Connecting Investors Science & Industry

Alexandra Gylfe

Founding Partner, Nordic Science Investments

Alexandra brings over a decade of experience across academia and high-growth deep tech environments. She completed her Ph.D. in genetics at the University of Helsinki and was a visiting researcher at Stanford University, where she honed her expertise in academic research and commercialization. She later led and scaled an R&D team within a US biotech unicorn. Additionally, Alexandra spearheaded business development efforts at a major public research and innovation flagship focused on oncology and digital health. Her leadership and ability to bridge early research with business have driven impactful innovations at the intersection of science and technology.

Matti Hautsalo

Founding Partner, Nordic Science Investments

Matti has a deep-rooted background in venture capital, working extensively with early-stage technology companies. He has also run a private investment vehicle focussing on research based spinout co-creation in Nordics, UK and North America. Over the years, Matti has held key board roles and managed investments and early team building processes across a range of deep tech sectors, spanning from adaptive materials to quantum chemistry and cancer therapies. Matti is also a board member of Syniad Innovations, a materials technology IP investor in Canada.

Ville Heikkinen

Partner, Butterfly Ventures

Hands-on transaction and fund management specialist with 15 years of experience in entrepreneurship, VC financing, M&A and technology management, L.LM and M.Sc. in Economics, Partner of Butterfly Ventures since 2014, an ex-quarterback, who nowadays satisfies need for speed and action downhill skiing, motorcycling and running. Ville is a true team player, who puts all in. His knowledge of all sorts of business related agreements is extraordinary and an enormous help to any startup. He’s social, has a great contact network and has almost magical ability to connect the right people. In addition he’s creative thinker, deep in the startup scene and truly fun to work with.

Pekka Hildén

Partner, Almaral

With 25 years in the medtech and in vitro diagnostics industry, Pekka has extensive experience in global business development, including leadership roles in Asia, the EU, and the US. Pekka successfully established and scaled a Chinese subsidiary to €25M revenue over a decade, and has been actively involved in M&A, due diligence, and strategic growth initiatives. Pekka holds an M.Sc. in Biochemistry, an MBA from Henley Business School, and board certification. Pekka now consults for Almaral. Pekka is passionate about healthcare innovations that deliver measurable value to patients, providers, investors, and founders alike.

Elizabeth Jennings

Principal, Venture Atlas Labs

Working at the intersection of investment and commercialization, Elizabeth Jennings is known for bringing innovative technologies to commercial success. Focused on healthcare, life science, and social impact, she runs portfolio services firm Venture Atlas Labs, through which she and the VAL team focus on developing successful commercial and market scenarios for international trade organizations, venture capital, private equity, and corporate units. Leveraging experience launching new scientific and medical technologies in some of the most complex and challenging markets worldwide, she frequently speaks at accelerators, institutes, and global summits on fundraising and commercial strategy.

Joni Karsikas

Joni is Investment Director at Tesi where he focuses on Venture Capital investments in Health & Life Sciences companies. He has some 15 years of sector experience from VC and consulting.

Marko Kuisma

Partner, Innovestor Life Science

Marko has 15 years of start-up experience in digital health, international health tech, health care, and med tech sectors. He has experience in strategic planning and execution, leading commercial operations, and tons of hands-on experience from the front lines. He has held leadership roles in multiple companies, e.g. Mobidiag (acquired by Hologic in 2021) and, recently, as CCO of Kaiku Health (acquired by Elekta in 2020), and sits in several digital health company boards. He holds several mentor and advisor positions, e.g. in NOME, Spark Finland, Digital Therapeutics Alliance, and Health Incubator Helsinki.

Noora Tuikka

CEO, Nostetta Ventures

Startup enthusiast with wide experience in setting up and developing marketing of international technology startups. Passionate about innovation, business growth and wicked ideas. Specializes in result based marketing concepts, new business design, and process development.

