Connections That
Convert.
Not more data. Not better targeting. The skills, processes, and relationships to reach the partners, clients, and decision-makers that performance marketing was never built for — and make your data-driven work sharper in the process.
I identify the partners, clients, and decision-makers who actually move your business, open and cultivate those relationships myself, then work alongside your team to transfer the skills, processes, and mindset — so when the engagement ends, your organization knows how to keep making connections that convert. For corporates, SMBs, and governments serious about growing through trust.
Built Things That Mattered.
Not an advisor. Not a consultant who joined post-PMF. A founding team member, twice.
Funderbeam
The world's first blockchain-powered startup stock exchange
Led community and growth marketing for one of Europe's most ambitious FinTech plays — building the investor base from zero across a global audience at a time when blockchain was still being explained at dinner parties.
Head of Community & Sr. Marketing ManagerRiff (Databutton)
One of the world's leading AI "vibe coding" platforms
Built the community and demand-generation engine from scratch. Developed the B2B partnership strategy while the AI dev-tools category was still being defined. Riff is now recognized globally as a leader in AI-powered software development.
Head of Relations & Community Leadaren't marketing problems.
They're relationship problems — happening at the level where decisions actually get made.
There's a concept I've built my entire career around. In any market, any industry, any room — roughly 1% of people drive the decisions that matter, 9% shape the opinion that surrounds those decisions, and 90% follow. Most growth strategies — the agencies, the performance marketing budgets, the demand generation playbooks — are built to reach the 90. I've never been particularly interested in the 90.
Every role I've taken, every company I've helped build, every market I've entered — I've done it by getting close to the 1% and the 9%. Not through cold outreach or paid acquisition. Through relationships built over time, across borders, in rooms most consultants never get access to. That's how Funderbeam acquired 40,000 verified investors across 100 countries. That's how Databutton — now Riff — became one of the world's leading AI platforms before most people knew the category existed. That's how a non-Japanese speaker ended up co-organizing Japan's leading startup conference in Hokkaido.
I stay close to emerging technology — AI, blockchain, the tools reshaping how businesses operate — not because I sell technology solutions, but because the 1% and 9% are already thinking about it. Walking into a room fluent in what's changing, and what it actually means for growth, is part of how I earn the trust that opens doors. Understanding the bleeding edge isn't a service I offer. It's how I stay relevant to the people who matter.
The emerging research on AI and labor markets points in one direction: the work that can be automated, will be. Which means the work that can't be automated becomes the most valuable thing a business can invest in. Building genuine trust, navigating culture, opening doors through real relationships. That's where growth lives now.
This is the belief behind NoContext™. And it's what I bring to every engagement.
NoContext™ is named for a belief: that the relationships driving real business growth were never going to be found through data, targeting, or automation. The 1% and 9% who move markets aren't reached by algorithms — and they're certainly not inspired by messaging that mistakes frequency for connection. Real loyalty, word of mouth that compounds, and access to previously impenetrable rooms come from something entirely different. They're reached by people they trust — people who show up, listen to their needs, connect on a non-transactional level, and find ways to provide value without asking for anything in return. That's what I bring to organizations in need of relationship-based growth. And that's what I teach to your team.
How The Work Actually Happens.
Not a strategy report delivered from a distance. I embed alongside your team, move through three distinct phases, and leave something that outlasts the engagement.
I map the partners, clients, and decision-makers in the 1% and 9% of your market who can actually move your business. Then I do the early relationship work myself — the outreach, the cultivation, the trust-building that cold channels can't manufacture. This is where 15 years of relationships across the Nordics, Europe, Japan, and the US become your unfair advantage. You see real traction before the transfer begins.
Working alongside your team, I activate the relationships we've identified and start building the frameworks, scripts, and workflows they'll eventually own. Content strategy, CRM logic, community — all get sharper as we apply relationship intelligence to the tools you already have. Your existing data-driven work doesn't get replaced. It gets better.
The final phase is deliberate capability transfer — upskilling your people, embedding a new way of thinking about relationships, and making sure the culture shift sticks. When the engagement ends, the playbook lives in your organization, not in me. Ideal for organizations who've outgrown what an agency can do but aren't ready to build a full senior commercial team.
For Organizations Who've
Outgrown The Usual
Playbook.
If any of these sound familiar, we should talk.
Corporates &
Multinationals
You have market ambitions that have been out of reach. You already know that the relationships needed to enter your next new market, land that game-changing strategic partner, or establish necessary government trust aren't in any database — and you've probably learned that the hard way.
Scale-up
SMBs
You have product-market fit, you're ready to grow internationally, and performance marketing has taken you as far as your budget will allow. You're evaluating new long-term growth opportunities and know that your next growth phase requires a different kind of commercial capability than you currently have in-house.
Governments &
Public Bodies
You're building or planning to build cross-border ecosystems, attract foreign investment, inspire a new generation of entrepreneurship, or create economic momentum through strategic collaborations — and you need someone who already has the relationships, cultural fluency, and credibility to open doors, create community, and unlock opportunity without a long onboarding period.
I don't work with pre-revenue startups or organizations without the budget to move decisively.
What They Say.
Imagine having the superpower to not only reach anyone on the planet but also win them over almost instantly — Björn has that magical ability. His knack for making meaningful connections is unparalleled; he doesn't just get meetings, he makes them count, turning skeptics into friends and contacts into allies. His one-on-one communication is personal and down-to-earth, yet his insights are profound, reflecting a rare blend of charisma and wisdom. He's not just a fantastic marketer; he's a connector in the truest sense.
Having multiple experiences of leading a global conference, building relationships with investors and startup founders, expanding a community activity with international audience across the world, Björn contributed for initiating global startup conferences in Hokkaido as the only non-Japanese member. His cultural competence and the ability to connect with members without speaking Japanese language is extraordinary — and he builds trust with prompt actions, the clear outputs and communication. There's no one that I could think of when we launched an event connecting ties among Baltics, Nordics and Japan aside from Björn.
Björn has a unique gift of building personal relationships across borders, languages and cultures. I don't think I have met anyone who can match Björn's ability to build beneficial win-win relationships. Some of our first users even got a hand-written postcard sent across the world thanking them for testing us out early and providing great feedback. I can highly recommend Björn for anyone who needs help with marketing, communications or building communities.
Having the pleasure to work with Björn as a colleague on various international projects has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career. His ability to adapt and excel in the complex nature of international business relations with expertise and grace is unmatched. In working with him over the years between Japan and Estonia, this talent has been a crucial factor in the success of each one of our projects.
Björn is a strong marketer with a very broad range of capabilities, but what makes him stand out is his ability to connect with people both online and offline. He has his very own personal style of connecting with people, both professionally and personally. He is a great team player and goes above and beyond to create a good workplace for everyone he works with.
I am honored to work side by side with Björn. Always professional, he is humble and does everything with a positive twist. He packs an incredible capacity of hard working ethics, combined with unparalleled creativity and ability to always getting things done.
Björn provided valuable support and knowledge for the Startup Norway team as a whole. He's a true visionary — his effortless skill at talking to everyone has drawn in amazingly many people, and his vast network stretches across at least three continents.
Who's In
The Room.
The people Björn collaborates with aren't employees — they're peers who choose to show up. That's a different kind of network.
If You Recognise Your Organization In This Page — Let's Talk.
I take on a limited number of engagements to make sure every client gets my full attention. If what you've read resonates, reach out. The first conversation is just that — a conversation.
bjorn@lapakko.com