How a small Norwegian company uses AI to reach customers in Japan

The small Northern Norwegian company is leveraging the opportunities offered by AI to reach markets in Asia.

Two men on a purple-lit stage to an audience at the High North Dialogue conference.

Elias Solberg and Gustav Vestlie are part of Marine Spark X, a company working to bring a marine calcium product to the markets in South Korea and Japan.

(Photo: Nord University)

Markus Johnsen Thonhaugen Markus Johnsen Thonhaugen COMMUNICATIONS ADVISER

Presented by: Presented by: Nord university

Published 5 October 2026 - 00:01

“We wanted to see how Arctic entrepreneurs, especially the young ones, are really using AI,” says Sakib Jawhar. He is a researcher at Nord University's High North Center.

Jawhar has contributed to a new report in which they have taken a closer look at entrepreneurship in the Arctic.

The researchers have examined several different aspects of entrepreneurial activity in the High North. 22 young entrepreneurs were asked about their use of AI.

The majority say they use AI every day.

Jawhar believes AI could make it easier for young people to build companies in the north instead of moving south.

He explains that an entrepreneur in a remote place can now use AI to do work that might previously have required more employees or expertise found in a larger city.

Portrait of Elias Solberg — Elias Solberg's company uses AI to reach international markets.

Actively use the technology

One team that sees the potential of AI is Elias Solberg and his colleagues.

Solberg is part of Marine Spark X. This company is working to bring a marine calcium product to markets in South Korea and Japan.

Despite being a small team, they have big ambitions.

Reaching customers on the other side of the world requires a lot of work. The team has to manage websites, sales, market research, documentation, and the company's day-to-day operations.

“We use AI in most of what we do,” says Solberg.

The team is now preparing for South Korea and Japan. They also use AI to analyse the markets and adapt materials for customers there.

“The tools are available to everyone, but the competitive advantage lies in knowledge and how you use them,” says Solberg.

Small teams can do more

In the new report, more than 60 per cent of those surveyed say they now use AI to automate parts of their daily work.

When companies struggle to find people with the skills that they need, AI can be of help, Jawhar says.

This is something Solberg and his colleagues are very familiar with.

Portrait of Sakib Jawhar — Sakib Jawhar has asked young Arctic entrepreneurs about their AI use.

The team is small, so they have to handle many things at once. It could quickly become quite costly if they had to hire people or an external company for every task. At the current stage, this would simply be too expensive, according to a company presentation.

One concrete example is their digital work. With the help of AI, they were able to develop both websites and campaign materials themselves. Work that could have taken months was instead completed in weeks.

Solberg believes the technology could become especially important for entrepreneurs in smaller places.

“I think AI combined with other good ideas will be central to much of the innovation going forward," he says.

He says he already knows people around Northern Norway who are developing apps and other digital systems, largely with the help of AI.

“That would not have been possible without it,” says Solberg.

Can help communities in the north

“If the entrepreneur can build their business through digitalisation with advanced AI, it can help create more jobs,” says Jawhar.

For northern communities trying to keep their young people, this is something that matters.

Jawhar adds that if entrepreneurs can build companies and reach customers where they already live, this could mean that they don’t need to move south to find the same opportunities.

Reference:

Middleton et al. Is Youth Entrepreneurship the Key to Arctic Renewal? Evidence from the Nordic Arctic (PDF), Report in Arctic Business Index, 2026.