Members: Tommi Niinimäki, Jiri Pyörälä
In the Finnish and Swedish forest industry, the prevailing practice is to base wood markets and industrial wood procurement solely on wood quantity. However, this approach overlooks an essential factor: wood quality. As a result, there is a significant problem of suboptimal material flows within the industry. Valuable wood resources are not being utilised to their full potential, leading to excess wood storage requirements at factory yards and a less sustainable wood production process.
Wood Quality Observation aims to revolutionise the prevailing practices in the Finnish and Swedish forest industries by utilising machine learning and AI based data processing and analysis methods to diffuse different data types and produce new information for more precise and flexible decision making.
Members: Luna Linblad, Chuong Wu
Even though the Finnish healthcare system is usually regarded as one of the best in the world, it still has some pretty major flaws. Queue times can be excruciatingly long, especially in matters relating to mental health problems or neurodivergencies and preventative healthcare is often disregarded, costing the government money and for the patients: time
Wagshiba wants to revolutionise the way we approach medical diagnoses and treatments. It's a web and mobile application that combines the power of AI with text and image analysis to predict, detect and diagnose diseases. But that's not all. It's a platform that seamlessly connects patients with medical experts making healthcare more accessible and efficient.
Members: Sarah Miselly, Finy Linjaya, Tara Adhialita
Mental health is the 21st century epidemic. Over 900 million people worldwide suffer from mental health disorders and neurodivergencies and Finland ranks among the highest in depression rates. Traditional therapy has been the primary way of trying to address issues in ones mental health. But it may not suit everyone, as different people have unique coping mechanisms.
Willow aims to revolutionise stress management and well-being by making technology a gateway to a serene place accessible anytime and anywhere. This is done by immersing users in natural environments and associated sounds through VR. Willow plans to establish VR booths in public spaces, offering a sanctuary for relaxation without time constraints. These booths will provide immersive VR experiences enhanced by IoT technology and AI to create a soothing ambiance. Their primary services would include these relaxation booths and a mobile application. Additionally, they plan to offer in-house therapy sessions through chat, audio, and video calls at affordable rates.
Members: Chloe Kiernicki, Sanni Häkkinen, Jakub Grad
Navigating the tumultuous waters of home ownership and especially maintaining its value can be extremely difficult, time consuming and exhausting. Additionally, 48% of the wealth of Finnish households is invested in homes, and for middle class homeowners the average is even higher, at 70%. This highlights the importance of taking good care of your home, especially in financially troubled times.
Pesämuna seeks to assist these homeowners identify which cost saving measures are right for them, their families, and their homes. The target user of Pesämuna is a homeowner above the age of 50. Users can register on the app to fill out basic information about their home and circumstances. This basic information includes their budget for investment, the era of construction of their home, their address, their primary heating system. Based on this basic assessment, the user will receive recommendations to fit their needs. The user can learn more about each recommendation to inform their decision. If the user would like more tailored recommendations, then they can fill out a more detailed assessment. Based on supplementary information, the user will receive more targeted recommendations for renovations on their home beyond cost intensive renovation or retrofitting recommendations.
Pesämuna also provides seasonal tips and lifestyle adjustments to reduce energy consumption. Examples include installing blackout curtains in the summer months and integrating weather data to plan for upcoming changes and conditions in advance. Pesämuna seeks to keep users engaged with the app by incorporating the seasonal and lifestyle tips on a continuous basis.
Members: Endrit Kola
In the construction industry, there is a pressing need for improved efficiency, sustainability, and cost-saving measures. Currently, there is a lack of comprehensive solutions to monitor equipment and employee performance effectively in real-time. The absence of a location tracking feature and smart functionalities hampers operations, leading to inefficiencies, errors, and suboptimal scheduling processes. Traditional methods fail to provide the necessary insights and analyses to prevent errors and optimise workflows, resulting in a significant operational challenge within the industry.
