Great to visit one of my favourite cities in the world, Oulu.

Had the honor to join the Polar Bear Pitching, last week, to host a China education workshop, and pitch China cooperation directly to the Minister of Foreign Trade, Mr. Kai Mykkänen (whom I pitched for the first time while a 14-year old student in Espoo Nöykkiö school in 1999, while he was a youngster politician working on the project my father was coordinating). It’s a small world, and now we all meet and were gathered at the “coolest” startup event of the world in Oulu.

I enjoyed a great deal to host the education workshop – and join the stage with John Meewella, whose very inspirational speaker and a good-hearted man. If every Finnish city would have one John, Finland probably would be a much better place.

I was also struck by the spirit and attitude of Polar Bear Pitching team. I knew and felt that there’s something going on there, but this exceeded all my expectations. Even if the scale is smaller than e.g. with Slush or many others, I believe the genuine spirit of PBP will take these folks very far and long. I hope we succeed also in well supporting the spirit in China. Big thanks to Mia Kemppaala, the inspirational initiator, and to the broader ecosystem besides it.