How women in Finland are reshaping business and research with real-world impact

In the early 1970s, Anu Pentik, a self-taught ceramicist, transformed her passion for pottery into a thriving business. Starting from a small workshop in Posio, Lapland, she and her husband founded Pentik in 1971. What began as a modest endeavour grew into one of Finland's leading design enterprises, renowned for its distinctive ceramics and home décor.

Pentik’s journey exemplifies how creativity, resilience and entrepreneurial spirit can overcome challenges, paving the way for women in Finnish business and proving that craftsmanship can achieve global success.

Whilst there has been unprecedented growth in female-led enterprise in Finland in the years since, obstacles such as securing funding and attaining leadership roles can remain.

“Women’s full and equal participation in society has made Finland’s development possible,” former Prime Minister Sanna Marin noted in a speech at the Generation Equality Forum in 2022. “One hundred years ago, Finland was a poor and conflict-torn society. It was not possible for us to ignore the potential of half of our population.”

Explore how these influential female leaders are leaving a lasting impact on business and science in Finland.

1) INKA MERO: DRIVING DEEP TECH INVESTMENT AND DIVERSITY

This venture capitalist and entrepreneur is reshaping deep tech investment in the Nordics and Baltics. As a founder and managing partner of Voima Ventures, mero supports science-driven startups in life sciences, energy, quantum tech and AI. With 25 years of experience, she has co-founded seven companies and invested in over 50, effectively bridging research and commercial success.

Her track record blends innovation, leadership, and inclusivity, setting a benchmark for deep tech investment. Indeed, Mero champions diversity; half of Voima Ventures’ partners are women and 44 per cent of portfolio employees identify as female or non-binary. She believes diverse teams drive better innovation, reinforcing her commitment to inclusive growth.

Under Mero’s leadership, Voima Ventures recently closed a 100 million-euro Fund III to support 25–30 early-stage startups, reflecting deep tech’s growing role in addressing global challenges.

“Now is the time to scale science-based solutions into action and global markets,” she said in 2023. “Science-backed growth entrepreneurship is the only fast enough way to solve pressing global issues and it is generating a massive value growth opportunity for deep tech startups and VCs.”

2) MARIANNE VIKKULA: FROM STARTUP VOLUNTEER TO TOP-EARNING TECH LEADER

Vikkula’s journey in the tech world began as a volunteer at Slush, Helsinki’s renowned startup event. She quickly rose through the ranks, becoming chief financial officer and later CEO in 2016. Under her leadership, Slush expanded into a global startup hub, drawing over 20 000 attendees and major industry figures like Spotify’s Daniel Ek.

In 2018, she joined Wolt, a fast-growing food delivery startup, playing a key role in its expansion from six to 23 countries. As vice president of new markets, she led the company’s entry into Japan and helped launch Wolt Market, its retail venture. Her impact earned her a spot on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Europe list in 2023.

When Doordash acquired Wolt in 2021, Vikkula continued as vice president of new markets, further scaling its operations. The acquisition also made her Finland’s highest-earning woman in 2022. She has since invested in Huuva (food delivery), Boksi (influencer marketing), and Realm (AI), using her success to support the next wave of growth companies.

“It would be great to see more women on the list in the future,” Vikkula told Helsingin Sanomatin 2024 , after the news broke of her high earnings. “I hope that my example encourages women to take on responsible roles in growth companies.”

3) VERENA RENTROP: SPREADING JOY AT WORK, ONE CHOCOLATE AT A TIME

In today’s fast-paced digital world, personal connections are becoming increasingly rare. Offices are filled with people glued to their screens, conversations are rushed and the simple act of showing appreciation is often overlooked. But for Verena Rentrop, known as the “Chocolate Angel,” small moments of kindness can have a lasting impact.

“Always take a positive approach to anything you do,” Rentrop said, in an interview with Good News from Finland in 2020. This philosophy led her to create Chocolate Angel, an initiative based in Helsinki that focuses on spreading ‘micro moments of love’ in workplaces. Through the simple act of sharing chocolates and positive messages, she aims to cultivate an environment where employees and management alike feel valued and uplifted.

Rentrop has seen firsthand how even the smallest gestures can change the course of someone’s day. “Adding a little moment of positive attention from a ‘stranger’ is sometimes the absolute highlight of a workday,” she said.

Her initiative has collaborated with major companies like Cargotec, demonstrating that corporate culture can benefit from genuine human connection to create a more harmonious and productive work atmosphere.

“In a world which is going more and more digital, I see a lot of disconnect. But kindness is timeless, and real connections will always matter,” Rentrop observed.

4) KAROLIINA KAUHANEN’S VISION: BUILDING CONNECTIONS THROUGH COMMU

For Karoliina Kauhanen, community isn’t just an idea – it’s a necessity. Inspired by her own experiences with loneliness while studying in Helsinki, she co-founded Commu in 2022 with Sami Ekmark and Ronnie Nygren to create a platform that makes helping easy and accessible. The free mobile app connects volunteers with individuals in need, fostering stronger local networks and social support.

Under her leadership, Commu has grown rapidly, receiving a 20 000-euro investment from Finland’s version of Shark Tank, securing 200 000 NOK as the first Finnish company to win Norway’s largest startup competition, and earning recognition from the United Nations for helping tens of thousands of Ukrainians in Finland.

Kauhanen, who was also recognised in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2024, sees this success as proof that small acts of help can create large-scale social change.

“Commu’s goal is to connect the helper and the one in need, at home and in the workplace. By helping, we can influence the biggest social problems of our time, such as loneliness,” she explained in 2024. “We will soon reach the milestone of 100 000 users in Finland, Norway and Germany, which shows the impact and necessity of Commu.”

5) PREVENTING COGNITIVE DECLINE: MIIA KIVIPELTO’S RESEARCH AND IMPACT

Many of the leading scientists in Finland are women. Named one of the world's top female scientists, Miia Kivipelto has dedicated her career to dementia and Alzheimer’s research, proving that lifestyle choices can help prevent cognitive decline.

As a professor of geriatrics at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and the University of Eastern Finland, she led the Finnish Geriatric Intervention Study to Prevent Cognitive Impairment and Disability (FINGER), which identified five key areas for brain health.

“It’s good to move all five of these fingers every day,” Kivipelto explained, in an interview with Helsingin Sanomat. “The first finger is a healthy diet. The second is exercise, the third is brain training and the fourth is social activity. The fifth finger is all the risk factors for heart health: blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes and being overweight.”

The programme, initially tested in Finland, has now expanded to70 countries through the world-wide FINGERS network. Building upon this model, The e-FINGERS project, coordinated by Neurocenter Finland, aims to develop innovative virtual tools for personalised brain health promotion and dementia prevention.