Our Team

Last batch of our team is soon on their way to New York, and we are ready to start this amazing journey! But who are we? Have a look at our dynamic group of superstars!

Riko Nyberg

I am a fifth year IEM student who is enthusiastic entrepreneur and experienced event organiser with never ending hunger for more challenges. I study Work Psychology and Leadership as my major and Software Development as minor. Alongside my studies I'm currently working on my own company and as a board member in Aalto Entrepreneurship Society responsible of the events and international relations. I have also been working at Contact Forum company for nearly two years as well as in organising Slush event last year.

I started my first company with my brother when I was only fifteen and since then I have found that the best way to learn how to do things is simply just by doing them. That’s why I also participated in IEM's previous similar project aimed to Brazil back in 2011. The experiences that I got from there were a major motivation to build up this project because I understood how much valuable things you can learn as a student in these kind of projects.
 

Lauri Mikkola

“I am a 4th-year MSc student with Strategic Leadership as major. During my studies I have gathered work experience at aTalent Recruiting, a student-driven recruitment agency, and at McKinsey & Company. What I consider especially important is the fact that entrepreneurial attitude isn’t only about a person with a laptop and an idea. There is also, hopefully, an opportunity to pursue your own ideas in a larger organization – more and more existing corporations are realizing that they need to adopt entrepreneurial characteristics in order to even survive, let alone succeed.

I’m eager to learn more about the Silicon Valley spirit, and to put those learnings into a good use, whatever the case might be: working at a large corporation, serving clients as a consultant, being a part of a startup team or founding my own company. This project will be an amazing experience, and I believe that our group full of superstars is going to make extraordinary things in the future!”

Jyri Yli-Villamo

“I am a fourth year student and I have just finished my bachelor’s degree. During these four years I have actively participated in student associations along my studies. Besides student association activities I have also done some part-time and summer jobs. My first jobs were from large public bureaus. Nowadays I am working in a health tech startup however. This workplace has given me a great opportunity to see a young firm as a working environment and I am eagerly waiting to learn more of working at startups.  

In this USA-project I am especially waiting to learn more about entrepreneurship and how to be entrepreneurial in a big company while this is something that I didn’t see in my previous jobs. United States is also a very interesting country and it will be fascinating to learn more about working there. Working in the States interests me especially because I am planning to work there myself someday.”

Marianne Vikkula

“I am fourth year MSc student majoring in strategy and venturing. I have a strong sports background having competed on World Championship level in gymnastics. Lately, I have devoted most of my time into the work of building a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem in the Nordics. 2015 will be my fourth year in a row organizing Slush, one of the biggest technology events in Europe. Last fall I also tested my consulting skills at the Boston Consulting Group.

My relationship with the US dates back to 1992 when I lived in Michigan for a year. Since then I have visited various cities and states, but never really having time to understand what the American Dream really is about. I’m especially keen on global growth stories and the US as a platform to start from. Is it really easier than anywhere else as it is claimed?”

Mikael Järvenpää

“I am a fifth year student and I have practically only my Master’s thesis left. I have studied my BSc degree in Industrial Engineering and Management at Tampere University of Technology. Having spent a year in Germany as an exchange student I started my MSc studies in a program called Service Management and Engineering at Aalto University last fall. Most of my work experience has taken place at my parents’ small company. In addition I have worked 1,5 years as a purchasing trainee at a Finnish manufacturing company. Currently I am working as a summer trainee at Microsoft. I have grown up in an entrepreneurial atmosphere and therefore I find the topic of this project very interesting.

To be honest, I have never been to America so far. Therefore I am very excited about this project and really looking forward to see, how this project will influence my mindsets. Visiting US, entrepreneurship as a theme and intense collaboration with companies make me feel very excited about the whole project.”

Andreas Saari

“I´m an extremely entrepreneurially minded freshman studying Industrial Engineering and Management. I´ve always had great interest towards international business and foreign cultures, especially languages. I went to Germany for an exchange in high school and look forward to get the chance to study and work abroad.

