Presenting Kuopio Health members: AliceAI Learning Oy
AliceAI Learning – Language learning innovation
AliceAI Learning is a Finnish technology company that emerged from the cooperation of teachers, researchers and technology experts. AliceAI is a learning application for working life aimed at companies and organisations. AliceAI provides users with a personal learning experience based on a digital twin for language skills and smart computer-assisted language learning.
Anne-Mari Pitkänen, the company’s founder and CEO, got an idea that is now growing and evolving into a new way to learn languages. She was inspired by her personal experiences, and the company’s story began in 2023.
“Language learning was something I always really struggled with. When something feels challenging, you’re likely to put it off, but I ultimately started to work towards developing my English skills. At the same time, I was studying computer science, and the supervisor of my bachelor’s thesis gave me an idea of the digital twin. Soon, I came up with the idea of a digital twin for language learning that could help people acquire language skills.
The learning process of the AliceAI language learning solution begins with an initial survey that is conducted to determine the user’s entry-level proficiency in the target language. The learning is centred around content designed by professionals and AI technology, which constantly adapts the learning experience based on the user’s needs. The zone of proximal development formed using the digital twin optimises learning, which ensures that it remains motivating – neither too easy nor too difficult. The first concrete step on Anne-Mari’s entrepreneurship path was a pitch she gave to her mentor, Suvi Suutarinen, in December 2023. When Suvi got excited about the idea and gave it the green light, things began to progress rapidly.
First step towards entrepreneurship
“I remember coming to my meeting with Suvi in a conference room in Hub Panostamo. I wanted to tell her about my idea, but still keep it a secret from everyone else. We even closed the blinds to make sure no one would disturb us”, Anne-Mari laughs.
“Suvi pointed out that this is such a great idea that we have to start working on it. I will help you. This moment was a turning point. I understood I had developed an idea that could really evolve into something – my idea was turned into a project with goals.”
Moving ahead at full speed
The company began to evolve quickly, and Anne-Mari completed her bachelor’s thesis in the spring of 2024. AliceAI was accepted into the North Savo Draft Program®, which helped the company obtain start-up capital and business development support. While the Business Finland innovation voucher has enabled the company to keep growing, like many start-up entrepreneurs, Anne-Mari wishes for more extensive further financing opportunities for early-stage companies.
The AliceAI team was quick to expand. Aleksi Pitkänen soon became the company’s CTO, and Päivi Leinonen, a foreign language teacher, brought a stronger pedagogical perspective. Software developer Ilona Juvonen and vocational teacher in Finnish as a second language Iida Pitkänen later joined the team.
“At some point, we had to decide which industry we should focus on first. We decided to start with healthcare, as the sector has a massive need for language learning and proficiency plays a critical role, also from a patient safety perspective. At the beginning, we spent a lot of time networking and discussing with people to find the right people and stepping stones. The company’s development path hasn’t always been effortless, but everything has still gone surprisingly well. If we’d had a bank account bursting with euros, this would have been a lot easier. As it is difficult for companies to get funding at the idea stage in Finland, we ultimately ended up doing everything by ourselves”, Anne-Mari explains of the company’s background.
“When you’re a small company, learning quickly and specialising play a key role. That’s what we’re doing at the moment. There’s also no other language learning app like the one we are developing in the market. The ideas we have for the app and around it will carry us for years ahead. We teach industry-specific professional language skills for adults, and that’s our competitive advantage. As a new start-up company, we’re also currently in a good stage, as we’ve soon finished our MVP and are building new partnerships for pilots to be carried out in companies.”
In the back Päivi Leinonen, Suvi Venäläinen and Iida Pitkänen. In front Anne-Mari Pitkänen and Aleksi Pitkänen.
On their way to success
AliceAI has already reached some major milestones. The company has already reached the pilot planning stage with several operators, which shows that the market is ready for the solution. In the spring, the development work was accelerated by the company’s participation in the Helsinki Education Hub, which is a business incubator programme for research-based EdTech innovations. Participation in their TestBed programme also provides the company with highly valuable practical experience and supports strengthening learning results. The company has a clear future goal: to become market leaders in Finland and emerge as global players. The company intends to later add new language versions and industries to their application.
“We wish to be a market leader domestically and a pioneer in personalised language learning. We’re already planning to enter the international market, and our team is assessing our next potential markets in Western and Central Europe. Technology is also rapidly evolving, and we may find ourselves in a completely different situation in just six months’ time. This makes it important to plan our next steps and think about potential implementation.”
“Kuopio Health has also been part of the company’s growth story. We initially came across the ecosystem at the EcoBoost event organised by Orion. I immediately realised that this is the perfect community for us. Networks have played a major role and offered us a lot of support, and we intend to make active use of the opportunities that Kuopio Health provides us in the future.”
“I believe that the right things will happen at the right time. It is important to listen to your intuition while also discussing things with experts from a variety of industries. As a start-up entrepreneur, your working days are often long, but having a passion for what you’re doing and making progress is what carries you forward. As long as you keep your vision clearly in mind and work hard for it, things will eventually fall into place”, Anne-Mari concludes.