Xes Helsinki

Hey, you there! Do you or someone you know have experience with startups? Does public speaking and sharing your expertise with an audience exhilarate you? If yes, then you might be our next Speaker guest💜 Xes is organising entrepreneurship-related events in the next semester, and we need your help: -Idea Generation Workshop: Finding your entrepreneurial spark -AI & Digital tools useful to entrepreneurs -Team building & leadership - Legal landscape of startups - Insights from immigrant entrepreneurs - Sustainability & ethical entrepreneurship - Something else? (your suggestion) Do any of these topics tingle your interest, or perhaps your expertise isn't listed? Comment or DM us to become our next Speaker 🔥 Xes is away in July, but we'll answer all comments and questions in August ⭐

XES is looking to gather feedback from our audience, so we can have even better events next semester! Vote and let us know what kind of events you'd want to attend🌍

We are thrilled to introduce Arkar Nan Htike as our new Executive Director for 2024! ⭐ Arkar is currently finishing his Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering at Aalto University. He’s a co-founder of Clean-Waters.co. He's also been an active member of the startup-ecosystem and entrepreneurship societies, so we're grateful to have him🔥 As Executive Director, he will be responsible for XES' operations and team, funding, forming strategic partnerships and collabs. If you have any opportunities or ideas for the above mentioned topics, be sure to reach out to him directly or contact XES Helsinki💜

We bittersweetly announce the leave of our former Executive Director, Cornel Ungureanu 💜. We share with you his parting words: "Peter Parker (Spider-Man) said, "With great power comes great responsibility." I like this saying and agree with it even more now. I only fully grasped the weight of this statement once I became responsible for XES and its community. Embracing the role of Executive Director has been a fulfilling journey, filled with invaluable lessons and experiences. Our operational goal is to educate the community on business development from start to finish. We aimed to cover entrepreneurs' profiles, legal aspects of starting a business, finding funding, building a team and more. Some other aims were to bring back volunteer credit accumulation and inspire people with personal growth-related content, which I think we've achieved so far. The most significant takeaway for me has been the importance of seeing the bigger picture while paying attention to finer details. Hence, organizational management and solid teamwork became evident in accomplishing this. I wholeheartedly thank the Operations team, Jasmine Hamatake and Aleksandra Belozertseva, for their fantastic personalities and professionalism, who complimented and supported my role. As an Executive Director at XES, you'll learn the practicalities of running an organization and people. 💡Key things I learned (some useful tips for the next ED or entrepreneurs in general): • Prioritize your daily responsibilities and side tasks, then check if they align with your long-term goals for the organisation. It's so easy to lose sight of the big picture. • I lacked practical experience in bookkeeping and organizational laws and policies. To tackle this, I studied and read up a lot. If in doubt, be pro-active and investigate. • Not all ideas are meant to be executed. This meant not getting carried away with a singular concept and being flexible to other possibilities. • Remembering that leadership is also about people. Checking in on your team and volunteers. Making sure to connect, listen, lead and motivate them. I've gained many beneficial opportunities through XES, namely in growing my network. I've gotten to know interesting people from startups, non-profits, entrepreneurship societies, and various business professionals. Lastly, this role gave me the opportunity to lead and inspire others to greatness. It ignited my passion for leadership and helped me understand what I want to do in the future. Thank you, XES Helsinki, for entrusting me with this role. Although my personal journey takes me to Vaisala, XES' mission will remain the same. It will keep inspiring and educating our future entrepreneurs and startup operators."

Last week, XES Helsinki visited Sievo's headquarters 🦭. We had the honour of hearing firsthand the story behind Sievo and what sets it apart as the leading global procurement analytics company 📈 We sat down with the Head of Talent Acquisition, Anusha Ramakrishnan, who shared her experience at Sievo and helpful advice for job seekers and entrepreneurs looking to hire. Thank you again, Anusha Ramakrishnan and Sievo, for having us. And thank you, START Helsinki, for organising this company visit 💜