AI & IoT Work Pulse aims to revolutionise the industry by creating a cutting-edge platform that leverages the power of AI and IoT technologies to address the identified issues. By combining AI and IoT, the platform will enable real-time tracking and monitoring of equipment, employee performance, and processes within the construction field.
Members: Daria K., Mikhail S.
In today's technology-driven world, we have more access to health data than ever before, encompassing fitness tracking, clinical records, and lab results. However, the problem lies in the fragmentation of this data across various platforms, making it difficult for individuals to harness its full potential. The lack of a centralised, interpretable health data solution poses a significant challenge and people are often unable to use their health data effectively to enhance their well-being.
To address this challenge, Wellsee is committed developing a pioneering software platform that acts as a central hub for all health-related data. Our solution utilises AI and machine learning to provide predictive tools and user-friendly insights. With our platform, individuals can conveniently access and interpret all their health data in one place. They will receive actionable recommendations, connect with health coaches, and even have the option to participate in ongoing medical studies. This comprehensive approach will empower individuals to make informed decisions about their health, bridging the gap between data availability and actionable insights for improved well-being.
Members: Tatiana Pertseva, Liisa Davydov, Viacheslav Baryshnikov, Fabien Naulin
Bullying is a pervasive issue with severe detrimental effects on individuals, causing emotional distress and hindering social inclusion. Currently, the solutions available are fragmented, hard to come by and fundamentally fail to address the problem comprehensively. Victims often struggle to find the necessary information and support, especially individuals with multilingual and multicultural backgrounds in Finland. The current approach lacks the use of innovative and sustainable technologies, making it challenging to prevent and combat bullying effectively.
Auroborea wants to approach the issue of bullying in a comprehensive, multi-faceted and multi-dimensional way. This approach includes data collection, artificial intelligence support, green hosting, and carbon footprint calculation to provide timely and personalised assistance for bullying prevention. Auroborea seeks to break out of the traditional mould of other anti-bullying campaigns and companies by combining technology, empathy, and multicultural sensitivity. Auroborea is committed to make a lasting impact on bullying prevention and social inclusion in a sustainable and effective manner for individuals with multilingual and multicultural backgrounds in Finland.
Members: Mustafa Munawar
Research labs in universities vary widely in their work environment, ranging from highly productive and collaborative to toxic and unhealthy. PhD students, master students, postdocs, and interns often commit several years to these labs, making it crucial to ensure a safe and supportive research environment. However, there is a severe lack of platforms where individuals can rate and share their experiences about these labs. Many students struggle to find information about lab environments before committing to them, and this information can be vital in making informed decisions.
Rate My Lab poses a solution: a web-based platform specifically designed for rating and reviewing research labs at universities worldwide. This platform will enable students, researchers, and interns to provide valuable insights into the work culture, atmosphere, and dynamics of different research labs. It will include ratings, comments, and reviews from individuals who have had first-hand experience in these labs. The platform's goal is to empower students and researchers to make well-informed decisions when choosing a research lab by providing a comprehensive repository of experiences and feedback from the academic community. By filling this gap, our platform will contribute to creating a healthier and more transparent academic research environment, ensuring that students can make informed choices and avoid toxic lab environments.
Members: Dmitry Kalyaev
In the fields of computer science and mathematical biology, as well as artificial intelligence, the reliance on attention-based models, such as the Transformer architecture has been significant, to say the least. While these models have shown great promise, there is a need for alternative approaches that do not solely rely on attention mechanisms. The existing methods often lack a clear theoretical foundation and could stand to benefit from new perspectives.
Autumn 2023's proposed solution introduces a novel method that challenges the conventional reliance on attention in artificial intelligence and related fields. Instead of attention mechanisms, the method utilises correlation metrics and a theoretical framework to achieve its objectives. The core idea is to demonstrate that attention is not the only way to address complex problems in these domains. To provide a theoretical foundation and a clear understanding of this new architecture, the method leverages concepts such as lenses and employs an address programming language for precise representation. Not only does it offer theoretical insights but it also includes a detailed algorithm that has been implemented in the Rust programming language. This implementation is tested on the Visual Recognition task for recognising handwritten digits, using the MNIST dataset. The potential of a different approach could expand the horizons of research and application in these fields for years to come.
