For decades, one idea has shaped the strategy playbook for companies with international ambitions:
“First succeed at home. Then go abroad.”
It sounds logical. It feels safe. And for many traditional industries, it has been true.
But for startups — especially technology-driven, purpose-oriented companies — the world has changed faster than the assumptions guiding this advice.
So the real question is not whether a home market can be useful. It is:
How essential is it — really — in a world where companies are born global from day one?
This is a question we at Motitech have lived, not just studied. Motiview was never built for one municipality, one region, or one country. It was born into a global problem: ageing populations, inactivity, loneliness, health inequality — challenges that ignore borders. That reality shaped our mindset, early: if the problem is global, the solution must be scalable beyond its birthplace.
At this stage I should mention that in my everyday job I work as Chief Business Development Officer for the company. I joined them as Senior Advisor back in 2015 after Innovation Norway had challenged them to broaden their business model, from Norway to the Nordics – and beyond. That said: The debate is real, relevant, and worth unpacking with nuance.
Let’s explore…
1. The traditional view: The home market as the safe testbed
The classic logic comes from the so-called stage models of internationalization — some talk about the Uppsala model — where companies expand step by step, first securing a strong domestic position before gradually entering foreign markets.
Why did this model make sense?
A. Proof before expansion
A functioning home market offers commercial validation — real customers, real contracts, real references. Particularly in B2B, trust matters. Being able to say “this works in our own country” lowers friction when speaking to investors, partners, and future customers abroad.
B. Resource accumulation
Local traction generates revenue, hires, learnings, and operational maturity. When internationalization requires physical presence, regulatory adaptation or on-site support, these resources matter.
C. Controlled learning
Home soil is familiar soil. Same language, shared culture, lower risk. It is a forgiving environment for product refinement and operational mistakes.
And there is truth here — especially in sectors where infrastructure, procurement processes, or legal frameworks are slow, complex, and expensive.
But it has also become clear that this model is not universal. In some sectors — especially health — a strong home market can even delay export if national adoption is slow. Norway has seen this in welfare technology, offshore wind, and med-tech: world-class innovations, but domestic scaling barriers hold back global growth.
So: the home market is an asset, not a destiny.
2. The born-global perspective: When the world is your first market
A born global company is one that achieves significant international sales within just a few years — not as an afterthought, but as a foundational strategy.
Why does this mindset emerge?
A. The home market is too small
For niche technology companies, especially from small economies like Norway, the total addressable market (TAM) at home is simply insufficient. If your solution serves the world’s nursing homes, rehabilitation centres, or dementia care units, “local first” is not a growth plan — it’s a constraint.
B. Technology removes old barriers
Cloud solutions, SaaS pricing, remote deployment, global distribution partners — the cost of reaching international customers has never been lower. You don’t need offices in every country to be present in every country.
C. Founders think globally from day one
A born-global company does not translate a local solution into other markets. It designs for scalability from the start — in product, pricing, communication, and value proposition.
D. Global problems require global scale
Loneliness in elderly care is not Norwegian. Inactivity among seniors is not Scandinavian. Cognitive decline is not European. The market is global because the need is global.
3. Home market vs born global: Not a binary choice — a strategic one
| Aspect | Home-Market-First | Born-Global Mindset |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | Validate locally, then expand | Validate globally, as early as possible |
| Risk | Lower at start, higher later | Higher at start, potentially lower later |
| Capital Logic | Revenue first, then scale | Scale first, then revenue acceleration |
| Product Fit | Adapted to national system | Built to fit diverse environments |
| When It Works | Regulated, slow-moving, capital-heavy sectors | Digital, scalable, niche or mission-driven sectors |
The key difference is not about geography — it is about how you define validation.
A born-global startup does not need 80% market share at home to prove readiness. It needs proof of repeatable value — wherever it happens first.
A pilot in Bergen, a contract in Stockholm, a partnership in Toronto, and a reference case in London can together be stronger than dominating only one country.
4. What actually matters more than “home or international first”?
Whether local or global, three things matter far more:
✅ 1. Clear and measurable value creation
If the solution does not deliver impact — clinical, social, economic or operational — it will not scale. Geography doesn’t change that.
✅ 2. A repeatable implementation model
Technology alone is not enough. Success depends on onboarding, training, culture-building and outcome measurement. This is where many “export dreams” fail — not on product, but on execution.
✅ 3. The ability to learn fast — across markets
Born-global companies see every market as a learning lab. They don’t expand to “copy-paste”, but to iterate and improve through diversity.
5. A humble reflection from Motitech’s journey
Motitech did not “wait” for the Norwegian market to be perfect before moving abroad — because the need for movement, dignity, and connection in elderly care was already universal. And there are projects and research funding to tap into, skilled people to connect with and other platforms to operate from. The world is quite small in that sense.
Yet we also learned that:
- Global ambition requires local credibility
- A strong reference customer is more powerful than a strong home market
- Rapid scaling must be matched by intentional impact measurement
- Being born global demands cultural humility — not just commercial speed
Our story is not “we skipped the home market”, but rather:
We built validation wherever the door opened first — and we let the impact for the end users lead us; heart first, always.
6. So, do you need a strong home market first?
No — not always.
But you do need strong validation.
And validation can come from:
- A single lighthouse customer
- A multi-country pilot
- A published impact study
- A scalable onboarding model
- A measurable improvement in quality of life or cost efficiency
Global readiness is not about flags on a map.
It is about proof that your product works, travels, and matters.
Go global for the sake of your home market
The old belief said:
“Once we succeed here, then we will go out.”
The new reality says:
“If the problem is global, the opportunity is global — and the learning must be global too.”
Being born global is not about ego or speed.
It is about responsibility, relevance, and reach.
And sometimes, the best way to serve your home market —
is to prove your impact in the world first.
DREIESKIVA|Roald Kvam 
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