For the past year, I have been working for a small management consulting company on the side of my studies, as well as run a registration group at the biggest tech startup-meets-VC-event in the North, Slush 2014 This year, I’m responsible for the startup operations at the same event. I was also the main organizer for an international event for IEM students in Helsinki in February 2015. My newest quest is to set up a student run VC fund in Helsinki.

I´m very excited to meet new people, get new friends, seize the opportunities, learn quite a bit and enjoy the unique experiences this project has to offer.”

Simo Pakkanen

“I am a fifth year student finishing my last MSc courses this spring. While courses in my major have focused on Strategic Management, in my minor subject, the focus has been on Product Development and Production Optimization. Along with my studies, I have gained work experience through internships in management consulting, B2B service sales and various industrial fields (high tech electronics, energy and healthcare industries).

This project is a unique opportunity to widen my knowledge of different cultures and different industries, and therefore I am absolutely aspired to be part of it. I am keen on understanding how both internal and external entrepreneurship drive growth of companies in the US and what Finnish companies could learn from successful growth companies in Silicon Valley.”

Pyry Huhtanen

“I’m third year IEM student, doing my bachelor’s thesis. My studies so far have been defined by active participation in extracurricular activities as well as general interest towards entrepreneurship. So far my most valuable working experience has come from working in a Finnish startup HeiaHeia. Additionally I’ve worked as research assistant at Department of Industrial Engineering and Management.

I expect a very interesting and inspiring project where I can learn a lot about entrepreneurship by doing. The cases and excursions will definitely be awesome. However, as I’ve never been in USA before, I look for the trip itself as a great chance to get to know American culture and companies”

Auri Väljä

I’m a third year IEM student interested in entrepreneurial mindset. I’ve practiced my presentation skills while working as a course assistant in Aalto University and afterwards I’ve also worked in Insurance Company If. Beside doing my studies, during these three years I’ve spent a lot of time on working in student associations. This has made me realize that I especially enjoy the feeling of being able to create something of my own, to make a difference.

That’s part of the reasons I became interested in entrepreneurship in the first place. This project naturally hit the spot, partly because of the immense learning possibilities and partly because I think the entrepreneurial atmosphere is something that can’t be only described in books.

Aleksi Taipale

“I’m a 5th year IEM student and an entrepreneur. This year I will finish my studies while continuing to run my own startup company that builds innovative marketing solutions for the real estate industry.

My passion is to build and develop businesses, while taking advantage of new technology. Before founding my own company in the summer of 2014, I had gained experience by working in technology strategy consulting, sales management consulting and in real estate B2B sales. 

I have lived in the US for one year as an exchange student but I’m eager to learn more about the entrepreneurial spirit that drives the superior performance and growth of many US companies. I hope to take home insight and best practices on how global growth stories can be built.”

Laura Korhonen

I am a fifth-year IEM student, majoring in Operations Management. During my studies I have been quite active in various student projects, for example the organizer of Stratos, program for internationally minded business students in Aalto. Last year I did an exchange semester in Berlin, Germany, where I enhanced my German skills and learned a lot about myself. At the moment I am working for RELEX, a software company providing supply chain solutions.

Prodeko USA –project is a great opportunity to experience new things and learn about entrepreneurship before stepping into the corporate world. I think highly of people who have ideas and especially courage to put them into action. Hopefully we will meet a lot of these inspirational people on the way and learn what it takes to build a successful company in the US.

Samuli Männistö

“I am a 4^th-year IEM student majoring in strategy and venturing. During my studies I have gathered experience as an intern in management consulting, organizing the biggest startup and technology conference in the Nordics, Slush, and as an assistant at the university. This spring I will be working with new challenges at a Finnish private equity firm, where I’m eager to learn more about growth and value creation.

This project will be an amazing opportunity to learn on the American culture, as I have never been to the States before. I’m looking forward to understand better how entrepreneurship drives growth of companies in the US and what Finnish companies could learn from them. I’m especially interested on how entrepreneurial spirit can be present in all kinds of companies from early stage to global corporations.”

