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6 March 16:30-21:00 EETEpicenter Helsinki

Our 2026 edition of our famous Founder Stories: International Women's Day event is here, and we're going bolder than ever! The Founder Stories event recognizes the pivotal role of women founders in shaping industries and setting new benchmarks. This event is dedicated to spotlighting the extraordinary achievements and relentless spirit of these remarkable entrepreneurs. These trailblazing women, hailing from diverse sectors, will take center stage to tell their inspiring stories of overcoming hurdles and crafting success in their respective domains.

Founder Stories is more than just an event; it's a vibrant platform celebrating the monumental strides and contributions of entrepreneurs in the business landscape. Attendees will have the unique chance to delve into the minds of these visionary founders, extracting valuable insights, learning from their journeys, and embracing the spirit of innovation and resilience that defines them. 

This event promises an enriching environment for learning, networking, and empowerment. Whether you're a budding entrepreneur, an established business leader, or an ally eager to support and uplift women in business, Founder Stories is the meeting point for an unforgettable exchange of ideas and experiences. And yes, we emphasize inclusivity and diversity - men are warmly welcome to join us in this celebration of women's prowess and accomplishments in the world of business.

Don't miss out on this exceptional opportunity to connect, be inspired, and celebrate the undeniable impact of women founders.

This event is free and open to everyone.

    Grab your free ticket

    Featured Founders

    Anni Honkaniemi
    Co-Founder, NØRR3

    Anni is Co-Founder of NØRR3, a Finnish media agency that has grown from zero to 18 employees with €15M annual revenue. With 20 years of experience in marketing and sales across the Nordics, she's built her career on the belief that business is fundamentally about people —the relationships we nurture, the teams we build, and the trust we earn.

    As a mother of three daughters, Anni knows firsthand about balancing ambition with real life. She's powered by people, inspired by challenges, and has a genuine love for all sports—whether she's training for her next competition or pushing herself in new ways.

    Recently, Anni made the intentional decision to step down from the CEO role to focus on what energizes her most: deep client relationships and personal growth. Currently exploring her next chapter, she brings hard-won wisdom about resilience, confidence, strategic thinking, and the courage it takes to redefine success on your own terms.

    She's here to share what she's learned about building something meaningful, knowing when to pivot, and finding clarity about what truly matters in your career and life.

    Elina Arponen
    Co-Founder & CEO, Quicksave

    Elina is a serial entrepreneur with a previous exit and 20 years of experience from interactive media. She has been a founder CEO for 15 years and loves to share stories and insights from the journey. She's currently building Playables.ai - an AI driven tool for creating interactive ads and content.

    Emilia Karttunen
    Founder & CEO, Pizza Muffin

    Emilia Karttunen is a 23-year-old Helsinki-based entrepreneur. She founded her first company a year and a half ago, and within two months of launching in over 1,000 grocery stores across Finland, the brand surpassed €1 million in revenue.

    Linda Liukas
    Best-Selling Author, Hello Ruby

    Linda Liukas is a Finnish author, illustrator, and educator known for making the world of technology approachable through storytelling, design, and play. She is the creator of Hello Ruby, a children's book series about computing that has been translated into over 40 languages. Linda works globally with cities, educators, and designers to rethink how we teach technology.

    Meeri Haataja
    Founder & CEO, Saidot

    Meeri is the CEO and Founder of Saidot. Saidot is an AI governance company helping enterprises scale AI safely. Saidot’s graph-based AI governance SaaS platform empowers AI product and business teams to do high-quality AI governance efficiently. It is used by major enterprises in financial services, telecommunications, media and public organisations to apply systematic AI governance to drive AI speed to market and comply with AI policies and regulations.

    Meeri has been a member of Snap Inc.’s Safety Advisory Board since June 2023. She was the chair of the ethics working group in Finland’s national AI program, which submitted its final report in March 2019. Meeri is the former Chair of IEEE’s AI Certification Program and Impact Use Cases Initiatives and an alumn of the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University.

    Prior to founding her own company, Meeri was leading AI strategy and GDPR implementation at OP Financial Group. Meeri has a long background in analytics and AI consulting with Accenture Analytics. During her Accenture years, she has been working in driving data and analytics strategies and large AI implementation programs in fintech, media, telecommunications, high-tech, and retail industries. Meeri started her career as a data scientist in telecommunications after completing her M.Sc.(Econ.) in Helsinki School of Economics.

