Aaltoes 2026
All about my plan for next year.
Aaltoes 2026
All about my plan for next year.
Aaltoes 2026
All about my plan for next year.
My Goals for Next Year
Inspire and Equip the Next Generation of Founders
Run inspiring events and workshops to demystify startups and build skills.
Showcase Aaltoes alumni and success stories to make entrepreneurship tangible.
Create easy entry points for those new to the ecosystem.
Create an environment that values initiative, creativity, and action.
More people feel confident with entrepreneurship as a career path and taking their first step toward building something of their own.
Remove Barriers and Enable Experimentation
Offer ideation weeks, bootcamps and programs where ideas and skills develop fast.
Provide mentorship, resources, and funds for experimentation
Encourage a “build-first” culture, where failure is learning and iteration is progress.
Foster collaboration across entities and areas to share skills, resources and knowledge.
By building a culture of doing, more teams go from idea to prototype, increasing the number of viable startup beginnings.
Expand Globally, Strengthen Locally
Create bilateral exchange programs with key startup hubs in Europe (Stockholm, London, Paris, …).
Organize more trips throughout the year, enabling participants to learn and network.
Help Finnish startups access international networks.
Showcase Finnish innovation abroad and bring new knowledge home.
Position Aaltoes as Finland’s bridge between local innovation and support as well as global opportunity.
Inspire and Equip the Next Generation of Founders
Run inspiring events and workshops to demystify startups and build skills.
Showcase Aaltoes alumni and success stories to make entrepreneurship tangible.
Create easy entry points for those new to the ecosystem.
Create an environment that values initiative, creativity, and action.
More people feel confident with entrepreneurship as a career path and taking their first step toward building something of their own.
Remove Barriers and Enable Experimentation
Offer ideation weeks, bootcamps and programs where ideas and skills develop fast.
Provide mentorship, resources, and funds for experimentation
Encourage a “build-first” culture, where failure is learning and iteration is progress.
Foster collaboration across entities and areas to share skills, resources and knowledge.
By building a culture of doing, more teams go from idea to prototype, increasing the number of viable startup beginnings.
Expand Globally, Strengthen Locally
Create bilateral exchange programs with key startup hubs in Europe (Stockholm, London, Paris, …).
Organize more trips throughout the year, enabling participants to learn and network.
Help Finnish startups access international networks.
Showcase Finnish innovation abroad and bring new knowledge home.
Position Aaltoes as Finland’s bridge between local innovation and support as well as global opportunity.
Inspire and Equip the Next Generation of Founders
Run inspiring events and workshops to demystify startups and build skills.
Showcase Aaltoes alumni and success stories to make entrepreneurship tangible.
Create easy entry points for those new to the ecosystem.
Create an environment that values initiative, creativity, and action.
More people feel confident with entrepreneurship as a career path and taking their first step toward building something of their own.
Remove Barriers and Enable Experimentation
Offer ideation weeks, bootcamps and programs where ideas and skills develop fast.
Provide mentorship, resources, and funds for experimentation
Encourage a “build-first” culture, where failure is learning and iteration is progress.
Foster collaboration across entities and areas to share skills, resources and knowledge.
By building a culture of doing, more teams go from idea to prototype, increasing the number of viable startup beginnings.
Expand Globally, Strengthen Locally
Create bilateral exchange programs with key startup hubs in Europe (Stockholm, London, Paris, …).
Organize more trips throughout the year, enabling participants to learn and network.
Help Finnish startups access international networks.
Showcase Finnish innovation abroad and bring new knowledge home.
Position Aaltoes as Finland’s bridge between local innovation and support as well as global opportunity.
