Petra Puolakanaho
Communications
Brand & outreach.
Founder-run · Oulu, Finland
Community
of builders.
A home for founders building real companies from Oulu — peer support, events, and a higher bar, at the northern edge of the startup map.
Our events
Where the community shows up.
Questions about any of these events? Talk to Curtis Thomas (Chair).
About
Built by founders, for founders.
We're a registered association (ry) of active early-stage founders who believe Oulu's startup scene needs a founder-driven identity — built by the people actually building companies.
We focus on peer support, community events, and raising the ambition level of Oulu’s startup ecosystem. Not a fund. Not an accelerator. A community — curated one by one, so the room stays full of active, motivated founders building from Oulu.
Peer support
Community events
Raising ambition
Team
The people behind
Jason Brower
Education
Programs & mentoring.
Mikko Soini
Partnerships
Partnerships, ecosystem relations, and sponsors.
Risto Holappa
Operations
Finance, logistics, and project applications.
Nik Volynkin
Vice Chair · Community & Membership
Community growth. Steps in for the Chair when needed.
Curtis Thomas
Chair · President
Presides over meetings, represents the association, and oversees events.
Supported by
Newsletter
Stay in the loop.
Occasional updates on events, founder stories, and what's happening in Oulu's startup scene. No noise.
Gallery
The community, in the room.
A glimpse from Startup Weekend Oulu 2026 — 54 hours of founders pitching, building, and shipping together.
