Kuori Oy has developed the world’s most intuitive and versatile giant tablet

The giant tablet has many uses in various sectors such as social and health care services. Thanks to the large touchscreen, the tablet is an excellent tool for users with visual impairments or reduced mobility.

Maria and Jarkko Jokelainen established the company in 2015. Its flagship product is the Yetitablet, a versatile giant tablet. The two entrepreneurs already had solid experience of the world of business and start-ups, but it was their family situation that inspired them to create the product. The couple has three children with an autism spectrum disorder. Their experiences of using technology to help the children learn led to the development of this product that is now conquering the world.

Maria is from a family of entrepreneurs and she started her first business in her twenties. After graduation, she worked for example as an e-commerce manager in the ICT sector, but she says that she has always had an “entrepreneurial spirit”. After having their first child, she worked as a freelancer during her maternity leave. Now that all three children have been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, Maria says that being an entrepreneur is the only viable option. Their daily lives are so fragmented and it sometimes feels like they are just moving from one disaster to the next.

Jarkko studied at the Helsinki University of Technology. He has been interested in technology and computers since he was a young boy. “My mother always knew that I would be an engineer,” he says, laughing. Before becoming an entrepreneur, Jarkko was employed in the technology sector for about twenty years and he also has previous experience of start-up entrepreneurship from the past decade.

The couple came up with the idea to start their business as they witnessed their children’s challenges with executive functions and social skills. In 2015, Jarkko began to develop the first version of a giant tablet, originally intended to be used as an information screen. Maria and the kids tested the product at home, and the parents noticed that the giant tablet helped their children learn, focus and communicate better. A small device was not ideal for this purpose. The giant tablet was named Yetitablet. It is based on open technology and compatible with the millions of apps available on Google Play.

Soon the entrepreneurs realised how many uses the giant tablet could have in the social and health care sector, for example. Thanks to the large touchscreen, the tablet is an excellent tool for users with visual impairments or reduced mobility. Its size also enables new types of group activities.

At the moment, almost all operators in the care sector use Kuori Oy’s giant tablets. In care homes, the Yetitablet may for example help individuals with functional limitations and elderly people who have no previous experience of using the Internet. The Yetitablet has also begun conquering the world. The company has launched a pilot project with the City of Stockholm, and the care company Attendo in Sweden has already purchased several devices. Yetitablet has also started to sell well in the United States. The company has an office in Spain, and pilot projects are under way in different parts of the world.

The giant tablet is not only used for learning purposes or in the social and health care sector. It is also an excellent tool in the construction sector and well suited for project management. It is used as an information screen in public spaces such as tourism and shopping centres, hotels and libraries. Aimo Park uses the devices in its parking garages.

When Maria and Jarkko started their business, their net sales totalled EUR 9,000. The next year, the figure increased tenfold. This year the company’s net sales are almost EUR 3 million, and the projected sales for 2020 are EUR 8 million.

Kuori Oy is currently based in Sinikallio, Espoo. With his world-class expertise in large touchscreens, Jarkko is the company’s head designer. The company has a total of 15 employees. The programmers mainly do remote work. The company’s operations focus on manufacturing and software.

The devices are manufactured in China according to the company’s specifications, which means that the entrepreneurs are also familiar with the import of devices and the related complexities. The company has received funding from a number of sources, including Tekes (now known as Business Finland) and the EU, but the entrepreneurs’ guiding principle has been to acquire customers and grow their business on the basis of the cash flow generated.

According to the entrepreneurs, the Yetitablet has every opportunity to go global. And while it is conquering the world, new uses for it are being discovered all the time. However, the social and health sector seems closest to the entrepreneurs’ hearts. Maria says that one of their key aims is to develop a consumer product for home use, allowing both health care professionals and family members to keep in touch with elderly people living alone, for example.

Maria and Jarkko are an excellent example of how difficulties can be seen as challenges that can grow into a successful cutting-edge business just as long as you have the skills and desire to develop something new and innovative.

Article producer: Federation of Espoo Enterprises 

Text: Marianne Sundblad

Photo: Kuori Oy