XES Stories- Introducing Zachary Burda 🌟 We love to spotlight exceptional individuals who epitomise entrepreneurial spirit. This week, we highlight Zachary Burda, the Founder and mind behind Mimiqit. ⚙ Start of his entrepreneurship journey In high school, he contacted his local businesses, offering to create websites for them. Despite facing initial rejections, his determined attitude secured some clients, sparking his interest in entrepreneurship. 💡 Where the idea for Mimiqit came from The idea for Mimiqit was born at Junction 2023. Zachary's hackathon team was tasked with creating a digital solution that targeted young generations and motivated them to become more active. They brainstormed a dance app and won first place! Zachary saw potential in his demo app and developed it into an interactive dance gamification app, which led them to start their business. 💰 Building and funding Mimiqit Zachary stresses the importance of understanding your customers' needs and pain points when creating a product. The best way to do this is to contact potential clients and learn about their challenges. He received ample advice at Kiuas and Betoni Bootcamps, which helped him plan market and customer research. Mimiqit was initially funded from his savings, which kicked off the project. Zachary recommends that other budding entrepreneurs who don't have savings explore the Innovation Voucher and other Business Finland grants, particularly the Startup Foundation's individual grant.  🤝 Team Building and Growth Never underestimate the value of networking! Zachary's team was formed from connections he made at hackathons, entrepreneurship society events, and university. He formed friendships with people who shared his values and those of his business— entrepreneurship and programming. To establish a good relationship, Zachary made a shareholders agreement with his co-founders. Mimiqit currently consists of three founders, with three full-time workers joining them soon. Their team is still growing, but their shared values, collective effort, and dedication are more than enough to propel Mimiqit. 📣 Zachary's Pro Tips for Business Success His top two tips for running a successful company are to prioritise tasks and build a strong team. Time and focus are limited resources when building a product and company. Trying to achieve everything at once won't get you anywhere. Instead, make tough choices by eliminating what you can't focus on and prioritise the most important tasks to move forward. A solid team makes a big difference. They can help in areas where you fail or don't have the time for. Team building is just as important as picking out the right individuals. This is a learning process every Founder experiences when forming their team. Thank you Zachary Burda for sharing your story with us 💜 The Mimiqit app is scheduled to be released in June 2024! 🕺

Last Friday was another incredible event! 🎉 Memories made, speeches that ignited, hugs exchanged, and new inspiration gained! Our digital marketing workshop was a blast, thanks to each and every one of you who joined us🌟. A massive shoutout to our phenomenal speakers, Yana Liubarskaia and Ha (Hardi) B., for sharing their expertise and insights with us! 🙌 And let's not forget our amazing partner, Limone Ristorante Italiano, for treating us to those delicious pizzas! 🍕😋 What did we learn at this event? ✒ We learned that consistency is key to becoming a digital marketing pro. Simple yet tried and true advice! Yana Liubarskaia reminded us that persistence leads to success. If you're not experienced with social media marketing, that's okay. We all start somewhere. You will learn through gained experience, and the best way to do so is to be persistent, expand your network, and offer your services. Ha (Hardi) B. emphasized the importance of visual appeal and presenting the personality behind the brand, whether it be personal or corporate branding. Many forget to leverage their personality to create relationships with their audience! We hope this event not only boosted your social media game but also your confidence and inner strength💪. And who knows, maybe you've even found new connections and friends along the way! 🤝 Missed out on all the action? Don't worry, stay tuned for more exciting events coming your way! 💥 Photography credit goes to our lovely Elena Savina 📸

Hey there, I'm Yana Liubarskaia – an entrepreneur and social media specialist! 🙋🏼♀️ Discover firsthand how I turned projects like Bakerika, Klub Studio, and The Kwizie Channel into digital sensations. Gain insights into my experiences, development strategies, client attraction techniques, and more. 📈 Join XES workshop on April 19th at 4 pm! 👀 Seize the opportunity to network with me and other like-minded individuals at this event!

Hey everyone, it's Ha (Hardi) B. here! 🙋🏻♀️ Ready to dive into the world of personal branding and digital success? Join me this Friday for an exclusive session where I'll be sharing my top-notch, battle-tested tips on building your personal brand online 🔝✨ Trust me, you won't want to miss this. Grab your ticket now through the link in the comments and let's make magic happen together! 💫