Demola and BusinessOulu Connect Talent and Companies Through Innovation Projects – Future Expert Launchpad is now in Oulu!
The Future Expert Launchpad (FELP) aims to support the employment and skills development of highly educated international professionals, graduating students, and individuals seeking new career directions. FELP offers participants the opportunity to work on genuine, market‑driven projects and strengthen their expertise through hands-on collaboration.
Demola is a Finnish company with 15 years of experience in new concept development and co-creation. Its globally operating innovation platform brings together talent and real business needs.
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Originally published on 2 Mar
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Last week we had the chance to participate in NYC Climate Week 2025, which has rapidly grown into one of the most important international gatherings for clean technologies. With ~100,000 participants, ~1,000 official events, and countless side-meetings, New York now positions itself as the alternative to COP and Davos — but with a sharper, more operational edge.
Here are some key insights:
1. The Conversation is Maturing
This year was less about general “climate” rhetoric and much more about energy systems, AI, resilience, and security. The room was filled with operators and infrastructure players, not spectators. Importantly, even conservative infrastructure investors are openly discussing the investability of cleantech projects. For Estonian companies, this is a strong signal: if you can demonstrate scalability and resilience, capital is ready to listen.
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Originally published on 29 Sep
The 72.5 megawatt (MW) Stelpe solar farm II, developed in Latvia by Ignitis Renewables, an international green energy company, has reached the commercial operation date. The project is located in the southern part of Latvia, Bauska municipality. The solar farm, which covers 85 hectares, is equipped with 121 thousand solar panels. The investments in the project, including the acquisition and construction costs, should amount to approximately EUR 54 million.
Stelpe solar farm II is a part of the Stelpe solar project, which consists of two sites, each with a capacity of 72.5 MW. The project has a combined installed capacity of 145 MW and will cover the electricity demand of around 70 thousand households.
Ignitis Renewables is actively continuing the development of renewable energy projects in Latvia. This year, the commercial operation date was also reached by the 94 MW Varme solar farm, and the development of the 174 MW Tume solar farm is on track. These solar farms, with a combined installed capacity exceeding 400 MW, will be able to cover the electricity demand of nearly 200 thousand households.
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Originally published on 22 Sep
eBay, a global commerce leader that connects millions of buyers and sellers worldwide, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Trind Ventures’ portfolio company, Tise – a consumer-to-consumer (C2C) social marketplace headquartered in Oslo, Norway.
The acquisition will strengthen eBay’s global proposition in C2C, building on the significant momentum it has made in elevating the customer experience. Tise’s social-first, highly intuitive platform will open the door to a vibrant community of Gen Z and Millennial enthusiasts who continue to drive demand across categories.
Oliver Klinck, VP, GM Global Markets Success & C2C at eBay: “This acquisition is a natural next step in our investment in Tise, which will allow us to accelerate Tise’s strategy and unlock new opportunities for innovation. With Tise’s on-trend inventory, loyal community, and social-first approach, we’ll strengthen eBay’s C2C offerings and more deeply connect with the next generation of enthusiasts.”
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Originally published on 25 Sep
There will be a shortage of grid connection capacity in southern Finland in the coming years. Fingrid’s objective is to ensure that there is sufficient connection capacity to meet the growth in electricity consumption in households, the service sector and industry, as well as new industrial investments that generate economic growth. As a result, Fingrid will continue to restrict the connection of new grid energy storage facilities in southern Finland until 2029. Location is of little importance for the commercial operation of energy storage facilities, and there are plenty of connection opportunities for grid energy storage elsewhere in Finland.
Last winter, Fingrid announced that no new electricity consumption and grid energy storage could be connected to the consumption-dominated southern Finland before the beginning of 2027. The restriction will now be continued for grid energy storage until 2029, when the new Hikiä-Toivila grid connection that will increase connection capacity in southern Finland is completed. This will ensure that there is sufficient connection capacity to meet the growth in electricity consumption in households, the service sector and industry, as well as new industrial investments that generate economic growth.
Fingrid is exploring new ways to connect grid energy storages to southern Finland earlier than currently announced, such as flexible connections.
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Originally published on 26 Sep
The mobile app KULG, which helps runners achieve long-term and sustainable progress with personalized training recommendations, has raised 100 thousand euros in pre-seed funding. With this investment, early investors have committed a total of 120 thousand euros to the Estonian startup in 2025. With the support of this funding, KULG will grow its engineering and AI teams, accelerate product development with new features, integrations, and mobile apps, and expand into new markets. KULG participated in the Tehnopol Startup Incubator’s accelerator programme.
The anchor investor of the funding round is a well-known, anonymous angel investor with decades of experience in technology and product scaling, combined with a passion for endurance sports. “We’ve been incredibly fortunate to bring on board an early investor who not only understands the problem we’re solving but also supports us in building the solution for runners in a highly competitive space,” said Maris Heinaru, KULG CEO and founder. Heinaru is a certified running coach, a marathon runner for 16 years, and currently holds the Estonian women’s age-group marathon record.