How I Conceptualize Aaltoes
How I Conceptualize Aaltoes
I believe that Aaltoes has 2 overarching goals:
I believe that Aaltoes has 2 overarching goals:
I believe that Aaltoes has 2 overarching goals:
Getting people excited about entrepreneurship and equipping them with skills and resources, so that we can increase the amount of startup founders in Finland
Getting people excited about entrepreneurship and equipping them with skills and resources, so that we can increase the amount of startup founders in Finland
Getting people excited about entrepreneurship and equipping them with skills and resources, so that we can increase the amount of startup founders in Finland
Supporting startup founders so that they are able to successfully grow their companies, so that we can increase the number of unicorns in Finland
Supporting startup founders so that they are able to successfully grow their companies, so that we can increase the number of unicorns in Finland
Supporting startup founders so that they are able to successfully grow their companies, so that we can increase the number of unicorns in Finland
In order for these two goals to be achieved, there needs to be a process in place to:
at first excite people and teach them about startups
have a strong community where people can meet and collaborate
get people to experiment and build
and then help the best products be commercialized and thus become startups and support these as they grow.
Here, getting excited people to build and experiment is the most important (and difficult) step. It is easier to get people excited about the idea of founding a startup. However, how do you get these people to actually take to leap to become founders, or even begin to build and experiment with their ideas? This is what I especially want to tackle next year.
In order for these two goals to be achieved, there needs to be a process in place to:
at first excite people and teach them about startups
have a strong community where people can meet and collaborate
get people to experiment and build
and then help the best products be commercialized and thus become startups and support these as they grow.
Here, getting excited people to build and experiment is the most important (and difficult) step. It is easier to get people excited about the idea of founding a startup. However, how do you get these people to actually take to leap to become founders, or even begin to build and experiment with their ideas? This is what I especially want to tackle next year.
In order for these two goals to be achieved, there needs to be a process in place to:
at first excite people and teach them about startups
have a strong community where people can meet and collaborate
get people to experiment and build
and then help the best products be commercialized and thus become startups and support these as they grow.
Here, getting excited people to build and experiment is the most important (and difficult) step. It is easier to get people excited about the idea of founding a startup. However, how do you get these people to actually take to leap to become founders, or even begin to build and experiment with their ideas? This is what I especially want to tackle next year.
Facilitating a Culture of Experimentation and Building
Facilitating a Culture of Experimentation and Building
The gap between excitement and founding is critical. Many are interested but don’t yet take action.
The gap between excitement and founding is critical. Many are interested but don’t yet take action.
The gap between excitement and founding is critical. Many are interested but don’t yet take action.
Provide grants that allow people to build, experiment and test their ideas.
Provide grants that allow people to build, experiment and test their ideas.
Provide grants that allow people to build, experiment and test their ideas.
Offer hands-on workshops to teach tangible skills and make building feel achievable.
Offer hands-on workshops to teach tangible skills and make building feel achievable.
Offer hands-on workshops to teach tangible skills and make building feel achievable.
Run commercialization bootcamps, where skills like marketing, sales and branding are at the core; ones that Finland tends to lag behind in.
Run commercialization bootcamps, where skills like marketing, sales and branding are at the core; ones that Finland tends to lag behind in.
Run commercialization bootcamps, where skills like marketing, sales and branding are at the core; ones that Finland tends to lag behind in.
Moving people from being excited about startups to actually founding them is the hardest and most crucial step. When the community works well, many are eager and curious, yet some still hesitate because they lack a clear idea or certain skills.
To bridge that gap, Aaltoes should focus on two things:
Practical, hands-on workshops that build core startup skills, from pitch decks and branding to marketing and prototyping. These sessions lower the barrier to action and turn learning into doing.
Small experimental grants that let members test and build freely in a safe environment. This encourages risk-taking and helps more ideas evolve into real ventures.
By doing this, we can convert active, interested members into founders ready to take the next step.
Moving people from being excited about startups to actually founding them is the hardest and most crucial step. When the community works well, many are eager and curious, yet some still hesitate because they lack a clear idea or certain skills.
To bridge that gap, Aaltoes should focus on two things:
Practical, hands-on workshops that build core startup skills, from pitch decks and branding to marketing and prototyping. These sessions lower the barrier to action and turn learning into doing.
Small experimental grants that let members test and build freely in a safe environment. This encourages risk-taking and helps more ideas evolve into real ventures.
By doing this, we can convert active, interested members into founders ready to take the next step.
