As AI continues to reshape the financial and enterprise landscape, some of the most persistent challenges lie deep within the infrastructure of legacy systems. Few founders understand that space as intimately as Henri Kasurinen, CEO and Co-Founder of Nomain, a Finnish startup tackling the formidable task of mainframe modernization.
With a background rooted in AI and product innovation, Henri and his team are building a bridge between old and new — empowering modernization teams to unlock decades of institutional code with the help of intelligent automation.
In this Q&A, he shares how Nomain is rethinking modernization for critical enterprise systems — and what lies ahead for the AI-driven transformation of the world’s software backbone.
1. Tell us a bit about yourself / your co-founder(s)
I’m Henri Kasurinen, CEO and Co-Founder of Nomain. I have a strong background in AI and product development, and I’m passionate about leveraging technology to solving real-world problems. My co-founders are CTO, Hector Tortosa, who brings extensive software development expertise, and COO, Mikko Kesti, who drives sales and operations. Together, we’re combining deep technical skills and entrepreneurial know-how to modernize legacy enterprise systems.
2. What problem or opportunity do you address, and for which target customers?
Nomain tackles the daunting challenge of mainframe modernization. Many large enterprises—especially in sectors like finance and insurance—rely on outdated mainframe systems but lack the specialized talent to update or replace them. This creates massive inefficiencies and bottlenecks. Our target customers are enterprise organizations looking to transform these critical, high-stakes systems without relying solely on scarce mainframe experts.
3. What is your solution, and who do you compete with?
Our solution is an AI-driven platform that understands, explains, and visualizes complex mainframe codebases. By automating much of the analysis and documentation, we enable modernization teams to work more independently of mainframe veterans, speeding up projects significantly.
Our main competition is companies that try to automate the whole modernization process, which is way too risky for the critical systems that our clients are running. We also compete with traditional modernization consulting firms and large enterprise software vendors who offer some modernization tools. Our key differentiator is our unique way of using AI to augment modernization teams, rather than trying to automate them.
4. Relevant industry trends or market shifts to watch, and associated research or articles you can point us to?
– Mainframe Modernization Market Growth: Multiple analysts project the market to reach over \$100B by 2031.
– AI in Legacy System Upgrades: AI is gaining traction for code analysis and refactoring, as covered by outlets like Gartner and Forrester.
– Cloud Adoption: Enterprises shifting core workloads to the cloud is driving the urgency to modernize mainframe systems.
5. What is your company’s current stage and traction?
We’re an early-stage startup with a pre-seed/seed-level round already raised (0,5M€) and we’re co-developing our solution with a few major enterprise partners in the Nordics. This collaboration is helping us refine our platform in real-world conditions and validate product-market fit.
6. Your plans for the next 6–18 months, and how can our network help?
– Product Development (Q1–Q3 2025): Focus on building the core AI solution alongside our enterprise partners.
– Alpha Rollout (Late 2025): We’ll expand to initial paying customers to gather feedback and prove scalability.
– Seed Round (H2 2025): We are raising 1M€ to fuel growth and further product development.
We’re looking for:
– Tech Talent: AI engineers, full-stack developers, and UX/UI experts.
– Enterprise Intros: Connections to potential customers or partners in finance, insurance, or other mainframe-heavy industries.
– Investor Interest: Early conversations with VCs or angels interested in this space.
7. What’s on your bookshelf or podcast app? Your favorite place for a coffee or a drink?
– Books: Right now, I’m reading a real classic, “The Learn Startup” by Eric Ries. On my reading list is also “The design of everyday things” by Donal Norman.
– Coffee/Drink Spots: When in Helsinki, you might find us brainstorming at ANDANTE, which is the best coffee shop in town.
Henri Kasurinen’s vision for Nomain captures a crucial turning point in enterprise technology: the shift from full automation to intelligent augmentation. By using AI to make legacy systems transparent, navigable, and actionable, Nomain isn’t replacing the old—it’s translating decades of accumulated logic into the language of modern software teams.
As organizations confront the limits of their infrastructure, solutions like Nomain’s will define the next chapter of enterprise modernization: where AI becomes not just a tool for speed, but a catalyst for understanding, continuity, and long-term transformation.