NEXUS' 4th Round Demo Day: "We’ve Gotten Validation From People Who Believe In What We’re Building. And Now I Believe In It Too."

This night was a celebration of ideas, of progress, and of the courage it takes to start something new. The NEXUS programme had brought together early-stage teams and helped shape their first steps, and the Demo Day was their moment to share what they’d created, what they’d learned, and where they were heading next.

Irina Blomqvist , the head of Helsinki Incubators, opened the evening with a generous welcome, reminding the audience that while this was an ending, it was also a threshold. Sergio Carrera , NEXUS mentor and founder of Cleaning Angels Oy , then took the stage with the warmth of someone who had walked the entrepreneurial road in Finland and survived it with stories to tell. His remarks blended humor and hard-won insight, setting the tone for what followed. Later on, Programme Manager Andres Archila Andrés Archilla stepped up to offer gratitude and reflection, his words a quiet thank-you to the teams who had spent their time, effort, and uncertainty in pursuit of something new.

We had the opportunity to sit and chat with one of the NEXUS teams: Gudy, and behind its playful interface is a team of designers and developers. At the helm is Laura Moreno, a UX designer by training, who saw NEXUS as the perfect space to test and transform her idea. “The biggest takeaway?” Laura said, without hesitation. “The network. The opportunity to connect with people whether official mentors or fellow participants. Those interactions were incredibly valuable. They pushed the idea forward.”

For Laura, the NEXUS programme also offered something often missing from early-stage startup life: structure. “It felt a bit like being back at university. You had deadlines, tasks, Monday check-ins. That sense of accountability, of knowing someone would be asking how things were going, really helped.”

It wasn’t always smooth. “I completely changed my idea halfway through,” she admitted. “Thanks to the fast pace, the mentorship, and my own interviews with users, I realized I needed to pivot. That pressure was a good thing. Now the concept makes much more sense, and I believe it has real potential, not just creatively, but commercially.”  She credits the mentors for much of this. “Andrés, especially, was amazing. So encouraging. Even now, after the programme, he’s checking in. He genuinely cares.”

With six months ahead to build the MVP and secure funding, the team is in motion. “We know we can’t sustain ourselves indefinitely,” Laura said. “But we’re giving it everything we’ve got.” Later that evening, we sat down with two of her teammates, Lucía Mantilla de los Ríos and Polina Korchagina , both design students at Aalto University.  “We were one of the youngest teams,” Lucía said. “So we treated the whole experience like a learning lab. Just being present, observing, absorbing as much as we could.”

Their approach was part instinct, part timing. “University is the best time to try something new,” said Polina. “We had nothing to lose.” Looking ahead, the Gudy team has laid out a simple plan. “We’ve given ourselves six months,” Polina explained. “We’ll see if we can build traction, maybe secure some funding. And if it doesn’t go as planned, then we’ll reassess.”

“But we’re hopeful,” Lucía added. “It’s been a great start.”

The team behind Polar Orbital brought a technically ambitious solution to the NEXUS programme: a mobile, secure, and scalable ground segment system that integrates AI-powered analysis for commercial and defense applications. Designed with flexibility, cybersecurity, and resilience in mind, the technology reflects a clear-eyed vision of what modern infrastructure needs to operate in increasingly complex domains.

But for Vili-Arttu Ketola, a graduate of astrophysics at the University of Helsinki and part of Polar Orbital’s founding team, the value of the past four months extended beyond the engineering. “Yes, absolutely, we’ve grown,” he said. “Even though it’s only been a few months, we’ve made significant progress. We were at a very early stage when we joined, and this experience really helped us understand the business side of things, both for me as a technical founder, and for the company as a whole.”

That shift towards a more investor and product-driven mindset was a defining part of their NEXUS experience, as he shared: “Understanding the investor landscape. Before, we had some contact with investors, but we didn’t really know what they were looking for. Now we have a much clearer picture, what kind of metrics they care about, how they evaluate traction.”

He also highlighted the mentorship as a standout aspect. “The mentors were fantastic, some from within our own industry, which was incredibly helpful. They didn’t just advise us; they introduced us to people in their networks. A few were investors themselves. That kind of access was extremely valuable.”

Now, as the team looks beyond Demo Day, the mission is clear. “We’re continuing with the project,” Vili said. “Our next steps involve preparing for pilot work and beginning fundraising discussions. We’re focused on building up our metrics and making sure we’re ready to scale when the opportunity comes.” And the mood? "A bit both nervous and excited,” he admitted. “But mostly excited. We’ve gotten a lot of validation from people who believe in what we’re building. And I believe in it too.”

One thing that sets the NEXUS incubator apart is the hands-on involvement of its mentors, seasoned professionals who offer guidance, share their networks, and help shape the path forward for early-stage startups. Among them was Pablo Campos, who traveled from Spain to attend the Demo Day in Helsinki.

Pablo has been involved with the NEXUS program since its very first edition. Reflecting on the journey so far, he shared: “I’ve seen real evolution. The quality of the pitches today was excellent. You can tell how much work has gone into helping these teams connect with market reality.”

Pablo's experience spans both corporate and startup ecosystems, including a background at Google, and his mentoring work has taken him across Spain and now Finland. What drew him to NEXUS, he explained, was the bold initiative by the University of Helsinki to embed entrepreneurship within academia: "When I heard that the university wanted to build a strong foundation for entrepreneurial thinking, I was immediately interested. As a student, I didn’t have this kind of support, so I see real value in helping the next generation make their ideas a reality.”

While he’s mentored in a range of environments, Pablo emphasized that startup ambition knows no borders. “People often ask about differences between Nordic and Southern European incubators, but honestly, the core is the same: passion, knowledge, commitment. Entrepreneurship is beautiful, but it’s also tough. It takes a lot of sacrifice and resilience.”

So what advice would he offer to the teams moving forward after NEXUS? “Failure isn’t just possible, it’s guaranteed at some point. But that’s part of the path. What matters is having the motivation to get back up, pivot, and keep going. Entrepreneurship is a marathon made of sprints, and every sprint counts.”

As this year’s edition of NEXUS comes to a close, it’s clear that the journey doesn’t end here. The energy of Demo Day, the commitment of the teams, and the continued support from mentors and partners all point toward a future where bold ideas will keep growing both in Finland and beyond. We’re proud of everything achieved so far and can’t wait to see what’s next.