    Meeri is an active advocate of responsible and human-centric AI. She’s an experienced public speaker regularly speaking at international conferences and publishing writings on AI governance and policy.

    Ntheng Kangas
    Founder & CEO, Värdevia

    Ntheng Kangas is a strategy-to-execution leader and the Founder & CEO of Värdevia Oy, where she helps organizations with renewable hydrogen compliance and go-to-market strategies.

    Her 15+ year career across energy, engineering, and consulting brings together corporate leadership experience with practical, hands‐on delivery in operational excellence and advisory work. She is known for her ability to simplify complex rules and bring structure to early‐stage chaos.

    Ntheng’s work sits at the intersection of innovation, systems thinking, and business growth. She’s passionate about empowering founders to turn their ambitions into momentum and deliver commercially viable and impactful solutions for the future. Ntheng brings a grounded, real‐world perspective on what it means to lead, build, and innovate in emerging industries.

    Pirjo Suhonen
    Co-Founder, Ivana Helsinki

    Pirjo Suhonen is a Helsinki based entrepreneur, marketing and sales expert with a strong international background in the creative industries. She is a co founder of the Finnish art, fashion, and design brand Ivana Helsinki, where she led global sales and marketing for over 20 years. During this time, she built international markets and partnerships across Asia and the US, established a US subsidiary, ran retail operations in New York, and led major licensing collaborations with brands including Uniqlo, Moomin, Coca Cola, Swarovski, Topshop, and Carrefour.

    Alongside her entrepreneurial work, Pirjo has lectured at Aalto University, the University of the Arts, and Helsinki Design School, teaching marketing, branding, creativity in business, and sales. She holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Aalto University and a Bachelor’s degree in Social Services.

    Pirjo has also worked extensively in film, television, and audio production, producing documentary films, a TV series, and audio series for YLE. She is a writer and author of several books, including Secret of the Happy Children and Freedom to Choose, as well as children’s books. In addition, she acts as an advisor and investor in fashion, design, and wellbeing startups, and works part time in social services as a crisis worker.

    Sahra Kahim
    Co-Founder, Women of Colour Table

    Sahra Kahim is a community builder, strategist, and proud co-founder of the Women of Colour Table, a space created to foster belonging, courage, and collaboration among women navigating entrepreneurship and leadership.

    With a background in the tech industry, Sahra has spent the past several years building communities from the ground up, creating ecosystems where connection is not just encouraged, but intentionally designed. Her work centers on turning ideas into infrastructure and ensuring that voices, especially those often overlooked, are heard and valued.

    Through the Women of Colour Table, Sahra works alongside founder Asha to cultivate a supportive and empowering environment where women of colour can share experiences, exchange knowledge, and grow without shrinking themselves.

    She believes that belonging is not something we wait for, it’s something we build for each other.

    Moderator / Joey Bayer
    Head of International Community, Epicenter

    Joey Bayer has been responsible for creating conversations that matter for more than 16 years.

    From creating the space, to connecting key players, to driving and setting the agenda, Joey brings together individuals for moments that both transform and inspire.

    Over the course of his career, Joey has hosted the world's most fascinating and influential people - from world leaders, like Bill Clinton, to iconic legends like Liza Minelli, to the CEOs of today's Fortune 500 companies.

    Joey's intuitive ability to connect with others, his passion for people and dialogue, and ability to get directly to the heart of the discussion have earned him a reputation of trust and respect with leaders around the world, and made him a central figure in today's most important conversations.

    Welcome to Epicenter Helsinki

    This is the place where people come together to share society's changing thoughts. To co-create and make ideas leave the desk and become reality. A meeting arena where companies can collaborate, grow, and build new solutions - together. Do you share our way of thinking? Rent a desk or a flexible office, host a knowledge driven event, book a conference, join an innovation program, or just stop by.

    Grab your free ticket
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    This is the place where people come together to share society changing thoughts. To co-create and make ideas leave the desk and become reality. A meeting arena where companies can collaborate, grow, and build new solutions – together.