CONTACT

Contact us and we’ll get you all the knowhow you need to get started!

Got any questions?
Got a brilliant business pitch?

CONTACT

Contact us and we’ll get you all the knowhow you need to get started!

Got any questions?
Got a brilliant business pitch?

YOUR GO-TO PEOPLE

Ilkka Immonen

Ilkka Immonen

Development Manager, OAMK

Ilkka builds companies. He's co-founded and grown multiple game studios, and ran a game and animation studio for 7 years working with global entertainment brands and Hollywood talent. Ilkkas clientele and partnerships included such names as Wesley Snipes, Nightwish, Nintendo, Supercell, ARM, Aku Louhimies among many others.

His network is massive. Venture capitalists, game industry leaders, government contacts from his Ministry of Employment days—he knows them all. He's coached successful game studios and taught entrepreneurship at top Finnish universities. He opens doors.

Looking for funding or the right investor introduction? Ilkka understands the Finnish funding ecosystem from the inside. He's built companies, raised capital, and made exits.

ilkka.immonen(a)oamk.fi

+358 40 8311987

Book a 30min remote meeting with Ilkka →

LinkedIn LinkedIn

Tuomas Jomppanen

Tuomas Jomppanen

Startup Coach, OAMK

Tuomas is a rare combination of a developer and a designer. His 8 US patents in fintech and mobile technology show the technical depth. His Red Dot Design awards show he knows that user experience is your competitive advantage.

As a CTO, he built the tech that took a company from zero to the Helsinki Stock Exchange in six years. He has also done it for himself, he built a SaaS company alone and sold it to a company in Silicon Valley. Before all that, he was one of the first people at OP Pivo, helping build what became Finland's most popular banking app. He's seen what works at every stage.

If you're building a startup, Tuomas has actually done it. Multiple times. He's made the mistakes so you don't have to. He knows the shortcuts that work and the ones that don't.

tuomas.jomppanen(a)oamk.fi

Book a 30min remote meeting with Tuomas →

LinkedIn LinkedIn Website Website

Veera Mahlakaarto

Veera Mahlakaarto

Startup Specialist, BusinessOulu

Veera does not only have tales from history – she has one of the most modern understandings of marketing and digital business development. Veera possesses a rare ability to bridge the gap between strategic vision and practical execution: among her achievements, she managed marketing for a growth company where revenue was doubled to €5 million through the effective use of AI in marketing.

In her role at BusinessOulu, Veera is responsible for the development of the startup ecosystem, ensuring that Oulu remains a world-class environment for new ventures to thrive. She lives the startup journey as an entrepreneur herself: her own startup, produces Finland’s most-listened-to children’s audio stories and educational content from early childhood to higher education.

With her pedagogical background, Veera excels at translating complex business models and technological opportunities into clear, actionable competitive advantages. She has teached thousands of professionals and trained regional business educators to harness AI in the evolving marketing landscape. Veera is your go-to expert for sparring on Go-to-Market strategies, business models, and mastering the art of the pitch.

Why connect with Veera? If you’re looking to spar on business growth with an expert who is actively shaping the startup ecosystem, building her own startup, and has the ability to sharpen your message to perfection, Veera is here to help you reach your goals.

Varaa aika tavataksesi minut

veera.mahlakaarto(a)businessoulu.com
+358 40 159 7869

LinkedIn LinkedIn Website Website

Hanna Spets

Hanna Spets

Project manager, OAMK

Hanna coordinates the StartupOulu brand, bringing together Oulu’s vibrant startup ecosystem under one roof and strengthening collaboration across the community. She manages the Business Corner activities at the Linnanmaa campus, where she works closely with student startups and supports early-stage entrepreneurs in their daily development. Hanna is also responsible for Oamk’s Proof-of-Concept funding, helping transform promising ideas into viable innovations.

With several years of hands-on experience in ecosystem building, Hanna has been one of the lead organizers behind Oulu’s largest startup events, including Startup Weekend Oulu, the Polar Bear Pitching volunteering program, and the Slush Oulu Community Side Event. Her work connects founders, students, partners, and stakeholders, creating meaningful opportunities for growth and visibility.

If you have any questions about Oulu’s startup events, Business Corner activities, or StartupOulu as a whole, Hanna warmly welcomes you to get in touch.

hanna.spets(a)oamk.fi

+358 50 340 7144

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