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Startup Foundation

@startupsaatio

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Supporting next-generation entrepreneurship in Finland.
100x100 šŸ‘‡
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Last night we brought 100+ researchers, scientists, and deeply technical builders together in Helsinki to learn about Y Combinator šŸ§” YC has always loved founders with deep technical and domain expertise. And Finland has a strong bench of technical and scientific talent to draw from. However, for a long time the two barely met. Thatā€™s what we aim to change. Just to name a slice of the room: quantum physicists, molecular biologists, and electrochemists. People building in counter-drone defense, autonomous fleets, hyperspectral imaging, marine biomaterials, drug discovery, and AI infrastructure. PhDs and postdocs from Aalto, University of Helsinki, and beyond. Thanks to local YC alumni Leo Kankkunen (Daivin!) and Rami El Geneidy (Kapacity.io) for sharing your experiences, Marko Voutilainen (Willo) for co-hosting and Verda for welcoming us to their office. There are already 5 Finnish teams in Y Combinator this year. Before that, just 4 in the programā€™s entire history. If you want to be the 6th, the deadline for the fall batch is July 27 šŸ‡«šŸ‡® by @startupsaatio
Weā€™re excited to welcome Samuli Pehkonen to THE SPLASH as a Speaker on Day 2 šŸŽ‰šŸŒŠ Every startup begins with a problem worth solving. @samulipehkonen believes entrepreneurship is one of the most effective ways to solve those problems at scale. His journey into the startup ecosystem began as a Slush volunteer - proof that every entrepreneurial journey starts somewhere. Since then, he has gone on to serve as CMO of Slush, co-found Troves, contribute to the growth of startups including Flow AI and Realm, and now serves as the Interim CEO of @startupsaatio, where he supports the next generation of founders and helps strengthen Finland's entrepreneurial ecosystem. Across every chapter of his journey, one belief has remained constant: entrepreneurship isn't just about building companies. It's about building solutions that create lasting impact. At THE SPLASH, that's exactly the perspective we want to bring to future founders. Entrepreneurship isn't reserved for a select few - it's a way for curious, ambitious people to tackle meaningful challenges and shape the future through action. We're looking forward to welcoming Samuli to THE SPLASH and hearing his insights on building startups, strengthening ecosystems, and why the next great solution always starts with someone willing to take the first step. šŸŒŠ šŸŽŸļø Tickets are now live: Link in bio šŸ“… 28ā€“29 August | šŸ“ Helsinki #thesplash2026 #startupcommunity #helsinki #speakers #founders by @startupsaatio
Most developers have an idea they havenā€™t built yet. This September, weā€™re doing something about that together with Slush, Aalto Founder School, and Startup Foundationā€¦ More on August 12th. by @startupsaatio
Say hi to Samuli Pehkonen, who is stepping in as Interim CEO of Startup Foundation šŸ‘‹ As a startup founder, growth operator for companies such as Realm and Flow AI, and former CMO of Slush, Samuli brings years of experience from both company and ecosystem building to the Foundation. Startup Foundationā€™s mission remains clear: helping create more founders and more globally ambitious startups. As part of the ecosystemā€™s shared 100x100 goal, Samuli will focus on attracting international founders to Finland. As Samuli puts it: ā€ICEYE, IQM Quantum Computers, and Verda were co-founded by people who moved here from abroad. We must do everything we can to make Finland the obvious choice for the next Rafal, Jan, and Ruben to land, stay, and build.ā€ Attracting talent starts with giving ambitious founders a clear reason to choose Finland. In deep tech, Samuli believes that reason already exists. ā€These recent success stories are living proof that Finland can be the best place in the world to build deep tech. Now it is about doubling down on our strengths and accelerating the momentum in clusters such as satellites and quantum,ā€ he encourages. Read more about Samuliā€™s thoughts on what Finlandā€™s startup ecosystem needs next from our blog šŸ“ by @startupsaatio