Members: Allan Castellanos, Luiza Preda
Effective therapy often requires therapists to understand and respond to their patients' emotional states accurately. However, the current standard therapeutic techniques may not always provide therapists with the necessary tools and insights to achieve this effectively. Therapists face challenges in gauging their patients' emotional responses, leading to less effective treatment outcomes.
Oasis seeks to revolutionise the therapeutic process and enhance the effectiveness of therapy by creating audio-visual solutions that leverage feedback and artificial intelligence. The core idea is to provide therapists with innovative tools that allow them to better understand and connect with their patients. The end product by Oasis would employ a combination of healing sounds, macro photography, and mindfulness techniques to help users fully relax and release stress. By offering a unique and immersive audio-visual experience, Oasis intends to provide therapists with a powerful tool for achieving more effective treatments for their patients.
Members: Elena Matyushenko
Online shopping has become increasingly popular by offering convenience and a wider selection of products than physical stores. However, one significant challenge in the online apparel industry is the inability for customers to try on clothes while shopping online. Customers often face uncertainty when purchasing clothing items because they cannot see how a specific piece will look on them or other specifics of clothes, like the vibrance of colour, condition and the feel of it. This leads to a high rate of returns and dissatisfaction with online purchases.
NexTry aims to address the problem of uncertainty in online clothing shopping by developing a virtual fitting room. By leveraging artificial intelligence and neural networks to develop a platform that allows users to virtually try on clothing items before making a purchase decision., NexTry is committed to developing a middle ground between traditional in-store shopping experiences and online purchases, enhancing convenience and confidence for customers.
Members: Özgür Çakmak
The food industry faces numerous challenges that can disrupt the food supply chain, leading to potential risks. These risks come in various forms, including production disruptions, natural disasters affecting crop yields, economic shifts, political unrest, and more. Without effective risk management, businesses in the food industry can encounter instability and uncertainty.
Now, imagine a world where the food supply chain is resilient, adaptive and sustainable. Introducing Agro FI, a solution designed to transform the way challenges and adversities are faced in the food industry. Agro FI's comprehensive risk management strategy covers a wide spectrum of potential disruptions, ensuring stability and resilience in the food supply chain. Agro Fi's not only concerned about mitigating risk; they are committed to fostering a sustainable future for the food industry. Agro FI is shooting high, for a future where the food supply chain is smarter, safer and more sustainable for all.
Members: Sanna Toropainen, Frida Alizadeh Westerling, Tahoora Heydari, Shervim Karimkashi, Beata Mäihäniemi, Didem Polad, Beatrice Schütte, Sofia Heikkonen
Data regulations are increasing rapidly within the EU, posing a challenge for businesses, especially small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). These regulations come with the risk of hefty fines for non-compliance, which in turn means that SMEs are missing opportunities for growth through data sharing. The compliance tools market needs innovation to better handle these regulations, but many SMEs find such tools complex and costly. SMEs also often lack legal expertise or resources to hire such to navigate these regulations. The EU is creating specific data spaces to promote data sharing in various domains as part of its digitalisation and sustainability efforts. While it can't be refuted that digitalisation is crucial for sustainable growth and reducing emissions, most SMEs need guidance on using legal solutions to leverage data sustainably.
DataREG poses a solution to this problem: A sustainable compliance tool designed for data spaces. It's a user-friendly software application that businesses can seamlessly integrate to manage data sharing and reception. This tool monitors data flows and identifies points where legal discrepancies arise. It offers a customisable operational governance model that considers EU data regulations and business data space needs, all automated using artificial intelligence.