Tuukka Eloranta

Managing Director, Medikro Oy

As the CEO of Medikro, Tuukka leads a multidisciplinary team of 30 people with over 450 years of combined expertice in the medical device industry. Medikro develops, manufactures and markets, spirometer systems for asthma and COPD diagnostics and monitoring. Each year, over three million spirometry tests are accomplished with Medikro technology. Tuukka is a curious, outgoing and business driven leader with over 20 years of experience in the medical device industry. He has a wide range of experience in product life cycle management, platform based R&D and international industrial sales. Tuukka has a master's degree in Industrial Engineering and Management from Aalto University. He is a seasoned board member and chairperson with diverse experience in companies, foundations, cooperatives and associations.

Mikko Hallanoro

Business Director, Marginum Ltd.

Mikko is a seasoned business leader with a background in IT and leadership, who made the leap into the medical devices business five years ago. Holding an M.Sc. in Economics, Mikko brings over 15 years of experience in company leadership, sales, marketing, finance, strategic planning, and technology. In 2023, he joined the Finnish medtech start-up Marginum to lead the commercialisation of a pioneering innovation in cancer surgery. Passionate about bridging deep-tech with global healthcare markets, Mikko draws on his multidisciplinary background to help unlock the real-world value of Finnish medical innovation.

Mika Hilvo

PhD, Research Team Leader at VTT

Extensive experience in biomedical and health data science, related especially to diagnostic tests and biomarker discovery. Recently focused on cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Skilled in life science immaterial property rights and project management. Knowledge also in software engineering, machine learning & AI.

Niina Huikuri

Senior Vice President Medical, Bittium Corporation

With over 20 years of expertise in the medical device sector, Niina specializes in driving global commercial strategies, market access, and go-to-market execution for innovative healthcare solutions. Her experience spans leadership in sales, marketing, business development, product management, and funding strategies, including an IPO, across various stages of company growth. She has a strong track record of successfully commercializing medical devices in various countries, optimizing sales performance, and building cross-functional teams that deliver results.Niina has launched multiple health technology innovations globally and contributed to both; significant revenue and profitability growth for the organizations she has worked in. Her passion lies in transforming healthcare by bringing impactful technologies to market, always with a focus on improving patient outcomes.

Ville Kainu

Primary Care Medical Lead, FIND cluster, Pfizer

Ville Kainu is currently Medical Lead at Pfizer managing a team that covers medical affairs for vaccines, internal medicine and COVID portfolios in Finland, Norway, Denmark and Iceland. He is a medical doctor by education and his PhD focused on lipidomics and the implications of mass spectrometry in analyzing phospholipid remodeling. The key drivers in the current work is to improve patients’ access to novel therapies, find solutions to patient support and lead with data by utilizing the vast registries in Nordic countries. Kainu is a medical doctor and his PhD focused on lipidomics and the implications of mass spectrometry in analyzing phospholipid remodeling. The key drivers in the current work is to improve patients’ access to novel therapies, find solutions to patient support and lead with data by utilizing the vast registries in Nordic countries.

Ulla-Maaria Koivula

Founder and CEO, ThingLink Oy

Ulla Maaria Koivula, founder and CEO of ThingLink, is a pioneer developer of interactive media technology and user-generated mixed reality in education. Inspired by connecting physical environments and objects with digital information about them, Ulla started her company as a spin-off project from a PhD program at the University of Helsinki. Under Ulla’s direction ThingLink has developed a patented solution for easily augmenting visual media with additional information; text, audio, photos, videos, and links, making it possible for thousands of private and public sector organizations to create engaging immersive experiences for communication and learning in the cloud. Recent awards and mentions: UNESCO ICT for Education Prize (2019), EdTechX Rise Award (2017), HundrED Global Innovations in Education (2017), Tutorful Hottest Ed Tech tools (2017, 2018).

Lauri Kuronen

CEO at VEIL.AI Denmark ApS

Lauri Kuronen is the CEO of VEIL.AI Denmark ApS and a Venture Partner at Almaral. With over 13 years of experience in early-stage Health, Life Science, and MedTech companies, Lauri has been instrumental in helping these businesses develop and grow.

