The Shortcut

Last month, we welcomed back to the Spark Program Angela Boyajian Adjounian M.A., one of our own Spark graduates from last year, to deliver an informative workshop on positive psychology for early stage entrepreneurship. In this session, Angela focused on introducing the concepts and tools that help to build that well-needed entrepreneurial confidence for our female founders. Participants had a great round of practical exercises on reflecting on their own strengths as a startup founder and learning to practice self-compassion. It's always great to have a former Spark participant come back to share their expertise and experience with the new cohort. Angela is also due to launch her very own startup this May, and we wish her all the success as we excitedly await this huge step in her entrepreneurship career! #TheShortcut #SparkProgram

Yesterday, on March 27th, we organised the official Launch Event for the Attitude Change Campaign (Maahanmuutto on maan puolustusta), led by The Shortcut. More than 15 campaign partners attended the in-person get-together, and the campaign is also featured in an editorial on today's Helsingin Sanomat (linked in comments below). We heard from Jouko Pölönen, CEO of Ilmarinen, who outlined how our national debt and the shrinking work force will lead to future macroeconomic challenges, in particular with regard to our pension system. He emphasised that we should be welcoming skilled labour to Finland in order to grow said workforce. Kaarle Hämeri, Chancellor of University of Helsinki shared with us how the University is proud to have foreign students and foreign researchers, who contribute to the Finnish economy, for example through research and innovation, as well as entrepreneurship. He also noted the challenges for families to integrate in Finland and that we need to do more to welcome them. Anna Kaskeala-Moore from Metacore and Terhi Lindgren from Attendo, during the fireside chat, emphasised the challenges that families face upon coming to Finland. Besides learning Finnish - not known to be easy - there are too few international schools and services in English, which can lead to talented internationals not wanting to move here. Moreover, international recruitment can be costly, but the best talent may not be in Finland to begin with. Prejudice and racism also play a role in making internationals feel unwelcome. Lastly, Youssef Zad, Chief Economist of Suomen startup-yhteisö / Finnish startup community, also noted the shrinking workforce and the declining levels of education compared to internationals. World class companies require world class talent, he stressed. The presentations were followed by a lively debate during which our partners shared their perspectives on the topics such as discrimination, employer's Finnish language requirements and how we all should be more welcoming. We at The Shortcut are very pleased to bring together so many like-minded organisations in our broad collective, and we are keen to further expand and continue this important conversation. Photo credits: Wasim Al-Nasser 📷 #TheShortcut #RakannetaanSuomea #BuildFinland

🌐 News from our Ecosystem Partner Tech Nordic Advocates 🌐 Tech Nordic Advocates are now accepting applications for founders for Cohort 1 of  2025 for the 'Finland as Female Tech Founder Frontrunner International Mentoring Programme'. The Programme starts on 1st of April. 🚀 Apply here: https://lnkd.in/dd7NAvwi ✨ What you’ll get: ✅ Mentoring from 2 international and Nordic mentors to help you remove roadblocks to your progress and help you succeed. ✅ Workshops and masterclasses to enable you to grow sales, marketing and raise capital. ✅ Participate in valuable events and connect with clients, partners, and investors across 48 global hubs and 30k tech leaders. ✅ Be part of the largest female tech founder community in the Nordics with 600+ female founders to grow efficiently. ⏳ As a busy entrepreneur, every minute counts. The programme focuses your time on what truly drives growth, saving you countless hours figuring out your next move. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis so we encourage you to apply soon to secure your spot! 🪑 #NordicMade #WomenInTech #HelsinkiEntrepreneurs #FinnishStartups

🌍 HeRo Hub Meetup is coming up in 3 days! 🌍 International Talent: More than just a hire - a competitive advantage Join us for a high-energy morning featuring inspiring keynotes, a thought-provoking panel discussion, and meaningful peer connections! Specifically, our CEO Riikka Loisamo will deliver a keynote speech about how “Immigration is National Interest". 🗓️ March 28, 2025 🕙 9:30–13:00 📍 Technopolis Otaniemi, Espoo + Online 🎟️ Details and free registration: https://lnkd.in/dhGMvUnb ✨ Keynote Speakers & Topics Riikka Loisamo, CEO at The Shortcut “Immigration is National Interest - How to change Finland for the better (with the help of international talent)” As the leader of The Shortcut and the national campaign “Immigration is National Interest” (“Maahanmuutto on maan puolustusta”), Riikka shares key findings on the challenges international talents face in Finland—and the urgent need for a systemic shift in attitudes. Tatiana Simonova, Gestalt Therapist “Psychological tools to improve the efficiency of hiring and retaining employees. Level C” With deep expertise in group dynamics, Tatiana will share how emotional safety and cultural awareness are essential for high-performing, diverse teams. Sofia Pohls, Co-Founder & CCO at Finders Seekers “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion maturity in your organization” A talent strategist and inspirational leader with over a decade of experience in employer branding and modern recruitment, Sofia is passionate about helping companies attract talent and create workplaces where people thrive— especially in today’s competitive, global landscape. ✨ Panel Discussion “From Policy to Practice: Embedding belonging for international talent” Moderated by Ludmila Lumi Tomperi, #TACafé Founder, Senior Talent Acquisition Partner at Wolt and ICF Practitioner business coach. Panelists: Laura Smith, DEI strategist & founder of VALIDEI, Anna Mäkinen, Co-founder, Intersectional Healing Collective, Heidi Pech, Independent DEI advisor, Gianluca Lindberg Curci, Career Coach, City of Espoo, Pihla Kivihuhta (she/her), Sustainability & People Development Partner at Sievo. 🤝 Networking at the HeRoHub Meetup Led by Katja Savelcheva, Event and Business Coordinator at City of Espoo, a project manager for #EspooTalentMatch recruitment event and #HeRoHub, supports professionals and businesses through meaningful connections that drive growth and change. ☕ “Find Your Six” – a coffee break Color Hunt 🥗 HR Networking Bingo over Lunch 💡 You’ll be sure to leave with new knowledge, fresh insights, inspiration—and the connections to help you turn ideas into impact. #HeRoHub Meetup is co-organized by #CityofEspoo and #TACaféHelsinki. #EspooTalentMatch #HRMeetup #InternationalTalent #MaahanmuuttoOnMaanpuolustusta #TheShortcut #FindersSeekers #EspooTalentHub #EmployerBranding #BelongingAtWork #DiversityAndInclusion #DEI #FutureOfWork #NetworkingFinland

