Welcome back to our mentor series, where we shine a spotlight on the inspiring individuals guiding the University of Helsinki’s incubator programmes. This time, we introduce you to self-proclaimed “nerd turned entrepreneur” Anja Leissner.
Originally from Sweden, Leissner brings a zest for tackling the world’s food challenges. A former researcher with a deep interest in how food impacts health — both personal and planetary — she shares: “I am naturally a very passionate person. I love my life, I love people, and I’m fascinated by the link between what we eat and overall wellness. It’s been my passion for the past 15 years.”
When asked about her secret to wellbeing, she says it’s simple: “A double dose of tea and kombucha, Indian food, quality time with family and friends, and long walks by the sea—or better yet, sailing.”
Unlike many entrepreneurs who start with a business background, Leissner’s journey began in the lab. She was immersed in research at Lund University, with no initial plans to enter entrepreneurship.
She received a grant to explore plant-based and insect proteins to mimic dairy proteins. However, the project didn’t go as expected: “The insect protein part was a complete disaster. But with plant-based proteins, we made a unique discovery and realised we’d developed a novel technological process.”
After filing a patent, Leissner faced a pivotal decision. While discussions with established companies seemed promising, she felt a strong urge to share the innovation with the world: “Sometimes you have a gut feeling that you just have to follow,” she reflects. “I considered partnering with big players, but I realised I needed to take the reins myself in order to get it out there, even though building a company was a completely new challenge for me.”
Undeterred, in 2018, Leissner co-founded Stockeld Dreamery, a plant-based company that has since very successfully tackled the challenge of creating tasty vegan cheese.
Leissner’s approach is defined by her deep technical expertise and creative mindset, bridging the gap between research and real-world applications: “For me, it all starts with the science,” she explains. “I’m passionate about translating scientific discoveries into solutions that make a tangible difference.”
Her latest venture, Spring Food System, founded in 2023, is a venture park that aims to build over fifty companies in the next decade, each focusing on regenerative, health-driven system food solutions: “Spring Food System is about more than just innovation; it’s about transformation,” she says. Leissner says it has been designed and created to identify, de-risk, and develop science-based projects, integrating regenerative design principles from the outset. Spring Food System will be officially launched in 2025.
Unlike traditional food companies that prioritise profit, Spring Food System will balance health, gastronomy, and commercial success. “The current system is broken,” Leissner asserts. “We need to rethink food production, focusing on regenerative practices that restore rather than deplete resources.”
With extensive mentoring experience across well-known accelerators like Techstars, Rockstart, and the Norrsken Foundation, Leissner has also offered her expertise to the University of Helsinki’s Nexus Incubator since its beginning.
“I see myself as a guide rather than a guru,” she says. “I’m here to provide tools, ask questions, and help founders think strategically, but the journey is theirs to navigate.”
Leissner believes asking the right questions can be more valuable than giving ready answers: “Entrepreneurs often know their problems better than anyone else,” she notes. “My role is to help them see different angles and explore new possibilities.”
She enjoys mentoring entrepreneurs at various stages of their journey, finding it rewarding to stay connected to the sense of discovery in early-stage business building. “I really appreciate that the teams I work with are at different levels of maturity,” she says. “It keeps me on my toes and allows me to dig into my experience to understand what they really need. It’s not one static thing, which makes it interesting.”
Reflecting on the lessons she draws upon to guide her mentees, Leissner recounts a pivotal piece of advice she received early in her career: “The thing I’m most grateful for is that I eventually got to relearn humility,” she says. “This advice came early in my career from a woman I held in high esteem, but I didn’t understand it at the time. I thought I couldn’t be humble—I was a woman in a male-dominated industry, so I felt I had to be tougher, harder, smarter. I needed to prove myself.”
“As I’ve grown older, gained experience, and learned more, I’ve come to realise that humility is the opposite of what I once thought. True humility is knowing your worth without needing to prove it.”
Like many first-time founders, Leissner faced numerous challenges in her early entrepreneurial journey.
She recalls recruiting the right people was one of the toughest: “Finding the right match—culturally and experientially—was incredibly difficult. I made so many mistakes when I first started hiring,” she admits. “I wasn’t a good boss in the beginning. I was micromanaging because this was my invention, my baby. I’d been working on it alone for two years, so it was hard for me to step back and give my team the space they needed to learn and grow.”
Leissner’s early struggle with micromanagement taught her a critical lesson in leadership: the importance of giving her team room to make their own mistakes.
“While I truly cared about my team and would have done anything for them, I wasn’t initially giving them the room they needed. I had to teach myself to step back, let them develop independently, and be there for support,” she reflects.
For Leissner, learning by doing was an essential part of the journey, but she acknowledges that having a mentor could have made the path less daunting: “I didn’t have a mentor when I started, and I had to learn a lot on my own. Later, I found mentors who helped me, people I could vent to, and who shared their successes and failures with me. It made a huge difference,” she explains.
Her advice to aspiring entrepreneurs? “Don’t think you have to do it all on your own. Find your people and your crew, and never be afraid to ask for help. Building a supportive network isn’t just helpful—it’s essential. It’s what turns the journey from a solo struggle into a collaborative adventure.”
For Leissner, the Helsinki Incubator’s emphasis on research-based entrepreneurship aligns perfectly with her own approach. She appreciates the incubator’s rigorous, science-driven methodology, which goes beyond typical startup advice. “These programmes aren’t just a box to check for a pitch deck; they’re a place for real learning and growth,” she says.
Leissner’s passion for positive impact through science-based business models is the common thread across all her projects. She believes that combining scientific insights with a commitment to sustainability can create companies that are not only successful but also beneficial for society and the environment.
Reflecting on her career thus far, Leissner sums up her journey: “Entrepreneurship, for me, is about curiosity and the willingness to explore the unknown. It’s about translating scientific insights into solutions that make a difference.”
The University of Helsinki's entrepreneurship programmes, the Helsinki Incubators, provides support and opportunities for bold thinkers in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area interested to take their ideas and turning them into impactful ventures. Interested in taking part in our pre-incubators and incubators? Subscribe to our newsletter for updates on our open calls.