A Valona year in review 2023 by CEO Kimmo Havu

As we bid farewell to the eventful year of 2023 and eagerly step into the promises of 2024, it’s time for reflection. The last year has been defined by its unpredictability, a trait that has now become the norm. Yet, it is in these uncertain times that opportunities are often born for those brave enough to seize them.

Thriving despite challenges in 2023 

Businesses around the globe have been forced to navigate through a complex macroeconomic climate. While the U.S. economy has demonstrated resilience, an undeniable air of uncertainty in Europe and the UK has persisted. Additionally, the growth rates of Asian powerhouses seem to have taken a chillier turn than we had initially anticipated. Trade wars and geopolitical crises have disrupted supply chains, rocking global businesses.

Our vision is to make every business decision insight-driven, and I’m very glad that the vision resonates so well with what the market needs today. In 2023, Valona processed, analyzed, and summarized around 22 million business insights for our customers, freeing up almost a million hours. These hours make a difference.

Empowering business growth: Celebrating a memorable 2023 milestone

For us as an intelligence partner, it’s crucial that our customers deftly navigate this whirlwind environment with confidence. That they can trust to have the right information to make their biggest business decisions focused and impactful. That’s what a million saved hours do. They allow a business to spin challenges into opportunities and spend time on what matters. 

While helping our customers stay focused on the essentials, 2023 has also been transformative in our journey. We have rebranded the company from M-Brain to Valona and sharpened our focus. The continued investments in our platform, purpose-built AI, and in our people. We are today providing the market with a leading option for intelligence—a unique blend of human discernment and AI-augmented insights. 

Our new and long-term customers have found this pivot valuable, and it has been heartwarming to hear how they have seen us help them make those big and small decisions with renewed confidence and grow, compete, and stay a step ahead of the competition.

How does 1M hours saved make a difference?

At the heart of every decision we made in 2023, our customers remained the central focus. Utilizing the Valona platform, we empowered our customers to process 22 million business insights, saving nearly a million hours of reading, or roughly 126 years. But it’s more than time saved; it’s about enabling business growth and reducing risks.

The unique insights and hours saved have delivered transformative outcomes. Businesses were able to redirect efforts towards core growth strategies, advancing into new markets, and launching new products. At the same time, we’ve helped companies navigate risks, mitigate competitor threats, reduce regulatory fines, and avoid supply chain disruptions.

In more ways than one, we’re committed to fueling your growth and helping you reap maximum ROI.

As we stride into the future, we promise to double down on this commitment. Our goal is to gift our customers with even more unique insights and another million hours (at least!) in the coming year, enhancing win rates, expanding market share, and transcending business performance.

Towards a future paved with opportunities  

The future is not just about bracing for challenges; it is about making them into golden opportunities for growth.

This year, many, if not most, of our colleagues at Valona have been asked to step outside their comfort zone. We have a renewed organization, new job roles, and intense global collaboration, and we now move faster than ever—and you have embraced this change. Thank you for being a part of the journey.

So here’s to a profitable and risk-resilient future together.

Happy New Year!

P.S. This was also quite a big deal in 2023—while we were still M-Brain, we were recognized as a Leader by Forrester: