Oulu Entrepreneurship Society

LaunchX 2026 has come to an end and we couldn’t be prouder of what this cohort built.

Yesterday at Pitch Day, three teams stepped in front of our judges and pitched the startups they had been building, validating and refining over 11 intense days.

🎮 Kinet — a motion capture system that uses the phone in your pocket and the watch on your wrist to generate full-body animations, exported directly to Unity, Unreal, or Blender. Built for indie game developers and 3D creators who can’t afford $2,500+ mocap suits.

🇫🇮 Relocation Care Finland — a structured relocation support service helping families with family ties to Finland navigate permit applications, documentation, and settlement, from uncertainty to confidence.

📱 Cikola Games Studio — an AI-native mobile game studio focused on bringing the fun back to mobile gaming through ad-free puzzle games, using AI-assisted development to prototype and validate ideas faster than traditional studios.

🏆 The winner of LaunchX 2026 and the Slush ecosystem pass receiver is Kinet. Congratulations to the team!

A huge thank you to our mentors, judges, investors, volunteers and everyone who supported this program.

LaunchX exists to lower the barrier to entrepreneurship for students in Oulu and this cohort proved exactly why that matters.
See you in 2027. 🚀

We’d like to introduce the mentors of LaunchX 2026.

These are people who have built, invested, and navigated the messy early stages of startups and they’re joining us this June to share what they know with the next generation of founders in Oulu.

Each mentor brings a different perspective. Each session is designed to give our participants something they can actually use.

And a quick note — our workshops are open to everyone, not just program participants. If you’re curious about entrepreneurship and want to sit in on a session, you’re welcome.

LaunchX 2026 · June 8–18 · University of Oulu · Free to attend

Arctic Agora 2026 ❄️🚀

An inspiring afternoon exploring what it means to build and scale from the Nordic region with an incredible lineup of founders, investors, and innovators.

A huge thank you to our speakers:
• Muhammad Zareii (Optosense)
• Zachary Burda (Fisofi)
• Milan Hokkanen (TalentSeek)
• Robin Hansson (Wave Ventures)
• Peter Vesterbacka (Angry Birds)

And special thanks to our host, Stavroula Zoi (L&R STUDIO), for guiding the conversation.

Thank you to everyone who joined us at Alba Amphitheater and helped make Arctic Agora a memorable part of Panathēnea. 📸✨

🇫🇮❄️ ARCTIC AGORA lands at Panathenea Festival.

Where Nordic innovation meets global opportunity.
Founders, investors, and innovators come together in Athens for an afternoon of startup insights, live demos, and conversations on building global companies from the Arctic region.

🎤 Live startup presentations
🚀 Founder & investor panel
🌍 Finnish innovation on the international stage

📍 Alba Amphitheater, Athens
🗓️ 28 May
🕒 15.30–17.30
❗️Registration through luma: https://luma.com/jh8r5rv8

Featuring:
Mohammed Zareii
Zachary Burda
Milan Hokkanen
Robin Hansson
Peter Vesterbacka

Athens Oulu Innovation Entrepreneurship

Arctic Agora is a Nordic innovation side event at Panathenea bringing together founders, investors, and business leaders to discuss how global companies can be built from the Arctic region. The program includes startup presentations, live demos, and a panel discussion featuring Finnish tech founders, venture ecosystem representatives, and innovation leaders. Participants can expect insights on scaling startups internationally, funding, collaboration, and the future of Nordic innovation — followed by networking in a relaxed international atmosphere.

Featured Speakers & Panelists

Mohammed Zareii — Aurora winner and founder of Optosense, showcasing Finnish deep-tech innovation and live technology demonstrations.

Zachary Burda — Founder of fisofi, bringing perspectives on entrepreneurship, international growth, and startup building.

Milan Hokkanen — Founder of TalentSeek AI and Finnish HR tech entrepreneur focused on AI-driven workforce solutions.

Robin Hansson — Venture ecosystem representative sharing insights on startup funding and early-stage growth.

Peter Vesterbacka — Entrepreneur and co-creator of Angry Birds, internationally recognized for scaling Finnish innovation globally.

From zero to pitch-ready in 2 weeks 🚀

Here’s exactly what our founders go through at LaunchX. Swipe to see the full journey.
Applications are open. Link in comments.

The wait is over. 🚀

Applications for LaunchX 2026 are officially open.
2 weeks. Real mentors. Real investors. A free program that takes you from idea to pitch-ready — right here in Oulu.

Whether you have a startup idea or just the drive to build one, this is your sign.

📅 June 8–18, 2025
📍 University of Oulu
🔗 Apply via link in bio — spots are limited.