Members: Viorica Milea, Tijana Stolic
Co-Stars is a coalescence of two minds, a journey from Romania to Finland and back. From personal development opportunities to innovative networks, this journey has been a tapestry woven with inspiration and insights. Valuable links and contacts have been carefully cultivated, all poised to serve as a reference for what's to come.
The vision has always been clear: to introduce concepts and methodologies that can benefit communities and businesses in Romania. Co-Stars has been a repository of transformative ideas, methods, and a constant question: "How can these insights be shared and applied back home?"
Members: Alexandra Ahlblad
Societies all around the world often restricts discussions about sexuality to private settings, leading to a lack of understanding, shame, and negative perceptions. This taboo affects individuals' well-being, relationships, and overall happiness.
Alexa is committed to shaking up the status quo and poised to transform societal perceptions of sexuality and empower individuals to lead happier, more fulfilling lives. Alexa's goals are to fill a crucial gap in society's understanding of the profound impact of sexuality on mental health and happiness. Alexa aims to make a positive impact on society and championing a world where sexuality is celebrated for the beautiful, natural aspect of human existence that it is.
Members: Mari Lakeus
In today's fast-changing world marked by heightened uncertainty, the demand for leadership and communication that can bring a sense of calm and stability to the workplace is more crucial than ever. Moreover, people from different generations and diverse professional backgrounds have their own distinct expectations. They all share a common desire for workplace experiences characterised by flexibility, empathy, and individualism. They seek roles that resonate with their values, provide a sense of purpose, and offer fulfilment. This leads us to the fundamental question: What skills should leaders possess to effectively address these evolving expectations across generations and diverse professional backgrounds? Similarly, what skills are essential for team members to nurture empathetic communication in this dynamic environment?
TAJU aims to alleviate this problem by hosting customised workshops for leaders as well as for teams. TAJU's primary goal is to teach crucial skills such as empathetic presence, active listening, boundary setting, and advocating for personal needs. At the same time, exploring how people from different backgrounds communicate, helping to connect generations and different work cultures. The workshops also aim to instigate a cultural shift within the organisation by taking into account the individual' s communication tendencies and the broader organisational and cultural context they operate in.
Members: Julian Honkasalo
Many individuals lack the skills to engage in productive, respectful, and evidence-based discussions, both online and offline. Hate speech and fake news have become regrettably prevalent, negatively impacting workplace environments and societal discourse.
Cicero aims to bridge the gap between academic insights in political theory and philosophy of argumentation and a wider audience beyond the confines of academia by seeking to popularise profound insights in political theory and argumentation to foster critical thinking and democratic discourse among diverse audiences. Additionally, Cicero is dedicated to establishing argumentation skill clinics and interactive tools designed to recognise and resist hate speech and fake news online. Cicero's penultimate goal is to enhance well-being in workplace environments by equipping individuals with the tools to engage in constructive, respectful, and informed discussions.
Members: Anna K.
People living in crises often have limited access to health services and especially mental health services. The lack of means to strengthen mental resilience and the inability to recover from war-time trauma has historically resulted in generational trauma, which can take centuries to fully heal. Insurmountable adversity without the tools to effectively manage then worsens the already bad situations with adverse effects on mental health and overall quality of life. Although science offers valuable insights, these findings often remain untapped in everyday life. Currently, especially the people of Ukraine are at risk of developing lifelong, or even generational trauma.
Sisu Ukraine is committed to helping in crises by empowering individuals, beginning with the Ukrainian community, with scientifically grounded tools to enhance their mental resilience and overall well-being.
Members: Ia Kawasaki, Cin Liu
Mental health has been a hot topic globally as of late. Especially after the start of the pandemic, which resulted in the spread of mental health crises and increased awareness mental health issues. Taking care of one’s psychological well-being is as important as physical wellness, which isn't a certainty in all parts of the world. Some cultures limit emotional expressions which can lead to a lack of mental health awareness and widespread mental health stigma.
In order to combat cultural stigmas around expressing emotions, iani aims to develop a culturally relevant platform or toolkit that can be used at home, schools, and many other occasions that focus on learning various emotions and a wide range of ways to express them.
