Helsinki-based Freepress raises €1 million aiming to expand its AI-powered news service
Helsinki-based news service Freepress has raised €1 million in seed funding to further develop its AI-powered platform and prepare for international expansion. As part of its growth strategy, the company plans to enter global markets together with local publishers and will share up to half of its revenue with them to support quality journalism.
Founded in 2023, Freepress operates with an AI-driven virtual news editor that analyses hundreds of thousands of publicly available and licensed articles from different countries. Based on this material, the app writes key information in the user’s own language and enables real-time monitoring of international news events. Users can also follow topics automatically and receive alerts when major media outlets publish updates on areas they care about.
“Freepress gives its users access to a news feed they would never otherwise see. It opens up the world in multiple languages from around the globe. The application makes global news accessible in people’s own language at a scale never seen before. Freepress is the news media of the AI era – capable of unprecedented scalability,” said Mikael Pentikäinen, editor-in-chief, Freepress’s editorial advisor and board member.
Freepress positions publishers as key partners in its international rollout. While its AI-written news updates are available free of charge, the platform will also include high-quality journalistic content from media organisations across different countries. Freepress pays publishers up to half of the revenue generated from both consumer and business users, and is currently in talks with several international outlets. Reuters’ international news is set to be available on the service from January 2026.
“AI enables information organisation that lets Freepress deliver exactly the news readers want – without them having to search for anything. Through Freepress, publishers can reach readers outside their own language and market area. For publishers, this means reaching audiences far beyond their home market,” said Freepress CEO Joel Uussaari.
The service launched in Finland in autumn 2025 and quickly reached top positions in App Store news categories. The company plans to expand into new languages and markets, and is also developing business tools for content, media monitoring, and forecasting market behaviour.
Freepress was founded by Joel Uussaari, a well-known figure in real estate, and Aleksi Kaistinen, a veteran software professional. Its investor group consists of experienced Finnish investors anchored by Kustaa Poutiainen’s Stephen Industries Inc. Advisors include technology expert and startup mentor Erkki Heilakka, journalism digitalisation pioneer and former executive editor-in-chief Jussi Tuulensuu, former Finnish News Agency and Helsingin Sanomat editor-in-chief and current CEO of Finnish Entrepreneurs Mikael Pentikäinen, and Dottir Law partner Jaakko Lindgren, a specialist in copyright and AI regulation.
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