9Lives Oy

What 9Lives Oy does

9Lives Oy (parent: 9Lives Group Oy) is a Helsinki-based private provider of ambulance and emergency care services, founded in 2012 through the merger of Esperi's patient transport operations and Helsingin Ensihoito ja Sairaankuljetus (founded 1989). The company operates emergency medical services, non-urgent patient transfers, and event first aid across multiple Finnish wellbeing services counties, with operational bases in Helsinki, Oulu, Kotka, Kouvola, Jyväskylä, Raasepori, Hyvinkää, Porvoo, and Sastamala. It also operates PreMed A/S in Denmark (acquired 2018), the only ISO-certified ambulance service in that country, with approximately 200 employees across 15 locations in Northern and Southern Denmark. The company describes itself as Finland's leading private emergency care and patient transport service provider.

The business model is anchored in multi-year managed-services contracts won through competitive public-sector tenders with Finnish wellbeing services counties (HUS, Pirkanmaa, Kymenlaakso, Northern Ostrobothnia), supplemented by transactional patient transport (EUR 25 Kela co-pay per ride), event first aid billed by personnel and standby hours, and Denmark operations. Customers include public-sector buyers (primary), private individuals, care institutions, and event organizers. Underlying technology consists of an Integrated Management System (IMS) for operations, quality, deviation, near-miss, hazard, and risk monitoring; VÄLKE dispatch center integration in Uusimaa; and an in-house situation center for private customer dispatch. Certifications include ISO 9001 (audited by independent bodies) and DNV Business Assurance emergency care provider certification.

In December 2021, 9Lives acquired Stella Kotipalvelut Oy, adding approximately 1,700 home-care and personal-assistance professionals. In November 2025, the company divested its home services division (9Lives Kotipalvelut Oy, covering home care, personal assistance, and respiratory paralysis care) to Mehiläinen, transferring approximately 1,400 employees and refocusing on ambulance and emergency care. The company currently operates approximately 1,600 professionals post-divestiture, reports more than 500,000 customer visits annually, and continues active geographic expansion via tenders.

Name

9Lives Oy

Legal name

9Lives Group Oy

Website

https://9lives.fi

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

9Lives Oy is Finland's leading private ambulance and emergency care provider, offering emergency medical services, patient transport, and event first aid to public wellbeing services counties, private customers, and event organizers across Finland and Denmark through subsidiary PreMed A/S.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Helsinki

HQ country

Finland

HQ region

Europe

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Public Sector Emergency Care Contracts: Revenue from competitive tenders and service contracts with Finnish wellbeing services counties for emergency medical services and patient transport. Long-term contracts with public healthcare providers including HUS, Pirkanmaa, Kymenlaakso, and Northern Ostrobothnia regions.
2. Patient Transport Services: Non-emergency ambulance transport services billed to private customers, care facilities, and reimbursed through Kela system. Customer co-pay of 25 EUR for Kela-reimbursable transports.
3. Home Care and Personal Assistance: Home nursing, personal assistance, and caregiver services provided through service voucher systems and private payments. Services include elderly home care, personal assistance for disabled persons, and respiratory paralysis patient care.
4. Event First Aid Services: First aid standby services for events including concerts, sports competitions, trade shows, and public gatherings. Billed based on number of personnel, equipment, and hours of standby.
5. PreMed Denmark Operations: Subsidiary PreMed A/S generates revenue through ambulance services, patient transport, medical equipment warehouse management, and emergency medical services across Northern and Southern Denmark.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

9Lives Oy provides ambulance and emergency medical services (ensihoito) and patient transport (potilaskuljetukset) across Finland and Denmark through its PreMed A/S subsidiary. The company operates dozens of ambulances on standby for emergency response, non-urgent patient transfers between care institutions, and event first aid standby for concerts, sports, and public gatherings. Following the November 2025 divestiture of home services to Mehiläinen, 9Lives now focuses on its ambulance and emergency care operations, serving wellbeing services counties, private customers, and event organizers.

