Cadmatic CEO Jukka Rantala is 2023 “Software Entrepreneur of the Year” in Finland

On Thursday November 9th, the Software Finland Association announced Jukka Rantala as the 2023 “Software Entrepreneur of the Year”. The award has a tradition spanning over 20 years.

In bestowing the award, the association especially highlighted Cadmatic’s long-term work as well as its well-timed decisions and solutions to support strong and profitable international growth.

“I have been fortunate in that I have had the best people around me. Our risk-taking has been successful because entering the world of 3D CAD design is not easy. Great credit for the award goes to our wonderful team." – Jukka Rantala

The following is a translation of the Finnish language press release sent out by Software Finland ry on 9.11.2023 at 17.30 Finnish time.

"We will hear more about them" – Software Entrepreneur of the Year Jukka Rantala's Cadmatic predicted to have a great future: Already serving customers in 60 countries

The Software Entrepreneur of the Year 2023 is Jukka Rantala, the long-standing CEO of Cadmatic Ltd and the driver behind its international growth. “Cadmatic has achieved impressive growth through revenue financing, which has already brought in 6,000 customers from 60 countries,” summarizes Pekka Walkama, the chairman of the board of Software Finland ry, the umbrella organization for the software industry. “Our risk-taking has paid off, as entering the world of 3D CAD design is not easy. A big part of this award goes to our wonderful team,” says Jukka Rantala.

The selection of the Software Entrepreneur of the Year has been one of the software industry's most important annual highlights for over 20 years. This time was no different, as Software Finland ry got to honor one of the long-standing developers and great achievers of the industry. The Software Entrepreneur of the Year 2023 is Jukka Rantala, the driver behind Cadmatic Ltd's international growth.

“Cadmatic, under Jukka's leadership, has not only performed sustained, high-quality work but has also made timely, bold decisions to support its international growth. Cadmatic has leveraged revenue financing to achieve impressive growth, attracting 6,000 customers in 60 countries. Alongside robust organic growth, Jukka has carried out three strategic acquisitions that have paved the way for even broader expansion,” Pekka Walkama, chairman of the Software Finland board, describes the reasons behind the award.

Rantala himself is very pleased and honored by his selection, both for himself and the entire team.

"Having already had a long career, such national recognition is really fantastic. I have been fortunate in that I have had the best people around me. Our risk-taking has been successful because entering the world of 3D CAD design is not easy. Great credit for the award goes to our wonderful team," thanks Rantala.

Out to the world immediately!

At the heart of the risk-taking has been the decision to look boldly beyond Finland from the start.

"One key factor has been our courage to go full force into the world market as early as the '90s. We got our first major customers from outside Finland, from the Netherlands, Norway, Germany, Poland, and then we broke into Asia: India, Japan, China... An important step in the mid-2000s was the creation of the world's first distributed design system, a result of our own innovation, which enabled collaboration for even hundreds of designers at a time," Rantala describes Cadmatic's path to success.

Cadmatic's three industrial sectors are marine, process industry, and, most recently, buildings. More than 80 percent of the company's 35-million-euro turnover comes from the global market.

"We are truly a global player because we are needed wherever ships are built, and the process industry is equally international. We help when it's necessary to make design more efficient for construction use, to leverage data to benefit the finished factory or ship operator, and now we are talking about digital twins," Rantala opens up about Cadmatic's work.

Software Finland's CEO Rasmus Roiha, as the secretary of the award jury, has an exceptionally promising forecast for Cadmatic.

"We will hear more about them! The jury estimates that there will be big, good news about Cadmatic under Jukka's leadership. There might be an IPO on the horizon, a significant acquisition, massive revenue growth, or maybe someone will buy them - but whatever it is, we will hear more about them. And positively," emphasizes Roiha.