References
“We have received a lot of help in the different stages of our company’s development from Business Center’s sparring sessions. It has been important for us to be able to brainstorm new business ideas together with competent experts. From Business Center, we have received confirmation, encouragement and suitable challenges to develop operations. In addition, it is inspiring to get to know the Business Center’s wide and versatile network and get involved with a low threshold.”
“Our Tiimihenki group had the pleasure of participating in the LEAP development project. We are a young operator and the development project came at just the right time for us. With the help of Lauri and Jarmo’s concrete advice, our operations have started to grow nicely. We have established our place as a national operator among other educational institutions. Based on the development ideas, our operating concept became even clearer and we will be more successful. Thank you BC, LEAP ja Jarmo & Lauri 🙂”
Tiimihenki
Jukka-Tapio Keränen
CEO
Toimisto2030 enlightens companies and communities on the development of value-based responsibility through service design and future work. The vision is to promote action towards a sustainable future according to Agenda2023.
I got sparring from Matti and the Havuja program before starting my company. From the advice, I got confirmation to carry ideas about entrepreneurship forward, as well as a challenge to put into words the benefit produced for the customer.
The collaboration was important, because perhaps the biggest threshold was taking action! Entrepreneurship is learned by doing, but the courage to start requires encouragement.
Silja Huttunen, Oivalluttaja, service designer, CEO
The Butterfly Brick is a patented support piece for the ice hockey goalie’s skate, which makes the butterfly save position more balanced and ergonomic. Our vision is to help goalkeepers prevent hip injuries, which are becoming increasingly common.
I got a lot of help in developing the business idea from the Draft program, which helped us finance the testing phase of prototypes and pilot research on the benefits of supporting blocks.
Business Center has also offered sparring in financial and development matters, pitching coaching, and lots of good contacts. Business Center has been a very valuable support during the initial stages of the company.
Kimmo Rautiainen, CEO
NOETON is developing a solution to reduce particle emissions from small wood burning. Our vision is to make combustion more environmentally friendly and thus help in the fight against climate change.
I had an idea and a prototype of a device that had been developed at the University of Eastern Finland as part of my dissertation research. My co-founder and I had decided to start working on the idea as a company and our first step was to participate in the Draft program.
From the Draft programs, we received initial capital to establish a company and financial help, e.g. to improve the company’s visual appearance. In addition, we got sparring, good contacts in the local business support network and, of course, valuable experience in pitching.
Heikki Suhonen, CEO
The joint journey of Sonja and Iita began in 2016 at Itä Suomen Muoto ry:ssä, where they, as active members of the board, updated the association’s values, strategy, and action plan. The idea of joint entrepreneurship and the wider implementation of advocacy work sprouted. Hathunters ’goal is to get companies to make better use of design.
Coaches can give:
Regular meetings helped to do the work systematically. From the morning meeting, Iita and Sonja got a tool to help keep the overall picture checked. Other teams involved in the Havuja #! @% &! Accelerator gave rise to a community with which Hathunters was able to collaborate already during the accelerator.
PlainE Oy is a company focused on systematic information security risk minimization, workshops, training and education for SMEs and public actors.
“Not such a small thing that it’s not worth asking.”
“Even though the world around us is burning, selling information security services is a difficult business model for micro-enterprises. Maarit and Marja-Leena have succeeded well in sparring and developing my own thinking for business development. From Business Center, you can therefore get new directions for many types of operators, when as a sole proprietor you often have to think things over on your own.”
Jarkko Laine, CEO