Members: Joel Holappa, Sini Saarinen
Since the dawn of time, there have been a countless number of people who didn't live their lives to the fullest. Nowadays, with alienation and loneliness becoming more and more of an issue as the years go by, the amount of people who are dissatisfied with their lives, don't live meaningful lives for themselves, or cannot adapt to the demands of society or fit into its moulds is larger than ever. In DiscoverSelf's view, societies lack the necessary resources to provide individualised support and help to everyone. DiscoverSelf believes that societal resources are often insufficient for identifying and resolving the root causes of people's problems, usually only managing their symptoms. Individuals forced into society's moulds may not necessarily know or accept themselves or understand what they truly want in life. Additionally, fears and distorted self-beliefs often restrict people from living fulfilling lives.
DiscoverSelf poses a compelling solution: a comprehensive platform that helps individuals increase self-awareness, personal growth, and find meaning. Our platform offers a structured yet flexible approach that includes the following key components: Self-assessment, personal goal setting, cognitive-behavioural therapy, community support, matchmaking and group activities.
Members: Niina Halonen, Olli Sarvi, Kirsti Lonka, Eric Boeschoten
AldeaFlow is an AI-directed speech recognition app. AldeaFlow is able to make transcripts and word clouds of recorded team meetings, conversations and audio recordings. The concepts behind AldeaFlow is has its roots in collaborative learning. The word cloud or brainstorm forms while the meeting is taking place and afterwards, the different ideas can be appraised and evaluated and new ones can be added. The application is also capable of noticing different inflections in speech and assigning emotions to them, so in practice it can evaluate a person's mood from their way of speaking. The app is currently operational in English, Finnish and Dutch.
Members: Fadumo Dayib
There is a ticking time bomb in the Finnish healthcare sector. Finland is facing a critical shortage of nurses, and this issue is projected to escalate with a need for over 200,000 new nurses by 2030. The issues for healthcare workers, especially nurses are already pretty severe: low pay, poor working conditions, under resourcing, mental strain, limited career opportunities and even forced labor just to name a few. The upcoming shortage is going to escalate these adversities with far-reaching consequences, including even poorer working conditions and more work for nurses, the lengthening of already long wait times (especially in mental health issues) for patients and overall, an immense strain on the healthcare system.
To address this challenge, a comprehensive approach is necessary, focusing on attracting, training, integrating, retaining, and fairly compensating both local and foreign nurses for employment in public and private healthcare institutions. KAMUH is posing a unique solution to tackle the nursing shortage in Finland. KAMUH collaborates with nurses, municipalities, regional healthcare authorities, hospitals and care homes to provide a multi-faceted approach to the issue. Setting itself apart from other approaches, the nurses of KAMUH would be co-owners, giving them a stake in the success of the organisation.
Members: Irving Wang, Chinmay Tare
Startups are driving innovations, especially in the circular economy. But securing sustainable funding is a challenge. Traditional models like venture capital, taking equity in exchange for a lump sum of cash are falling short. LoopGrow is hoping to change the game for startups in Circular Economy by revolutionising the funding process by offering revenue-based financing, linking success to revenue. In practice this means taking a percentage of the revenue instead of taking equity. Startups gain capital from growth and we share their success. Posturing both profitability and sustainability, which is the core of a circular economy.
LoopGrow aims to empower startups with more than just capital, they’ll be able to join a thriving circular economy ecosystem and our extensive network provides guidance, connections and resources for their growth. Investors become part of impactful ventures, reaping financial returns with a sense of purpose. LoopGrow is committed to support startups in leading the charge against challenges in sustainability. Together with startups, LoopGrow envisions a well-funded, impactful circular economy.
Members: Khaled Aljundi, Ertugrul Berk Mayadagli
WattCycle aims to provide a product that will help alleviate current global issues related to carbon dioxide emissions, energy shortages hand the power grid by giving individuals an opportunity to reduce their energy bills and improve their wellbeing while producing clean energy.