Throwback to last week when we officially launched our brand new flagship training model The Shortcut Academy in front of a full house of program partners, program participants, and community members. It was truly heartwarming to see so many familiar and new faces in the room for our Opening Day! We were thrilled to have the chance to showcase what our team has been working on for the last few months, as well as our upcoming plans for all the training cohorts in 2025. A big thank-you also to our two wonderfully inspirational speakers: Melanie Dower from our long-time partner Supercell, and our incredible Spark alum Dafne M. from Hei Dingo. Thank you both for showing up and supporting the work that we do at The Shortcut! #TheShortcut #TSCAcademy

For the Swedish speakers in our community: Our campaign is also now featured in Swedish on today's HBL! 🇸🇪 🇫🇮 Thanks to our amazing team for making this happen! #RakennetaanSuomea #BuildFinland

❌ "Maahanmuuttajat vievät rahat." Uskotko? ✔ Maahanmuttajien yristysten yhteenlaskettu liikevaihto on 4,3 miljardia euroa (2021). Tämä olisi Suomen 23. suurin yritys ja isompi kuin vaikka Valio, Finnair, Elisa tai Sanoma. Haluamme rakentaa Suomesta maan, johon voi tulla töihin – ja jäädä niitä tekemään. #RakennetaanSuomea ❌ "Immigrants only take money." Do you believe that? ✔ The total revenue of immigrant-owned businesses in Finland is 4,3 billion euros (2021). If this amount were counted as a single company, it would be the 23rd largest in Finland, bigger than Valio, Finnair, Elisa, or Sanoma, for example.  We want to build a Finland where people come to work—and stay. #BuildFinland 👉 Debunk the most common myths about immigration in Finland: https://maanpuolustaja.fi/

❌ "Suomi ei tarvitse maahanmuuttoa!" Onko näin? ✔ Vuoteen 2030 mennessä Suomesta häviää 130 000 työntekijää. Suomi tarvitsee kipeästi ulkomaalaisia huippuosaajia, jotta emme vain pärjäisi, vaan menestyisimme globaaleilla kilpakentillä. #RakennetaanSuomea ❌ "Finland does not need immigration!" Is that so? ✔ By the year 2030, Finland will have lost 130 000 workers. Finland urgently needs top international talent not just to survive, but to thrive on the global stage. #BuildFinland 👉 Debunk the most common myths about immigration in Finland: https://maanpuolustaja.fi/

We're on the front page of today's Kauppalehti! 📰 "Finland is at a crossroads. We can say that we don't want or need migrants. Or, we can realise that our population is ageing and leaving the workforce, our birth rate is low and that we therefore face a growing labour market gap. In fact, we will need tens of thousands of additional people to enter the workforce just to sustain our current economic output and our pension system." 🔗 The article is published today on Kauppalehti, Talouselämä, and Kaleva. Links the full editorial in the comments! 👉 Visit campaign website: https://maanpuolustaja.fi/ #TheShortcut #RakennetaanSuomea #BuildFinland

Ilman maahanmuuttoa meitä ei ole tarpeeksi hoitamaan, rakentamaan, tuottamaan, kehittämään, suunnittelemaan, tutkimaan, innovoimaan ja yrittämään. Maahanmuutto on maan puolustusta. #RakennetaanSuomea Without immigration, there wonʼt be enough of us to care, build, produce, develop, design, research, innovate, and create businesses. Immigration is national interest. #BuildFinland See more about this campaign: https://maanpuolustaja.fi/ Collective members: AMD Silo AI, RELEX Solutions, Metacore, Ilmarinen, Posti Group Oyj, OP Financial Group, Attendo, University of Helsinki, Diakonissalaitos, Kuntaliitto | Kommunförbundet (Association of Finnish Cities and Municipalities), Keskuskauppakamari (Finland Chamber of Commerce), Suomen Yrittäjät ry, YTK, Tekniikan akateemiset TEK, Suomen Ekonomit, Palvelualojen ammattiliitto PAM ry., Suomen startup-yhteisö, hasan & partners, Great Apes, Ellun Kanat