 

Joona Karjula

I’m a third year IEM student and finishing my bachelor’s degree this spring. I have started my major in strategy and venturing. Currently I’m working to Aalto Entrepreneurship Society where I’m learning more about the entrepreneurship and startups by organising Summer of Startups-program. I have also been working as entrepreneur, team leader and installation manager.

In this project I would like to learn more about the entrepreneurship and how it is carried out in different companies. I believe that this project will give the project team good understanding about working in USA. During my high school studies I was an exchange student in USA and I’m really excited to visit there again.

Valtteri Vulkko

I’m a second year Industrial Engineering and Management student. I currently work as a course assistant in Department of IEM and have a couple of months’ teaching experience in elementary school, too. Last summer I worked as a research assistant in a Finnish startup called Zenrobotics, which gave me a whole new understanding on entrepreneurship and startup culture. Even though I’m not hundred percent sure where I want to work in the future, last summer gave me a taste of something different, a world I really want to explore further.

Besides being a sports enthusiast, I love travelling and seeing different cultures and America definitely ranks high on my bucket list. I believe that Project USA can teach me something I wouldn’t learn in anywhere else and I’m looking forward to learn a lot by doing things in practice with interesting people.

Tony Hämmäinen

I am a second year student, halfway through my bachelor's degree. From a young age I've been into all kinds of technical devices, gaming and coding. These hobbies have paved way to my future career, as my current work experience consists of coding for software companies and my studies concentrate mainly on entrepreneurship and computer science.

I spend most of my time working for our student organization, now being in the Prodeko Board for the second consecutive year. This project suits my goals brilliantly as I want to further develop my strategic mindset to combine business and technology. Additionally, as a US Citizen living in Finland, getting to experience the American business culture has been one of my long term goals, I’m enthusiastic that it’s now happening!

Ville Huovinen

I am a third year student and the president of Prodeko (The guild of IEM students in Aalto university). I'm probably not having the best progress in my studies or the best grades, but I'm very eager to challenge myself in many other ways and search stuff I have a real passion for. I'm ready to take risks and take paths that no one have taken before. In sort I think myself as a practice before theory kind of guy.  

As an entrepreneur myself the business culture and attitude of running a company is mainly on sight. How and why does the attitude towards the firm and work differ especially in the lower stages of a company between Finland and the States?

Lotta Waldén

“I’m a fifth year student of Industrial Engineering and Management and just finalizing my master’s degree. My major is Industrial Management but due to my interest towards high growth startups, I have included several entrepreneurship courses in my degree. I’m currently working as an associate in the Finnish Venture Capital company, Reaktor Polte. It has been eye opening to get to know dozens and hundreds of new businesses and learn more about the unique characteristics of Finnish startup scene.

I’m excited to visit the U.S. and to get a better understanding about the entrepreneurial culture there. It would be interesting to bring some new perspectives to my daily work and learn how entrepreneurship in the U.S. differentiates from our ways of building new companies here.”

Anna Särkilahti

I’m starting my fifth year of studying IEM in the fall. I will be continuing with Master’s level courses majoring in Operations and Service Management, although I have broad interests also in strategy and entrepreneurship. As my minor I study Product Development, which has given me an interdisciplinary mindset and helped collaborate with students from other faculties as well. During my studies I have had the chance to act as a course and research assistant, and I’ve especially grown an interest in healthcare provision and processes.

In the corporate world, I’ve mainly worked for larger companies, although I recently did a management consulting internship. During this project it’s my goal to gain a deeper understanding about entrepreneurship in both extremes: in well-established corporations but also in very early phase startups. My experience with startups is limited to volunteering in the Slush 2014 event, but I was truly impressed from the spirit that the whole startup ecosystem in Finland is spreading, and hope to see similarly inspiring things also during our trip. Since I’ve never been to the U.S., it is exciting to see so much in such a short time!