Maria 01 NEXT Startup Festival & Afterparty

Maria 01 NEXT Startup Festival is a full-day celebration of the bold ideas, companies, and people shaping the future from one of Europe’s leading startup communities.

Maria 01 NEXT is more than an event – it’s a full-day celebration of what’s coming next in entrepreneurship and innovation. A new kind of startup festival. Built by the community. Open to the world.

Hosted at the Maria 01 campus, in the heart of Helsinki, NEXT puts the spotlight on the startups building the future, the partners who support them, and the investors who believe in them. From early ideas to bold conversations, from open doors to unexpected encounters, this is your front-row seat to one of Europe’s leading startup communities in action. It’s a chance to peek behind the scenes, meet the people, and feel the energy that powers our ecosystem.

Agenda

Lars Sonck Venue

10:00 Fireside Chat: Going Global – Bold Moves, Hard Lessons, and the Road Ahead.
Speaker: Johanna Småros (Co-Founder of RELEX Solutions).
Moderator: Amel Gaily (CEO of Cuckoo).
Co-organised by Finnish Startup Community & Maria 01.

11:00 Panel Discussion: Trends for 2026 from a VC Perspective.
Speakers: Paavo Räisänen (Maki.vc), Bruno Anthony Wisniewski (Cherry VC),
Nea Piha (Alliance VC).
Moderator: Sarita Runeberg (CEO, Maria 01).

13:00 Panel Discussion: Small Talk on Big Themes – Human intelligence, Artificial General Intelligence, and the New World Order.
Maria 01 Foresight Group & Guests: Timo Valtonen (Flow Computing), Antti Toponen (Ovido), Pasi Ilola (Starcart) and Aleksi Neuvonen (Demos Helsinki).
Moderator: Camilla Mikama (Marketing & Comms Manager, Maria 01).

14:00 Meet the Northern Light Accelerator Batch companies and Maria 01 Startups (OmniAudio, Fundis, Brutally Honest Mentor, Sensorfu, Jaakkocom, Mortaali, UNITT, Offerswap and others) for the pitches and demos.

Event Space

13:00 What Works: Selling to Enterprises – A Microsoft Perspective for Startups. Speakers: Henri Vuorinen and Veli Myllylä. Key topics include why enterprises still buy tech, what sellers must understand to win, and how Microsoft and startups can partner to scale enterprise sales.

14:00 Panel Discussion: From Zero to One – The Journey of a first-time founder.
Speakers: Mari Lahti (Ferrivia), Anne Särkilahti (Hytrade), Vishnu Aravind (thinnan).
Moderator: Sofiia Vasileva (Marketing Coordinator, Maria 01)

Classroom

14:00-16:00 Workshop: Building Your RFP (Request for Proposal), hosted by Nvelop. A hands-on session to define requirements, compliance, pricing models & evaluation criteria, learn how AI can speed up sourcing projects, and leave with ready-to-use content for your work. (Please use this form to sign up for this specific workshop).

Office Hours by Maria 01 Partners (Exact Locations TBD).

To receive free expert advice from our trusted partners, you can book your time via provided calendar links. Walk-ins are also welcome!

• 09:00-12:30 & 13:00-15:00 Office Hours with Lexia: Erika Leinonen Clinic on Data, AI and Privacy & Joni Mäkelä Clinic on brand protection and intellectual property rights; joined by Marko Moilanen & Kimmo Suominen.
  Book a slot by emailing erika.leinonen@lexia.fi or joni.makela@lexia.fi
  Meeting Room: Clinic Room.
• 10:00-15:00 Office Hours with San Francisco Agency, Communications, Global Relations, Marketing & PR.
  Book a slot with Linnea Saarni & Theo Salvesen.
  Meeting Room: Brick Room.
• 10:00-12:00 & 13:00-16:00 Office Hours with Precedo Consulting, Sales Strategy & Coaching, with Lauri Isoaho and Marko Hanninen.
  Book a slot by emailing: lauri.isoaho@precedo.fi
  Meeting Room: Samples Room.
• 12:00-15:00 Office Hours with Versolen Legal, focusing on green transition and renewable energy.
  Book your slot with Siina Mennerjoki by email siina.mannerjoki@versolen.fi
  Meeting Room: Partners Room.
• 13:00 – 15:00 Office Hours with Valjas, Financial Services & Accounting.
  Book your time with Pasi Tasanen.
  Meeting Room: Unicorn Smart Cube.
• 13:00-16:00 Office Hours with Catalyze Group, European non-dilutive funding, tailored for companies active in the sectors of Life Sciences & Health, Green & Sustainable Innovations, and Industrial Technologies.
  Book your time with Rashad Ismayil and Petrik Buitenhuis.
  Meeting Room: Board Room.
• 13:00-15:00 Office Hours with Varma, Pension Insurance.
  Book your time with Katri Piimägi.
  Meeting Room: Rhino Smart Cube.
• 13:00-15:00 Office Hours with Berggren. Leverage your business with intellectual property rights.
  Book your time with Iiro Nurminen.
  Book your time with Elina Pörsti.
  Meeting room: Nudist Room.
• 13:00-16:00 Office Hours with Mellakka Helsinki, Communications, Social Media, PR expertise.
  Book your time with Sonja Ahlfors, Jenna Lehmussaari, Nelli Varis.
  Meeting Room: Corner Room.
• Office Hours with EMU Growth Partners on Financial Services and Accounting with Valtteri Honkanen.
  To book a time email: valtteri.honkanen@emu.fi.
  Meeting Room: Bunker Room.

Arcade5

12:00-15:00 Nordea Startup & Growth Open Office. Pop-up at their office to discuss funding opportunities and funding eligibility, and learn about getting investor contacts.
16:00 Maria 01 NEXT Afterparty Starts

Yard Activities

09:00-10:00 Morning Run
10:30-11:00 Campus Tour (FULL)
13.30-14:30 Campus Tour (FULL)
10:00-20:00 Happy Beavers Sauna & Hot Tub (bring your swimwear and a towel)
10:00-16:00 Escape Games by Epic Scape

Monda Restaurant

10:00-11:00 Breakfast
15:00-16:00 Happy Hour

Bar Loose (Annankatu)
20:00 – 02.00 After-Afterparty

And of course, what’s a festival without an unforgettable finale? When the day winds down, we turn the volume up:

Maria 01 NEXT Afterparty kicks off as the office doors close — a chance to celebrate the day, connect with the community, and dance the night away with old and new friends.

Can’t see the form? You can access it here directly.