Moving people from being excited about startups to actually founding them is the hardest and most crucial step. When the community works well, many are eager and curious, yet some still hesitate because they lack a clear idea or certain skills.
To bridge that gap, Aaltoes should focus on two things:
Practical, hands-on workshops that build core startup skills, from pitch decks and branding to marketing and prototyping. These sessions lower the barrier to action and turn learning into doing.
Small experimental grants that let members test and build freely in a safe environment. This encourages risk-taking and helps more ideas evolve into real ventures.
By doing this, we can convert active, interested members into founders ready to take the next step.
Connecting to the Aalto Community, And Expanding Globally
Connecting to the Aalto Community, And Expanding Globally
The Aalto Community
From my experiences in other student communities, I believe that Aaltoes should aim to establish itself as a distinct community within the wider student culture in Otaniemi and beyond. There are many relevant people that can be found in different areas: we should aim to connect them all and get them to work together.
Some important ways in which this can be done:
Attending key student events throughout the year in addition to the traditional, larger investments that Aaltoes makes for Wappu and Orientation week.
Attending the annual balls of selected guilds and student associations.
Collaborating directly with said guilds and student associations to bring people to Aaltoes and Startup Sauna, as has been done in some ways in the past.
Creative publicity stunts to raise awareness.
From my experiences in other student communities, I believe that Aaltoes should aim to establish itself as a distinct community within the wider student culture in Otaniemi and beyond. There are many relevant people that can be found in different areas: we should aim to connect them all and get them to work together.
Some important ways in which this can be done:
Attending key student events throughout the year in addition to the traditional, larger investments that Aaltoes makes for Wappu and Orientation week.
Attending the annual balls of selected guilds and student associations.
Collaborating directly with said guilds and student associations to bring people to Aaltoes and Startup Sauna, as has been done in some ways in the past.
Creative publicity stunts to raise awareness.
From my experiences in other student communities, I believe that Aaltoes should aim to establish itself as a distinct community within the wider student culture in Otaniemi and beyond. There are many relevant people that can be found in different areas: we should aim to connect them all and get them to work together.
Some important ways in which this can be done:
Attending key student events throughout the year in addition to the traditional, larger investments that Aaltoes makes for Wappu and Orientation week.
Attending the annual balls of selected guilds and student associations.
Collaborating directly with said guilds and student associations to bring people to Aaltoes and Startup Sauna, as has been done in some ways in the past.
Creative publicity stunts to raise awareness.
International Opportunities
A bilateral exchange program involving 3-5 key startup hubs in Europe, likely in the Fall, would be highly beneficial to the startup community. These hubs include London, Stockholm and Paris.
The reason behind this is that, as the Finnish market is restrictive in many ways, many startups need to scale to other countries at a relatively early stage. We have seen this with, for example, some successful Ignite startups.
The aim of the exchange program would be to introduce founders to the local communities through individuals who know their way around there. And with it being bilateral, we would also get to host startups here in Finland, benefiting our local ecosystem in the process.
A bilateral exchange program involving 3-5 key startup hubs in Europe, likely in the Fall, would be highly beneficial to the startup community. These hubs include London, Stockholm and Paris.
The reason behind this is that, as the Finnish market is restrictive in many ways, many startups need to scale to other countries at a relatively early stage. We have seen this with, for example, some successful Ignite startups.
The aim of the exchange program would be to introduce founders to the local communities through individuals who know their way around there. And with it being bilateral, we would also get to host startups here in Finland, benefiting our local ecosystem in the process.
A bilateral exchange program involving 3-5 key startup hubs in Europe, likely in the Fall, would be highly beneficial to the startup community. These hubs include London, Stockholm and Paris.
The reason behind this is that, as the Finnish market is restrictive in many ways, many startups need to scale to other countries at a relatively early stage. We have seen this with, for example, some successful Ignite startups.
The aim of the exchange program would be to introduce founders to the local communities through individuals who know their way around there. And with it being bilateral, we would also get to host startups here in Finland, benefiting our local ecosystem in the process.
I will keep updating this as I speak to more people in the run up to the election. Please send me a message or come and speak to me if there is anything you would like to hear more about or contribute!