Product overview

9Lives Oy is a Finnish mobile healthcare services provider operating as a platform of integrated social and healthcare offerings. The core portfolio includes Emergency Medical Services and Patient Transports (ambulance services with dozens of units across Finland and Denmark), Event First Aid Services (professional standby for public events), and a subsidiary PreMed A/S providing ISO-certified ambulance operations in Denmark. Following the November 2025 acquisition by Mehiläinen, home-based services including Home Care, Personal Assistance, and Respiratory Paralysis Care have been transferred to Mehiläinen, with 9Lives now focusing primarily on its ambulance and emergency care operations. The company serves wellbeing services counties, healthcare organizations, businesses, and private customers across Finland, operating approximately 3,000 professionals in the field.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ensihoito ja potilaskuljetukset (Emergency Medical Services and Patient Transports) Comprehensive emergency medical services and non-critical patient transfers conducted with dozens of ambulances on standby in Finland and Denmark. Includes emergency care, patient transport between care institutions, and non-urgent ambulance transport for patients requiring wheelchairs, stretchers, or other special needs. Customers include Finnish wellbeing services counties, healthcare organizations, and private individuals.
• Ensiapupäivystys (Event First Aid Services) First aid standby services for public events including concerts, sports competitions, trade shows, and market events. Provides ambulance standby, first aid points, and trained emergency care professionals to ensure participant safety. Billed based on risk assessment including personnel count, equipment, and standby hours.
• PreMed A/S Ambulance Services (Denmark) Wholly-owned subsidiary operating ambulance services, patient transport, medical equipment warehouse management, and emergency medical services covering Northern and Southern Denmark. PreMed is the only ISO-certified ambulance service provider in Denmark, with approximately 200 employees across 15 locations.
• Northern Ostrobothnia Ambulance Services Ambulance services in Northern Ostrobothnia wellbeing area, including emergency care tasks and non-urgent patient transfers, with a 24/7 year-round service center based in Oulu providing both basic and advanced level units.
• Pirkanmaa Ambulance Services Ambulance services for Pirkanmaa wellbeing area, covering Sastamala and Punkalaitum regions starting January 2027 with a multi-year contract period.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 50,000 patient transport tasks handled in 2022
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered major, minor and core.

• MehiläinenmajorOthers · 1 November 20259Lives Kotipalvelut Oy home services (elderly home care, personal assistance, respiratory paralysis care) acquired by Mehiläinen. 1,400 employees transferred to Mehiläinen. Ambulance services not included in acquisition. Deal approved by competition authority.
• Suomen Paralympiakomitea (Finnish Paralympic Committee)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 20259Lives and Finnish Paralympic Committee partnership under #SamassaJengissä campaign aims to promote participation and wellbeing of athletes with intellectual disabilities. 9Lives provides expertise and support for Special Olympics activities, including ambulance services at Paralympic Committee events and volunteering.
• PreMed A/S founders (Kenneth Kronohage, Heidi Storm Vikke, Anders Vikke)coreOthers · 1 January 2018PreMed A/S founded in 2018 by three healthcare experts with 9Lives as main owner. Heidi Storm Vikke and Anders Vikke continue as part-owners and top management. PreMed operates ambulance and patient transport services across Denmark.
• HIFKminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership agreement for providing event first aid standby services during HIFK home games. 9Lives supplies trained medical personnel and equipment for sports events.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Attendo: Attendo is a major Nordic provider of care, health, and welfare services across Sweden, Finland, and Norway. It is comparable to 9Lives as a Nordic private healthcare services operator competing for similar public-sector outsourcing contracts, though Attendo is primarily care-focused rather than ambulance-focused.
• Esperi Care: Esperi Care is one of Finland's largest private social and healthcare service providers. 9Lives itself was formed when Esperi's patient transport operations merged with Helsinki First Aid in 2012, giving the two a historic and operational relationship, though Esperi now focuses on care services rather than ambulance operations.

Direct peers

• Mehiläinen: Mehiläinen is Finland's largest private healthcare and social services provider. It acquired 9Lives' home services division in November 2025 and continues to operate its own ambulance and emergency services in Finland, making it a direct competitor to 9Lives for both public-sector wellbeing county tenders and private customers.
• Falck A/S: Falck is the largest private ambulance and emergency services operator in the Nordics, headquartered in Denmark. It is a direct competitor to 9Lives' PreMed A/S subsidiary in Denmark and to 9Lives' broader Nordic EMS footprint, with overlapping services in ambulance transport, patient transfer, and event medical standby.

Broad incumbents

• Terveystalo: Terveystalo is Finland's largest listed private healthcare services company, offering occupational healthcare, primary care, and specialist services with a national footprint. While not primarily an ambulance operator, it competes for wellbeing county contracts and broader healthcare service budgets alongside 9Lives.
• Pihlajalinna: Pihlajalinna is a Finnish listed private healthcare provider operating primary care clinics, occupational health, and emergency/patient transport services. It overlaps with 9Lives in regional public-sector healthcare tenders and shares a similar customer base of Finnish wellbeing services counties.

Regional players

• Stiftelsen Norsk Luftambulanse: Stiftelsen Norsk Luftambulanse (Norwegian Air Ambulance) is the leading provider of air ambulance and emergency medical services in Norway. While air-focused and operating in a different Nordic geography, it is comparable to 9Lives as a Nordic emergency medical services operator with advanced pre-hospital care capabilities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/9livesfi
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/9lives

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about 9Lives Oy