Kari Putkonen
Accountor
Sales Director
Kari is an experienced business professional who has worked both as an advisor to growth companies and as an entrepreneur. He has extensive experience in board work across several companies. Currently, Kari works at Accountor as Sales Director.
Anne Horttanainen
Finnish Venture Capital Association
CEO
Anne Horttanainen’s path has been guided by a desire to develop and make an impact. In working life, she encourages a fearless attitude toward life. As the CEO of the Finnish Venture Capital Association, she advocates for sustainable growth and the creation of prosperity in Finland. In her speech, she explains why companies backed by private equity and venture capital grow faster than their peers, what different classes of investors exist, and what a private equity investor looks for when choosing a new investment target.
Marjo Ilmari
Business Finland
Senior Director
Business Finland creates prosperity and well-being for Finland by accelerating the renewal and sustainable growth of companies. In her presentation, Marjo Ilmari will talk about funding services aimed at companies in the growth and scaling phase
Irene Viinikkala
Board Member, Angel Investor, and Portfolio Entrepreneur
FiBAN’s network of over 600 angel investors has invested nearly half a billion euros in Finnish growth companies. Irene Viinikkala serves as a board member at FiBAN and works as an angel investor, advisor, and board professional for SMEs, growth companies, and startups. She accelerates business development and growth through data, technology, and bold decision-making.
Kim Väisänen
Startup Investor and Entrepreneur
Kim Väisänen, an entrepreneur and startup investor from Eastern Finland, is also a non-fiction author, board professional, and keynote speaker. He travels extensively, meeting and advising growth entrepreneurs in various ways. Väisänen is widely known to the public as a familiar face from the TV show Leijonan luola (the Finnish version of Dragon’s Den).
Sarita Runeberg
CEO
Sarita leads one of Europe’s largest startup ecosystems, where startups, investors, and corporate partners collaborate to build the next generation of success stories. With over 10 years of experience in international business and scaling companies—from early-stage startups to global players—she specializes in growth strategies, entering new markets, team building, and creating long-term value through partnerships. Sarita is a passionate advocate for diversity, working to ensure that more female and minority entrepreneurs receive the support, funding, and networks they need to succeed.
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Noora Saksa
Slush
CEO
Noora Saksa, CEO of Slush, leads the global, student-driven growth company event that attracts over €4 billion in venture capital to Helsinki each year. Her five-year career at Slush began in 2021 as a volunteer for the event. Noora believes that startups are key to Finland’s economic growth.
Youssef Zad
Finnish Startup Community
Chief Economist
Youssef is the Chief Economist of the Finnish Startup Community. He specializes in research on startup and scaleup ecosystems, innovation policy, and the economic impacts of taxation. In his work, he combines empirical research with clear, accessible explanations of complex phenomena. Youssef regularly comments on economic policy and business dynamics in public discourse.
Hjallis Harkimo
Hjallis Harkimo has sailed across the Atlantic and around the world, developed suburban areas, and founded the Liike Nyt party. As a politician, he is a committed advocate for entrepreneur-friendly policymaking, thereby supporting Finland’s economic growth and strengthening the country’s welfare society.
Hanna "TaxHanna" Rantala
CEO & Founder
M.Sc. (Econ.), TNT, BA, HHJ
TaxHanna specializes in solving complex corporate taxation issues and corporate restructurings, such as share swaps, mergers, and demergers. She also has extensive experience in due diligence processes, obtaining advance rulings, and optimizing taxation for international business operations.
Juhana Brotherus
Finnish work
CEO
Juhana specializes in the Finnish economy and economic policy. He has also served as chairman of a growth company's board, as a board member in a publicly listed company, and in various foundations and associations of different sizes. At RISE, Juhana will speak about the importance of growth entrepreneurship for Finland’s welfare society and economic growth.
Jasmine Pajari
Entertain Me Oy
Host
Jasmine Pajari is an award-winning host known for her charismatic stage presence and strong situational awareness. She received the Host & Moderator of the Year award at the 2025 Evento Awards gala. Jasmine has hosted a wide range of corporate events, trade shows, celebrations, and other public occasions. In addition, she is a passionate entrepreneur and producer, familiar to many from television, radio, and podcasts.
María Pulkkinen
Arctic Oak
CEO & Founder, MBA, CMC
María Pulkkinen combines futures thinking with strategic foresight: she helps organizations look 10+ years ahead and turn that perspective into decisions that strengthen growth and investability. She works with both executive teams and investors, ensuring that growth meets the requirements of scalability — leadership, resilience, and a shared direction. For María, a clear long-term direction is not just a story but an action — a demonstration of vision, accountability, and leadership.
