Future of the Virtual Worlds in Espoo: Unlocking Opportunities, Creating Connected Communities

How should we proceed, and what kinds of methods can be used to advance innovation in the virtual world environments so that companies are able to create solutions with global demand?

Business Espoo’s Breakfast Club together with FINverse network (National Metaverse Network)** dives into the metaverse – a form of social virtual reality that is expected to be the next phase in the evolution of the internet. In the metaverse, 3D virtual spaces are combined into an interactive virtual universe.

At the event, you’ll hear inspirational speeches on connectivity (5G/6G connections), the prerequisites for creating connected communities, and use cases demonstrating what can actually be done in the virtual worlds – and how companies can get involved in the opportunities identified by cities. The goal is to foster the emergence of vibrant and innovative companies in Espoo – companies with global demand.

Join us for an insightful and interactive breakfast club where you'll connect with other entrepreneurs, startups and professionals of FINverse*, all while gaining fresh perspectives and actionable strategies to drive your business forward.

Program*

8:15–9:00 Registration, breakfast and networking

9:00 The program starts

Welcome / Miska Hakala, Director, Innovation, Growth & Invest In, Enter Espoo
What is the FINverse network? / Mervi Hämäläinen, Development Manager, City of Espoo, and Piia Wollstén, Director for Digital Services Development, City of Espoo
6G networks as enabler of virtual worlds / Risto Jurva, Research Manager / Doctoral Researcher, University of Oulu
From Data Streams to Digital Twins – Building Interoperable Ecosystems for Smart Cities / Jenna-Riia Oldenburg, Senior Consultant, Sitowise
Metaverse Use Cases for Cities / Kirsi Hyry, Project Manager, Business Oulu

11:00 End of the event

*We reserve the right to make changes to the program.

Registration

The event is fully booked and registration is closed.

Speakers

Miska Hakala has built his career around creating new value through innovation. He has gained hands-on experience in this field from the venture capital industry, large corporations, and as an innovation consultant. Today, Miska works at Enter Espoo, helping companies in Espoo to grow and attracting new businesses to the city – especially those that have yet to discover Espoo as an ideal place for growth and innovation.

Dr. Mervi Hämäläinen currently serves as Development Manager at the Mayor’s Office, City of Espoo. In her current role, she is responsible for advancing national and international collaborations in thematic areas such as urban digital twins and virtual worlds. She actively contributes to digital innovation programs and promotes EU funding opportunities and partnerships globally. Her experience spans strategic cooperation with leading organizations, including VTT and Microsoft in Finland, as well as various stakeholders across the European Union. Her work and research support the integration of emerging technologies into urban development strategies. Prior to her current position, Dr. Hämäläinen conducted research on smart cities in both UAE and Finland. In addition to her academic and research background, she has held roles in business development and marketing within the ICT and digital healthcare sectors in Finland and the UAE, giving her a well-rounded perspective on innovation, technology, and cross-sector collaboration.

Piia Wollstén serves as the Director of Digital Services Development, responsible for strategically advancing the digitalization of the City of Espoo. Piia has a strong background in developing data governance, enterprise architecture, and data management. She has played a key role in establishing the city’s data governance framework and leading both business and information architecture initiatives, with a focus on interoperability, impact, and strategic alignment. Piia leads the city’s digital steering group and actively participates in professional networks. Her work supports the development of data-driven capabilities, and she has contributed to building the Espoo DataHub to enhance city-level data utilization.

Mr. Risto Jurva M.Sc (Tech) has over 30 years of experience with mobile networks covering all the main technologies from 1G to 5G. He has worked in international tasks in Europe, China, India, Africa and Americas for network vendors, operators, integrators, consultancy, SMEs and start-ups. During his career he has gained wide experience from field engineering to management and business development. Currently Mr. Jurva is working as Research Manager and Doctoral Researcher at Centre for Wireless Communications (CWC), University of Oulu, in Finland. He is focused on research of 6G technology, IoT systems, XR technologies and service concepts. His specific interest is 6G local networks such as micro-operator based wireless network solutions, ecosystems and business models for various verticals and smart cities.

Jenna-Riia Oldenburg is a Senior Consultant at Sitowise, with nearly 20 years of experience of digitalization, data-driven decision-making and utilization of new technologies with various sectors from manufacturing industry to built environment. Her current focus is on the digital transformation of urban built environment, developing the use of new technologies from AI to Digital Twins in fields like urban planning, construction, and resilient, sustainable living environments. In addition to her work at Sitowise, she's currently finalizing her PhD in Business and Technology Management at Tampere University, where her research focus is on value co-creation in city data and service ecosystems.

Kirsi Hyry is a seasoned professional in product management, business and system development, telecommunications, and innovation. She currently serves as a Project Manager for the National Metaverse Network (FINverse) at BusinessOulu.

**This event is co-hosted and co-funded by European Union as part of the national FINverse-project. The aim of the project is to identify how cities could make better use of metaverses in their development efforts. The project also seeks to join European networks, discover best practices, and produce a national standard for metaverse development.

The project is carried out by the City of Espoo, the City of Oulu, the University of Oulu, and Oulu University of Applied Sciences.

Read more about the FINverse project.

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Business Espoo’s breakfast club is a meeting place for entrepreneurs to get tips to develop their businesses and learn about free business services. The event is free of charge and open to all entrepreneurs based in Espoo and Kauniainen.

Business Espoo Breakfast Club

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