“Thanks to KULG app, my coach has a real-time 24/7 overview of my training. This helped me prepare much better for the recently held Tallinn Marathon and achieve a podium spot (bronze),” said runner Marek Truumaa. He added: “I’ve started monitoring the volume of my high-intensity training sessions and keeping them close to the recommended 20% of my weekly total. In KULG, this is very easy to track. As a result, I can now handle significantly higher training loads than before.”
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Originally published on 24 Sep
From September 24 to 26, Minister of Economics Viktors Valainis, together with 180 representatives of businesses and organizations, will participate in a trade mission to Hamburg and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. On September 25, Prime Minister Evika Siliņa will also join the trade mission to participate in a business forum and meet with senior officials from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
This trade mission brings together more than 100 Latvian companies from various sectors – from biotechnology and sustainable energy to financial technology, information technology, and the defense industry.
Germany is the third largest economy in the world and one of the leading innovation and industrial powers. It is Latvia’s second most important foreign trade partner, with a total trade volume of €4.98 billion in 2024. Germany is also Latvia’s third largest export market, second largest import partner and main destination for Latvian service exports. In the first half of 2025, exports of goods to Germany increased by 4% to EUR 641.7 million, while exports of services increased by 6% to EUR 355 million.
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Originally published on 24 Sep
The Baltic Pavilion at EXPO 2025 Osaka has already welcomed around 800,000 visitors — a strong sign of its growing popularity. Its success has also been confirmed on the international stage: at the TEDA Awards, organised by the Experience Design Association, the pavilion won 2nd place in the Visitor’s Choice category and 5th place for Best Mascot.
The TEDA “Expolympics” competition highlights the most creative, innovative and impactful experiential design solutions at EXPO. This year, more than 160 countries and organisations are taking part.
“Visitor interest in the Baltic Pavilion has been strong from the very first days of the Expo, and we are delighted that the way we present Lithuania and the Baltic region has also been recognised by the international jury. Our aim was not only to capture attention, but also to build lasting connections — combining modernity and innovation with elements that reveal our identity and uniqueness. Standing out among so many participating countries is no easy task, and we are proud that Lithuania has succeeded,”
– Lina Antanavičienė, Commissioner General of the Lithuanian Pavilion at EXPO 2025 and Ambassador
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Originally published on 24 Sep
A prestigious recognition in the ‘Outstanding Use Case: Driving Digital Transformation’ category went to the consortium involved in the project, Oulu University Hospital, Pohde – The Wellbeing Services County of North Ostrobothnia, University of Oulu, and WICOAR Technologies.
The Hola 5G Oulu project marks Europe’s first private 5G network deployed in a live hospital environment, tested in high-stakes scenarios including patient wards and surgical theatres. Installed at Oulu University Hospital (OYS), the network delivers ultra-reliable, interference-free connectivity across patient wards and surgical theatres, introducing a new era of smart, responsive care.
Key highlights:
- Private 5G standalone network: Ensures seamless, secure connectivity, even during blackouts
- AR Smart Glasses: Deliver live patient data to clinicians in surgical theatres and wards
- Voice Communication Headsets: Enable instant coordination across hospital wings
- Wing-to-Wing Coverage: Eliminates fragmented communication and boosts operational efficiency
This project is funded by the European Union.
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Originally published on 24 Sep
NIB and Lithuanian Airports have agreed on a loan of EUR 20 million for the company’s 2025–2028 investment plan. The investments aim to enhance operational efficiency and strengthen Lithuania’s aviation sector’s long-term development.
A significant share of the financing will go towards constructing a multi-level parking facility at Vilnius Airport, which will help ease passenger flow and improve accessibility. In addition, the company will upgrade its ground transport fleet by acquiring new loaders, tractors, snow removal vehicles, sweepers, and other equipment to ensure smooth operations in all weather conditions.
The investment plan also includes the purchase of electric buses and charging infrastructure, making passenger transfers more sustainable.
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Originally published on 17 Sep
Work is underway at the Port of Klaipėda on a major project that supports Lithuania’s plans to develop offshore wind farms. In the area of the former International Ferry Terminal, quays are now being constructed.
“Klaipėda Port is moving with Lithuania’s ambitions to build offshore wind parks in the Baltic Sea. We’re preparing to become a key base for this project – setting up areas where turbine components can be assembled, handled and stored. Right now, in the southern part of the port at the former International Ferry Terminal, the constructor Tilsta is carrying out the first stage of infrastructure works – reconstructing quays,” says Algis Latakas, CEO of the Klaipėda State Seaport Authority.
Back in May 2022, the Klaipėda Port Authority and cargo handling company Klasco signed an investment agreement, launching the development of port infrastructure needed for Lithuania’s future offshore wind projects.
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Originally published on 22 Sep