Maria 01

A great day at Microsoft's monthly Office Hours with Eetu Roponen, Veli Myllylä and our Partner Account Manager Marina Lange at Maria 01's campus! Thanks to Tarja Jernström and the rest of the Microsoft for Startups team for our ongoing partnership 🙏 Looking forward to our shared activities coming up this year 😊 Our members can meet Microsoft in the Blue Room at Maria 01 on the first Thursday of every month from 10:00-15:50. #OfficeHours #StartupCommunity #Partners

✨ Maria 01 Monthly Recap — March ✨ March was eventful and full of big wins for our community! First up, we released the Maria 01 Impact Report 2024, highlighting how global collaboration and purpose-driven innovation are shaping the future: 🌍 36% of our startups are founded by international teams, raising nearly 60% of all funding. 💡 40% of our startups are impact-focused. 📈 Over the last decade, Maria 01 startups and alumni have generated €1.551 billion in revenue and contributed €609 million in salaries. You can check out the link to the full report and watch the launch recording in the comments. 🚀 Community Highlights from March ✨ With Finland needing more startups and international talent to drive innovation, we hosted the Startup Election Debate to spark conversations on entrepreneurship and work migration. ✨ Supersight was selected by Helsinki City to help optimise learning space utilisation—huge congrats! ✨ Shoutout to Flow Computing, Taito.ai, FinanceKey and alumni Hamina Wireless and ReOrbit for making Talouselämä’s list of Finland’s 10 most promising startups! ✨ Product Sense raised a €1.5M pre-seed round, led by our Investor Network Member Peak—amazing news! ✨ Linear was once again named one of the Enterprise Tech 30 companies—well deserved! ✨ Our Impact Report findings were featured in Talouselämä, Helsingin Kaupunki, Startup News, Arctic Startup, Kauppalehti, Startups Magazine, Helsinki Times, Helsingin Uutiset, Tech Funding News, Tekniikka&Talous, and more! March was packed with milestones, and we can’t wait for what’s next. Let’s keep building the future—together! 💙 #Maria01 #Startups #Innovation #Impact

"𝙄 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙄 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙪𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙣𝙮,"shared Oskari Saarenmaa, CEO of Aiven at today's Builders' Breakfast. Yet, alongside his co-founders, he took the leap and ended up building one of Finland’s biggest tech success stories. "We wanted to build our own product, our own company, and our own culture. We already had customers from our consultancy business, so we decided to create something valuable for them.” Timing played a crucial role. Oskari pointed out that they started when cloud computing was emerging, and that was a game-changer. It made me wonder: How will we look back on this moment in a couple of decades? Will we say: That was the best time to build AI-driven solutions? When asked about AI, Oskari outlined three horizons for founders to consider: 1️⃣ Productivity gains – Stay up to speed and keep learning AI tools. If you don’t, someone else will. 2️⃣ AI-enhanced features – How can AI make your product more valuable, more insightful? 3️⃣ Entirely new products – What solutions are now possible only because of AI? He also had some powerful advice for founders: 🔹 Keep moving forward – The ones who fail are the ones who stop. 🔹 Keep making decisions – A bad decision is often better than no decision at all. 🔹 Fundraising tip – If your story is too unique to fit into a 10-slide pitch deck, you need to change your story. 🔹 Investor connections – Find founders building something similar (but not direct competitors) and ask for an intro to their investors—it’s far more effective than a cold email. Some great insights from a founder who’s been in the trenches! 🚀 What do you think—will we look back and see now as the best time to build with AI? #startups #entrepreneurship #AI #founderinsights

🚨 𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗧 𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗟: 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀’ 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗢𝘀𝗸𝗮𝗿𝗶 𝗦𝗮𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗺𝗮𝗮, 𝗖𝗘𝗢 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻 – 𝗧𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄! 🚨 What’s better than breakfast? Breakfast with a unicorn founder. 🦄☕ If you're a startup founder, tech builder, or just someone who loves hearing real stories of scaling, failing, and thriving, this is your chance to learn directly from Oskari Saarenmaa the CEO of one of Finland’s biggest tech success stories—Aiven Still on the fence? Here’s why you need to be there: ✅ Scaling Secrets – How Aiven went from an idea to a global, VC-backed company ✅ Open-Source & AI Mastery – The future of cloud, data, and multi-cloud deployments ✅ Raw & Real Founder Insights – No fluff, just straight talk from Oskari ⏳ Time is running out—grab your spot NOW! 📍 Maria 01 | April 2nd | 8:30-10:30 🔗 Registration link in the comments! This event is open to everyone so tag a fellow founder who’d love this! 👇

