: if you have internal knowledge or capital that could bring value to the wider market, why not productize it – and leverage public funding to support that productization?”