Their solution is a stationary bike that generates electricity for household appliances and lightbulbs.
Member: Denis Lapin
As a consumer, you can be easily overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of choices available and the difficulty of finding sustainable and climate-friendly options. GroceryStoreProductReviews aims to alleviate this problem by creating a platform, which would allow people to review, counter-reference and compare purchased grocery store products and share their experiences with other people. With a vision deeply rooted in principles of circular economy, GroceryStoreProductReviews is committed to reshaping the way we approach grocery stores, sustainability and making choices.
Member: Anna Krasikova
It's time to wake up and smell the coffee! It's hard to ignore the unsustainable business practices employed by almost all cafés and restaurants in the world. Disposable cups, straws, lids and take-away boxes leave huge carbon footprints if they're only used once. Used coffee grounds, which are harmful for the environment are usually disposed of haphazardly. Electricity and air conditioning are overused and cafés create huge amounts of food waste.
Ääretön is a solution which aims to tackle all of the previously aforementioned problems. Ääretön aims to be the most sustainable café in Helsinki to show other cafés that employing sustainability practices is possible and even beneficial. Cafés would save on material costs and waste management, while customers who bring their own containers and cups would get discounts. Used coffee grounds will be recycled to farmers, whom can use it for soil enrichment. The café would be constructed in such a way that there would be an influx of as much natural light as possible, lessening the need for electrical lighting. It would be a safe haven of sustainability: a pioneering coffee shop, and a venue for workshops and classes on sustainability.
Member: Helena Karling
Imagine shoes born from a second chance. Idealic aims to breathe new life into neglected materials, turning them into fashionable, eco-conscious footwear. Sourced from a variety of recycled materials, each pair of shoes tells a story of transformation, where the forgotten learn to find new purpose. Designed for the normal woman, Idealic aims to create ergonomic shoes, taking into account the natural shape, flow and position of the foot, while making sure that comfort is a priority.
Member: Geelle Abdifatah
La Hygia aims to shake up the beauty world by revolutionising by creating a means to effectively and conveniently clean up makeup and art brushes. The current market lacks a convenient and sustainable solution that ensures optimal brush hygiene for makeup users and addresses the environmental impact of discarded art and makeup brushes. Addressing these problems is vital for customers' health and the planet's well-being
Makeup brushes are often contaminated with massive amounts of bacteria and studies show that less than 40% of people have never cleaned their makeup brushes and over a third of the tested brushes had dangerously high levels of bacteria on them
Member: Peter Petros
In a world where valuable resources often go unnoticed, CirculaResourceXplorer aims to emerge as a pioneering force in redefining the way we perceive and utilise so-called "waste" and "dead" materials. CirculaResourcheXplorer's core mission revolves around shifting the societal paradigm that undervalues materials due to a lack of comprehension of their hidden potential. Through rigorous compositional analytics and characterisation, it aims to unveil the untapped value within these resources.
CirculaResourceXplorer aims to achieve its goals by providing an extensive database that catalogs their characteristics and data. This comprehensive resource promises to be an invaluable platform for academia, industry professionals, and the general public alike. Here, they can access and assess materials based on their compositional data, offering unparalleled insights into potential applications.
Member: Clio Hall
While "green roofs" have gained recognition, so called "green ponds" have gone unnoticed by the larger majority of people. Waterways and bodies of water of varying sizes have the potential to work as carbon sinks at an unseen level. By harnessing the power of phytoplankton for carbon sequestration, small-scale applications and expansive phytoplankton "farms" may become commonplace soon enough. And since phytoplankton require nutrients for growth, why not address multiple issues at once and utilise them to treat wastewater from agricultural and fisheries industries too?
PhytoPure also aims to pioneer methods to identify areas with phytoplankton species crucial for carbon sequestration. By leveraging environmental DNA analysis, we eliminate the need for labor-intensive microscopy, making the process efficient and accessible.