🚨 𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗧 𝗖𝗔𝗟𝗟: 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀’ 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗢𝘀𝗸𝗮𝗿𝗶 𝗦𝗮𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗺𝗮𝗮, 𝗖𝗘𝗢 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻 – 𝗧𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄! 🚨 What’s better than breakfast? Breakfast with a unicorn founder. 🦄☕ If you're a startup founder, tech builder, or just someone who loves hearing real stories of scaling, failing, and thriving, this is your chance to learn directly from Oskari Saarenmaa the CEO of one of Finland’s biggest tech success stories—Aiven Still on the fence? Here’s why you need to be there: ✅ Scaling Secrets – How Aiven went from an idea to a global, VC-backed company ✅ Open-Source & AI Mastery – The future of cloud, data, and multi-cloud deployments ✅ Raw & Real Founder Insights – No fluff, just straight talk from Oskari ⏳ Time is running out—grab your spot NOW! 📍 Maria 01 | April 2nd | 8:30-10:30 🔗 Registration link in the comments! This event is open to everyone so tag a fellow founder who’d love this! 👇

Pay It Forward with Fundis: The Finnish FinTech Revolutionising Fundraising 💙What if making a difference was as simple as paying for your coffee? ☕ Our member Fundis Application, a fintech startup, is on a mission to turn everyday transactions into a force for good. Their responsible payment method allows customers to support causes they care about—without paying anything extra. Instead, merchants make the donation, gaining more loyal customers in return. A win-win-win for consumers, businesses, and society. 💡 🔹 For businesses: Increased sales, customer loyalty, and seamless impact integration. 🔹 For users: Support meaningful causes effortlessly. 🔹 For beneficiaries: A much-needed alternative to traditional fundraising. Founded by Juha Markkanen and Tero Paunonen, Fundis has rapidly gained traction, securing its first investor in 2023 and launching pilots in 2024. With over 80 merchants on board—including Pizza Hut and Subway they’re now gearing up for international expansion, starting in the U.S. 🌎 At Maria 01, Fundis has found the perfect community to grow, connecting with fellow impact-driven startups and industry leaders. As Seppo Kuusinen CEO of Fundis, put it: "At Maria, the most valuable part has always been the community. The events, the people, the spontaneous conversations—some of the best discussions have happened while grabbing a coffee in the kitchen. There are lots of other impact-focused startups in the community, such as ResQ Club - we’ve got great help and guidance from them. We’ve received lots of support from corporate partners such as HubSpot For Startups and San Francisco Agency which has helped us with marketing and PR for example.” According to Seppo, being part of Maria 01 has helped Fundis expand its network and learn from fellow entrepreneurs: “We’ve made great connections here, and the events—whether it’s pitching, investor matchmaking, or networking—have been incredibly valuable. We’ve even found some fantastic partners through Maria 01.” Now, they’re focusing on scaling, gamifying the app, and onboarding more businesses to drive global change. 💡 Want to learn more about Fundis’ journey and vision? Check out the full blog, link in the comments. #Fundis #Fintech #ImpactStartup #Fundraising #Maria01 #StartupCommunity

We hosted a startup election debate with Suomen startup-yhteisö / Finnish startup community, bringing together candidates from across the political spectrum: Arvind Ramachandran (Left Alliance), Mika Poutala (Christian Democrats), Eeva Kärkkäinen (Center Party), Joona Orpana (Green Party), Ted Apter (National Coalition) and Tuomas Uutela (Finns). A moment that caught everyone’s attention was when our CEO Sarita Runeberg presented figures comparing the total export value of Finland’s traditional industries—such as forestry and metal—versus startups. 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 €𝟭𝟮 𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆, 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗳𝗮𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱, 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 €𝟴-𝟵 𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻. One of the key topics was attracting and integrating international talent. Eeva Kärkkäinen pointed out that immigrants have diverse backgrounds—some highly educated, others needing more support—so tailored services are essential. Arvind Ramachandran agreed but shifted the focus: “Instead of always training immigrants, we should reform Finnish society to be more inclusive.” Joona Orpana commented: “The problem solves itself when companies realise they need the best talent globally. New startups are already more open to hiring internationally." Ted Apter highlighted the need for English to become an official language in Helsinki, as it already is in Espoo. When asked if Helsinki should increase services in English, all panellists voted yes. 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝘂𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀—𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗮𝘅 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀—𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀. They also agreed that Helsinki should increase funding for startup incubators and accelerators. The discussion also touched on Maria 01’s potential expansion and its role in Helsinki’s growth. Mika Poutala envisioned Helsinki as the Nordic Silicon Valley, emphasising that when a place becomes known for its thriving startup culture, it attracts even more founders, talent, and investors. Arvind Ramachandran noted: “A crisis is a terrible thing to waste. With construction costs low, this is the moment to build.” Tuomas Uutela took a more critical stance: “If companies are overly supported by the public sector, they might become too comfortable instead of adapting to market needs.” Joona Orpana noted: “Startups are built on four things—ideas, talent, capital, and markets." He added that investing in physical spaces like Maria 01 is crucial too, to create attractiveness and a central point. Ted Apter expressed strong support for expanding Maria 01, emphasising the importance of attracting more venture capital to Finland. He proposed that Maria 01 could become a centre for specialised startup clusters, such as health and defence: “We need more clusters of excellence."

𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘂𝗽𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀' 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗢𝘀𝗸𝗮𝗿𝗶 𝗦𝗮𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗺𝗮𝗮, 𝗖𝗘𝗢 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻! Join us on the 2nd of April for the next edition of Builders’ Breakfast, where top founders share their real-world startup journeys—the wins, the failures, and the hard-earned lessons. This time, we’re sitting down with Oskari Saarenmaa CEO & Co-Founder of Aiven to discuss how he scaled an open-source data platform into a global success. Why attend? 🚀 Scaling with Open Source – Learn how Aiven built a platform that optimises workloads with AI and offers seamless multi-cloud deployment. 💡 Lessons from a Global Tech Leader – Gain insights from Oskari’s experience in growing a venture-backed company that helps businesses control their data efficiently. 🔥 Founder-Focused Conversations – Expect candid stories on innovation, growth, and navigating the evolving tech landscape. Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with fellow founders, investors, and tech enthusiasts! Registration link in the comments.

𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽𝘀, 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 & 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘆: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗗𝗲𝗯𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 Politics shapes the future of entrepreneurship in Helsinki. From talent policies to funding opportunities and business regulations, the decisions made today will determine how well startups can thrive tomorrow. At Maria 01, we've long advocated for a more inclusive, internationally connected, and founder-friendly ecosystem. Our Impact Report highlighted a critical fact: while only 36% of our member startups have an international founder, they secured nearly 60% of all funding in 2024. These numbers prove that diversity fuels innovation—and that policy must support this growth. In the lead-up to the municipal elections, we’re bringing startup-related policies into the spotlight. That’s why we’re teaming up with Suomen startup-yhteisö / Finnish startup community to host 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽 𝗘𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗗𝗲𝗯𝗮𝘁𝗲 at Maria 01. This is more than just a debate—it's an opportunity for our startup community to hear directly from candidates and understand how each party plans to shape the future of entrepreneurship, talent policies, and innovation. 📅 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗲: 𝟮𝟲𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗳 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 ⏰ 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲: 𝟬𝟵:𝟬𝟬 - 𝟭𝟬:𝟬𝟬 📍 𝗟𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗮 𝟬𝟭, 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗦𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲 🗣️ 𝗟𝗮𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗮𝗴𝗲: 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵 Moderated by Maria 01’s CEO, Sarita Runeberg, this debate will challenge candidates on their views regarding: 🔹 International talent & startup-friendly immigration policies 🔹 Growth funding & investment climate 🔹 The role of Helsinki in strengthening Finland’s position as a global startup hub If you’re a founder, investor, or anyone passionate about the future of our ecosystem, this event is not to be missed. Join us and make an informed decision before you vote. 👉 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀! #Startups #Innovation #Elections2025 #Entrepreneurship #Maria01 #Helsinki #FutureOfWork #GrowthCompanies #PolicyMatters

Supporting startups is what we do best—and now, we’re taking it to the next level! 🚀 Together with our amazing partners, we’ve created the brand-new, exclusive 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗞𝗶𝘁—designed to equip startups with essential tools, credits, discounts, expert guidance, and exclusive perks to supercharge your growth in your first year of Maria 01 membership. Seize the opportunity to capture leads and close deals with the HubSpot For Startups Customer Platform, fortify your cybersecurity with Badrap Oy and enjoy free credits for AWS as well as Google and LinkedIn ads. Work smarter with free one-year Asana and Make subscriptions, enjoy free basic business banking with Danske Bank Growth and tap into expert advice from R&R Talent Advisors, KPMG, Bamla, San Francisco Agency, EMU Growth Partners, Strongest Group Oy and Staria - covering everything from HR and PR to sales and financial strategy. 🚀 𝗧𝗼𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲* 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗞𝗶𝘁: 𝟳𝟯 𝟬𝟬𝟬€+ Take advantage of free consultation hours, software credits, and discounts within your first year at Maria 01. And the perks don’t stop there—as a Maria 01 member, you’ll gain access to additional partner deals valued* at a minimum of 47 000€, ensuring ongoing support as you scale. With membership starting at just €100 per month (+VAT), the return on investment speaks for itself. But the real value? Priceless. From tapping into our community’s support and expertise to leveraging investor and corporate connections that set the stage for international success, Maria 01 is the launchpad your startup needs. 𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗽 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗞𝗶𝘁 - 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲, 𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀! * Please note that the complimentary services and other perks are non-monetizable and cannot be redeemed for cash. The total value and specific offerings may vary over time as our partner network evolves. #StartupStarterKit #Partners #Support #StartupHub #Startup #FreePerks