During the next stage of the accelerator programme, our 20 amazing Helsinki Challenge teams will take part in a co-creation and brainstorming boot camp in Långvik, Kirkkonummi. Over the course of just two days and with the help of innovation investors, politicians, communications professionals and design thinkers, teams will define the societal impact of their solutions. At the Impact Camp on 6-7 April, Helsinki Challenge teams will converse with people they don’t normally come across at seminars or in the laboratory.
Impact Camp speakers 2017
Paul Miller, Bethnal Green Ventures
Paul Miller is a partner at Bethnal Green Ventures where he invests in and supports technology ventures that help solve social and environmental challenges. He was previously the founder and CEO of an education technology venture and worked for the think tanks Demos and Forum for the Future in London.
Teija Lahti-Nuuttila, Tekes
Teija Lahti-Nuuttila is professional in innovation strategies and funding. She has 25 years’ work experience both from private and public sector especially in the areas of energy and environment, sustainable use of natural resources, climate change mitigation and energy and climate policy. Teija Lahti-Nuuttila is currently operating as Executive Director at Tekes. She is responsible for the division of Networking Businesses and Research.
Per Mickwitz, Finnish Environment Institute SYKE
Per Mickwitz is Research Director at Finnish Environment Institute and Chair of the Finnish Strategic Research Council. In his work, he will enable the possibilities for relevant and high quality research, which will provide new knowledge and new perspectives on the pressing sustainability challenges modern societies are faced with. His own research focuses on issues related to stability and change in energy systems and the role of innovation and climate policies for these processes.
Maria Wetterstrand
Maria Wetterstrand is an independent green political commentator and writer, former long-serving MP and spokesperson for the Swedish Green Party. Wetterstrand’s areas of expertise include political decision-making and sustainable development.
Some of our Impact Camp mentors 2017
Ron Bloemers, Climate-KIC
Ron Bloemers is a business coach within the Climate-KIC Accelerator program. Ron coaches early stage cleantech entrepreneurs with an initial idea and/or prototype, advising them on how to develop a business model with a scalable and profitable product or service, which will sell successfully in the market. Ron is also founder and Managing Partner at Start-U-Up.
Daniel Farag, Health Lab at Nesta
Daniel Farag works as Director at Health Lab which is an initiative from Nesta that brings together practical work on health and ageing to achieve more impact. Farag is specialized in health innovation projects. He started his career working with the Centre for Public Innovation, supporting innovation projects within health and criminal justice setting. Before joining Nesta, he also worked within Grant Thornton’s Government Advisory team and worked at Marie Curie as part of the Service Design team.
Ferdi Van Heerden, Changing the world
Ferdi Van Heerden is Change agent at Changing the world. Van Heerden has over 20 years of experience in international marketing and design. He has worked for the likes of legendary design company IDEO, Speedo, and the Saatchi & Saatchi advertising agency. Today, he’s a consultant for actors in various different fields on managing, strategy and design.
Anni Huhtala, VATT
Anni Huhtala is Director General of VATT Institute for Economic Research and adjunct professor of environmental and resource economics at Aalto University. In her research she has evaluated environmental policy and instruments and has been involved in the international development of environmental accounting and welfare measurement.
Mikael Jungner, KREAB
Mikael Jungner is a former Member of Finnish Parliament and currently Managing Partner at KREAB. Jungner is specialized in leadership, strategic thinking concerning media, software industry and politics. He has experience in lobbying, start up’s and leading both cultural and functional changes in small and large organizations.
Kari Herlevi, Sitra
Kari Herlevi works as Project Director of circular economy at Sitra. He is experienced and highly interested in circular economy, cleantech and green growth.
Jouni Lounasmaa, Foundation leader and startup executive
Jouni Lounasmaa is the founder of three startups where he worked as CEO, COO and product owner. Lounasmaa has worked as a business advisor for over 50 software and high tech startups at Technopolis Ventures incubator. Currently he shares his time between two science foundations KAUTE Foundation and Finnish Medical Foundation, and the urban mobility startup Tuup Oy.
Leena Niemistö, angel investor
Leena Niemistö (MD, PhD) is a healthcare professional with 30 years of clinical and leadership experience. Currently she is a board executive in several publicly listed companies e.g. Elisa, Stockmann, Pihlajalinna as well as in startups and organizations and foundations. She is an angel investor in 20 startups with enthusiasm to empower companies dealing with digital health, well-being, cleantech, foodtech and digital marketplace platforms targeting to spread sustainable solutions.
Kalle Korhonen, Kone Foundation
Kalle Korhonen is head of research funding at Kone Foundation (Koneen Säätiö), a major Finnish funder of social sciences and humanities. He is also in charge of initiatives which make academic research available to broader audiences, and very much involved in efforts which promote collaboration between academics, artists, journalists and societal activists.
Minttu Jaakkola, Nessling Foundation
Minttu Jaakkola works as a Head of Research at Maj and Tor Nessling Foundation, one of the most important private funding organizations for the environmental research in Finland, where she has been successfully developing foundation’s research, communication and responsible investing policies during the past three years. Minttu is motivated by making people across disciplines and sectors to create collaborative knowledge, which is the key to change.
Karoliina Jarenko, Helsinki Academy of Philosophy
Karoliina Jarenko (M.Sc Pol.phil) is a reformer of working life and CEO of the Helsinki Academy of Philosophy. She believes that the future will be designed by ambitious and passionate people, who relentlessly reinvent themselves and their organisations. She and her HAP team work with organisations that are ready to question the old way of doing things and willing to nurture a culture of love and engagement.
Markus Tuukkanen, Finnish Water Forum
Markus Tuukkanen is CEO of Finnish Water Forum. In his current position he is matchmaking and marketing Finnish water sector organizations with potential partners and projects. He is in constant interaction with all relevant stakeholders to enable increase in the Finnish water sector international business and co-operation. He uses his innovativeness and working experience from public, private and NGO´s to find the win-win situation and approach to advance his task.
Arto Mustajoki, University of Helsinki
Arto Mustajoki is an emeritus professor of Russian language at the University of Helsinki. During his career, Mustajoki has held eminent administrative positions at his home university, the Academy of Finland and various international organizations. He chaired the Financial Committee of the University of Helsinki for a long time, which was responsible for the university’s innovation policy and spin-off activities. Mustajoki has published and presented papers on the channels and forms of universities’ societal impact. Besides the Russian language, his research interests include the risks and causes of miscommunication and the problems of mutual understanding.
Read more about Impact Camp 6.-7.4.2017 here.