Marko Parviainen

Marko Parviainen founded Safedo on a simple observation: safety is something every company needs, but customers rarely pay it the attention it deserves — often from a lack of knowledge, but also because maintaining a proper safety level can be resource-intensive for small companies. "Safedo was created to fill this gap with a highly customer-focused service," says Marko Parviainen. Built with his wife through cash flow, with no bank loans, Safedo became one of the first companies to commercialise the AED (defibrillator) business in Finland, taking it from zero to significant numbers.

By the time it was sold in summer 2022, Safedo had grown to around €5.2 million in annual revenue and €0.9 million in EBITDA. "The numbers only tell part of the story. What I'm probably most proud of is the organisation and customer base we built around them," says Marko Parviainen.

Presto's acquisitions of three Finnish competitors got Marko thinking about Safedo's next move, just as another company approached about buying it directly. He and his wife brought in an investment bank to weigh the options, and were surprised to find five interested buyers. "We decided that Presto was the most suitable owner for Safedo, and as a new employer for our employees," says Marko Parviainen. "What tipped the decision toward Presto was the combination of scale, market position and people."

Due diligence was, in his words, "quite an intensive process" — integration more so, since Presto had no first aid business before Safedo. New products, purchasing and delivery processes and two different ERP/CRM systems all had to come together, while keeping the business running and finding sales synergies with Presto's training offer. Most employees continued in their existing roles, simply with more colleagues around them.

Marko first helped steer Safedo's integration, then took on building Presto's fire safety sales organisation in Finland as Sales Director from 2023. Today, as Sales Development Director for New Services, he's building the sales model for new business areas like FirePro and Dangerous Goods. "It feels a little bit like entrepreneurship again," he says, "except this time I have a much bigger toolbox." Presto, he concludes, "is a great home for an entrepreneur — you can be an entrepreneur among other entrepreneurs who have sold their companies to Presto, and spark new ideas with colleagues."

• Founded by Marko Parviainen and his wife, grown through cash flow with no bank loans or outside investors
• Among the first companies to commercialise the AED (defibrillator) business in Finland
• ~€5.2 million revenue and €0.9 million EBITDA at the time of sale, summer 2022
• Acquired by Presto in 2022
• Marko Parviainen now Sales Development Director for New Services, Presto Group