Jonathan Andersin
Partner
Jonathan is a partner at the law firm DLA Piper and a lawyer specializing in venture capital and growth investments. He has assisted numerous Finnish startup and growth companies, as well as both domestic and international investors, in financing rounds. In addition to venture capital investments, Jonathan also advises on a wide range of corporate and financing transactions, such as mergers and acquisitions, debt financing arrangements, and fund formations, as well as on general corporate law matters and the day-to-day affairs of startup and growth companies.
Ilpo Mäkelä
CEO
MV-Jäähdytys is Finland’s largest maintenance company in its field. It specializes in cooling technology as well as the servicing, installation, and repair of professional kitchen equipment. Originating from the Pirkanmaa region, the company has grown under CEO Ilpo Mäkelä’s leadership into a nationwide operator that serves customers across Finland.
Lauri Vuohensilta
Hydraulic Press Channel
HPC Entertainement
Entrepreneur, Content Creator, Investor
With over 10 million YouTube subscribers and more than 14 million TikTok followers, Lauri Vuohensilta is Finland’s most popular content creator. Alongside his social media work, he also works part-time as an investor and consultant. At Rise, Lauri will share his secrets for succeeding in international B2B social media marketing.
Aki Kola
Coinmotion
Sales Director
Aki Kola speaks in plain language about the industry-independent business opportunities offered by blockchain technology. At Rise, his presentation will dive into the future of international finance and payments, with a particular focus on stablecoins and tokenization.
Petri Salminen
Entrepreneur and Chair of the Federation of Finnish Enterprises
Petri Salminen has served as Chair of the Federation of Finnish Enterprises — Finland’s largest business organization by membership — since 2020. He also chaired SMEunited, the umbrella organization of European SME associations, from 2022 to 2025, representing more than 26 million small and medium-sized enterprises across Europe. As an entrepreneur, Salminen has worked in sales and leadership development since 2004. Following a generational transition, he is also an owner and board member of a family-owned company operating in the metal industry.
Henri Tuominen
Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment
Senior Specialist, Growth Policy Group, Department for Innovation and Corporate Finance
Henri Tuominen’s work at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment focuses comprehensively on developing growth finance in Finland. His areas of responsibility include the corporate finance and venture capital markets, state ownership steering of Finnvera and Tesi, sustainable finance, and EU financial instruments.
Juuso Kalliokoski
Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
Senior Specialist, Rural Business Financing
Juuso Kalliokoski is responsible for EU rural development funding for businesses at the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Finland. The funding is directed towards the development and growth of rural enterprises. Its aim is to strengthen the competitiveness of rural businesses and the overall vitality of rural areas in a sustainable manner, for example in food processing, tourism, and renewable energy. In his speech, Juuso discusses the funding opportunities available for rural SMEs and ways to accelerate business ownership transfers.
Hanna Loikkanen
Finnfund
Investment Director
Finnfund is a development financier and impact investor that builds a more sustainable future and creates lasting impact by investing in companies that address global development challenges. In her speech, Loikkanen will explain what kind of companies Finnfund’s annual investments (€200–250 million) are targeted at.
Erja Retzén
Nasdaq
Account Director
Erja Retzén has worked as a Client Director for Nordic IPOs at Nasdaq for 20 years. At the RISE 2026 event, she brings her energetic approach to exploring company growth journeys—from the startup phase to going public and operating as a listed company—sharing practical insights drawn from decades of experience. Erja’s broad perspective on the different stages of corporate growth helps the audience understand the opportunities and choices companies face on their path from initial spark to sustainable, scalable growth.
Jussi Jokinen
grenke
CFO
Jussi Jokinen serves as CFO of grenke Finland and Sweden. With more than 25 years of diverse experience in equipment and asset financing across the Nordics, he is a true expert in enabling growth. In his talk, Jussi explains how leasing and flexible financing solutions can free up capital, increase business agility, and support more sustainable financial management in a rapidly changing operating environment.
Heikki Oinonen & Matias Vihko
Founders
Heikki Oinonen and Matias Vihko, founders of the award-winning marketing entertainment agency Koju, demonstrate how a company’s story can be turned into a growth-driving instrument. Koju is a Finnish creative agency that has helped brands such as Valmet, Mastercard, Osuuspankki, Pihlajalinna, LähiTapiola, and Gofore create content that delivers results. The company partners with both Finland’s largest and internationally operating brands to support their growth
Eija Ranua
RISE
CEO & Founder, M.Sc. (Econ.)
Eija Ranua, CEO of Rise, is passionate about supporting growth entrepreneurship. Rise is a movement that drives Finland’s economic growth by strengthening the growth entrepreneurship ecosystem and fostering collaboration among its stakeholders.