Wolt and AlphaSense both surpassed ā‚¬100M in annual revenue. Youā€™d expect them to say that product, market, or timing mattered most in the journey. But both said hiring. At the earliest stages of building a company, defining the best team is hard: roles are broad, undefined, and constantly shifting. At this stage, CV matters less than the ability to learn, work with people, and think on your feet. The companies that reach ā‚¬100M ARR donā€™t get there by building better products alone, but by building better teams first. More in the 100x100 playbook, link in bio! by @startupsaatio
šŸ“£ Weā€™re launching the Ethics Committee Pledge: a practical commitment to building transparent, fair people practices and safer workplaces across the Finnish startup ecosystem. The pledge asks startups to adoptā€¦ āž”ļø a code of conduct and process for addressing violations āž”ļø a whistleblowing channel (for companies of 50+ employees) āž”ļø leadership commitment ā€¦based on best practices, with support from the DEI Toolbox. Explore the pledge and resources: startup-saatio.fi/ethics-committee by @startupsaatio
Three founders, all past ā‚¬100M in revenue, and all describing culture the same way: not through values on a wall, but by numbers on a screen. Aiven sent an automated email to the entire team every morning with the key metrics: The number of users, paying users, and monthly billing Swappie shared everything openly, especially when revenue was going down. The reasoning is simple: Ouraā€™s Kari explains that everyone needs to understand what youā€™re trying to achieve, in the same language, measured the same way. That sounds obvious, but most companies donā€™t actually do it. The ones past ā‚¬100M from Finland did. Find out how to build an operations-focused culture through the 100x100 Startup Foundation Playbook, link in bio! by @startupsaatio
Aivenā€™s first paying customer was a trucking company in Mexico. They had zero connections to Mexico and no knowledge of logistics. After all, theyā€™d built a developer tool all the way in Helsinki. But that was the moment the founders realized: anyone in the world could be their customer. From one realisation to ā‚¬100M in revenue: Oskari has some stories to tell about Aivenā€™s growth. Find out more through the 100x100 Startup Foundation Playbook, link in bio. by @startupsaatio
Series Seed 4.0 is here ā€“ High-quality, freely available standard docs to get your startup over the legal legwork quickly šŸ–‡ļø The updated suite includes: šŸ–‡ļø Term Sheet šŸ–‡ļø Investment Agreement šŸ–‡ļø Shareholdersā€™ Agreement + commented versions Built with extensive input from founders and investors, this release is more structured, better aligned with international VC practice, and designed to handle the complexity of real-world deals. Thank you to everyone who contributed ā€“ and special thanks to our legal partner CastrĆ©n & Snellman, VC partners Maki.vc, Lifeline Ventures and Inventure! Documents available for download šŸ‘‰ seriesseed.fi by @startupsaatio
Wolt had no bonuses, no country P&Ls, and no performance structures tied to individual teams. Instead, they had one equity program for the entire company. Miki Kuusiā€™s logic: if you tell people to act like owners but compensate them like employees of a business unit, youā€™ll get business unit behavior. He learned this from studying GE under Jack Welch. Then applied it to a startup that scaled past ā‚¬100M and eventually sold for ā‚¬8.1B. Find out other hidden gems from Woltā€™s growth journey: 100x100 Startup Foundation Playbook, link in bio. by @startupsaatio
Four founders, each past ā‚¬100M in revenue, and all describing the same razor-thin window between too early and too late. If Smartly started building even 6 months earlier than they did, they wouldā€™ve built it on infrastructure that made the company worthless. A year later, and someone else would have solved the same pain points. Instead, they came just in time to ride on Facebookā€™s growth from $3B to $130B in revenue. The founders who reach ā‚¬100M arenā€™t the ones who time things perfectly, but are still standing as the opportunity arises. More from Finlandā€™s centaur founders in the 100x100 Startup Foundation Playbook, link in bio. by @startupsaatio
Four days. Thatā€™s how long it took Swappie to go from idea to first sale. They didnā€™t even have a developer or app. Despite that, they hit 100K in monthly revenue before hiring their first employee. This wasnā€™t without struggle: ā‡’ The founders slept on the factory floor ā‡’ They shipped phones using public transport This scrappy approach helped them grow from ā‚¬500K to almost ā‚¬200M in revenue in four years. Find out how Swappie was built through the 100x100 Startup Foundation Playbook, link in bio. by @startupsaatio

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