Leo Kärkkäinen

Professor, University of Eastern Finland

Leo Kärkkäinen is a professor of Embedded Systems in University of Eastern Finland. Leo received his Ph.D. from University of Helsinki in Theoretical Physics. After postdoctoral positions in Germany, US, and Denmark he started at Nokia Research Center in 1996. In the following 25 years, he had various roles in Nokia, including Research Fellow, Chief Visionary 2007-2009. In 2009 -2018, as distinguished Scientist and research leader he was a member of Nokia CEO and CTO technology councils, working on technology exploration, emerging technologies, and a global head of Nokia University donations. From 2017 to 2020 Leo was Bell Labs Fellow and a co-leader of Nokia Chief AI Office, as well as a part time professor of practice on embedded systems in biomedical technologies at Aalto University, School of Electrical Engineering. His interests are on various embedded industrial applications of AI, health domain and autonomy. In addition, Leo was a member of the High-Level Expert Group on AI of the European commission. It defined trustworthy AI principles and requirements that are reflected in the current AI regulation.

Arto Mannermaa

Professor, University of Eastern Finland, Director, Biobank of Eastern Finland

Professor Arto Mannermaa has 30 years of experience in the research field of molecular pathology of cancer and the components of breast cancer risk. He is head of the Multidisciplinary Cancer Research Community at UEF and director of the Biobank of Eastern Finland. Mannermaa has expertise in cancer genomics and methodologies to study tumor-specific circulating molecules. He has also implemented deep machine learning and Big Data analysis to reveal the interaction of features affecting cancer risk and outcome. Mannermaa has over 300 peer-reviewed publications with over 16,000 citations. While out of office, Mannermaa enjoys outdoor activities, such as sailing and trekking.

Sami Miettinen

CEO, Abomics Oy

Sami Miettinen is an experienced healthcare business developer and international marketing expert who serves as the CEO of Abomics Oy. He started his position in May 2024 after moving from GE HealthCare, where he served as Global Marketing Director for the Anesthesia and Respiratory Care business. Miettinen has over 25 years of experience in international healthcare roles. Abomics focuses on personalized medicine and pharmacogenetics, which enable the tailoring of drug therapy according to the patient’s genetic profile. Abomics and Multirec Oy merged in early 2025, strengthening the company’s position by offering even more comprehensive solutions to healthcare and pharmaceutical operators. Miettinen graduated with a Master of Science in Industrial Engineering from Lappeenranta University of Technology. He is known as a strategic leader who combines technological expertise, a deep understanding of customer needs and business acumen to develop healthcare innovations that create practical value.

Antti Nurmi

General Manager at CRL DRS

Outgoing, science and business driven personality who has the privilege to lead cutting edge drug development for various pharmaceutical and biotech companies.

Antti Poso

Professor of Drug Design, University of Eastern Finland

With a career spanning over three decades, Professor Poso specializes in computer-aided molecular modeling for drug design. His expertise encompasses a wide array of techniques including Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship (QSAR), molecular docking, Quantum Mechanics/Molecular Mechanics (QM/MM), and Molecular Dynamics (MD). In recent years, he has integrated cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) methods into his research and development endeavors. Professor Poso holds a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Chemistry from the University of Kuopio, Finland, and has served in various academic and research positions at the same institution. He has also been a visiting professor at the University of Tübingen, Germany, and currently holds the position of Tandem Industry Academy professor at Orion Pharma, Finland. His research primarily focuses on drug design, especially computer-aided molecular design, with indication areas mainly in cancer and anti-microbials. Professor Poso has successfully founded two spin-off companies, both of which have progressed to the clinical Phase 1/2 stage, highlighting the practical application and translational impact of his work in advancing novel therapeutics.

Samuli Saarni

Professor of psychiatry, program director of First-Line Therapies, adj. prof. of Healthcare Ethics, Tampere University

One of the most widely experienced health care leaders in Finland, with unique experience and understanding of the field. CEO-level background from public, private and third sectors, PhD’s in medicine and social science. Psychiatrist, group psychotherapists and philosopher, adjunct professor of healthcare ethics, MD, PhD, MSocSc, EMBA etc. Deep-end mental health systems reformer; Professor of Psychiatry & Program director of the national First-line Therapies initiative.

Lauri Sippola

Co-founder, CEO, Gosta Labs

Sippola is a Co-Founder & serves as Chief Executive Officer at Gosta Labs. He co-founded & served as Chief Executive Officer at Kaiku Health. He was the Supply Chain Analyst at RELEX. He brings experience from previous roles at Elekta and Kaiku Health. Lauri Sippola holds a degree from Aalto University. With a robust skill set that includes Business Modeling, Management Consulting, Business Strategy, Entrepreneurship, Product Development and more.

Erkki Soini

CEO, ESiOR Oy and Chairman of the Board, Kuopio Health

Erkki Soini is an internationally awarded health economics expert, publisher, and innovator. He has extensive expertise in assessing and forecasting the efficiency, effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness of pharmaceuticals, medical devices, other health technologies, and social and healthcare processes. Soini serves as a permanent expert in the Joint Action Towards European Health Data Space project and has been involved in developing the first private, secure data collection and utilization environment, SPESiOR.

Eino Solje

MD, PhD

Eino is a neurologist by training and works as an Associate Professor of Clinical Research at the University of Eastern Finland (UEF) and as a Deputy Chief Physician at the Neurology Clinic of Kuopio University Hospital, responsible for neurodegenerative diseases. In addition, he leads the Brain Research Unit at the UEF. Solje has a particular focus on early-onset dementia and serves as the principal investigator for Finland in several major international research networks in the field. He has led multiple research projects funded by the EU, the Research Council of Finland and various foundations. Previously, he has also worked as a visiting researcher at the University of Brescia in Italy and has received several awards for his work.

Petteri Sveins

CEO, Wellpro Impact Solutions Ltd

Petteri has worked as an expert for the Inter American Development Bank, the United Nations and government ministries in international affairs. He has been awarded a State Award, a Healthy SoS Diploma and was named Social Worker of the Year in Finland. Petteri has decades of experience in developing new treatment methods and promoting health. During the last ten years, he has focused on managing SaaS businesses and start-ups and developing new digital tools. Petteri currently serves as the CEO of Wellpro Impact Solutions Ltd.

Juha Töyräs

Professor, PhD, Director of Research and Innovation, Wellbeing Services County of North Savo / Kuopio University Hospital

Juha Töyräs is the Director of Research and Innovation, Kuopio University Hospital and Wellbeing Services County of North Savo, and Professor of Medical Physics and Engineering, University of Eastern Finland. He also holds a position of Professorial Research Fellow in the School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, The University of Queensland. He has a PhD degree in the field of medical physics and his research is focused on medical devices and sensors, medical imaging, medical signal processing and connective tissue biomechanics. Since 2004, he has been the Vice/Co-Head of the Biophysics of Bone and Cartilage research group and Co-Head of the Sleep Technology and Analytics group since it was founded in January 2017 at the Department of Applied Physics, University of Eastern Finland.

Antti Väänänen

Senior Scientist, Health data analytics, VTT

Antti is a Senior scientist and project manager at the VTT Health data analytics team. He holds M.Sc. and PhD degrees in computer science and made his PhD thesis about utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare. Antti has worked in University of Eastern Finland, GE Healthcare Finland in research and development activities and in his own companies as a CEO. He has experience and interests in AI / MV based solutions, telehealth systems, smart home systems, eLearning, ICT-architecture design, medical device interface interfacing system development and location based systems. Antti has also experience project management and project coordination and in founding several start-up companies and growing various business ideas into profitable businesses.