2 September
International skill-sharing for startup ecosystem actors
How can we create an ecosystem in the Baltic Sea region where startups with ambitious sustainability missions and working in the area of consumer cleantech not only survive, but thrive? What is already working, and what can we do better locally and in the region?
To enable collective reflection and learning on these questions we are organizing an online skill-sharing event for those working with startups on September 2, from 9.00 AM to 11.30 AM CET (click here to convert to your local time). Participants will get access to training materials and be given a small pre-assignment before the event.
Schedule
9.00 – 10.00 Keynote Speakers and Q&A
Maija Itkonen, the founder and CEO of Gold&Green will reflect on her journey and the role of helpers from the founder’s perspective. Then, Katariina Helaniemi, formerly with Fifty Years, will share lessons learned from supporting countless startups with strong sustainability missions.1
0.00-10.20 Networking roulette
Brief networking with international peers
Break
10.30 – 11.15 Breakout discussions
Facilitated country-specific discussions to share knowledge and network locally.
11.15 – 11.30 Wrap up and goodbye
Speakers
Katariina Helaniemi
Katariina Helaniemi is an impact tech expert, published author, and life enthusiast. She recently moved back to Finland from San Francisco, where she worked with Fifty Years, a Silicon Valley-based venture fund, supporting founders who solve the world’s biggest problems through tech entrepreneurship. Before joining Fifty Years, Katariina worked as the Chief Curator of Slush, designing the themes, selecting the speakers, and curating the content of Slush. After leaving Slush she wrote a best-selling book on Finnish startup culture that was distributed to Finnish high school students nationwide. Katariina currently works with Illusian Group, shaping their Impact strategy. She believes that the biggest challenges on earth can be solved through tech entrepreneurship, but for that, technology companies have to be built by people with diverse backgrounds. Kata loves good conversations, road trips, vinyasas, and sunrises at Burning Man.
Maija Itkonen
Maija Itkonen is an entrepreneur, innovator, industrial designer and brand lover. In 2015 she co-founded Gold&Green Foods, the company behind the phenomenal success story of the “perfect protein food” platform and its first product Pulled Oats. Pulled Oats is a new kind of meat alternative based on the Nordic superfood oats, built around the team’s unique scientific knowledge and design thinking under Maija’s leadership.