Samuli Pehkonen

Builder. Previously @flowaicom @slushhq etc. Starting on a new role soon. Finlandmaxxing.

[Samuli Pehkonen @samulipehkonen]

@AdamRackis Just wait until you see rest of the city

[Samuli Pehkonen @samulipehkonen]

Finland leads Europe in per capita defence and dual-use VC investment.

And it’s not just one category or one breakout company. The momentum now spans space, quantum, counter-drone systems, advanced displays, and AI:

→ @iceye_global
→ @IQMquantum
→ @sensofusion
→ @Distance_tech
→ NestAI

Different technologies, different growth stages, one direction: Finland is becoming one of the most important places to build critical technology for Europe.

[Samuli Pehkonen @samulipehkonen]

@ankur_d @ycombinator @userlens_hq Insane growth arc 🔥 Rooting for you guys!

[Samuli Pehkonen @samulipehkonen]

Good news from the “national treasure born out of Finnish innovation and craftsmanship” ahead of the potential IPO

https://t.co/Tv9u2Qgmsp

[Samuli Pehkonen @samulipehkonen]

NestAI, Qutwo and @verdacloud named among Nordic soonicorns to watch. A strong signal of what’s building in Finland right now.

https://t.co/iHZP0yADFS

[Samuli Pehkonen @samulipehkonen]

@magnushambleton @ouraring @IQMquantum @iceye_global Absolutely. Venture as an asset class working as intended.

[Samuli Pehkonen @samulipehkonen]

84% of all venture capital raised by Finnish startups in 2025 flowed into deep tech; €1.6B out of €1.9B total. The number is driven by mega-rounds from @ouraring , @IQMquantum , and @iceye_global , but it supports the broader point: Finland's strongest growth companies increasingly touch the real world. It's time to build in atoms ⚛️

[Samuli Pehkonen @samulipehkonen]

Another Finnish quantum startup raising serious capital! Between IQM, Bluefors, Quanscient and the wider cluster, Finland is becoming the place to build the future of computing 🇫🇮 https://t.co/Ne5vVsApQ9

[Samuli Pehkonen @samulipehkonen]

Europe has lacked its own Palantir. NestAI is building it from Helsinki, now partnering with Patria on AI-enabled drones for the defence of the old continent. Finnish deep tech momentum continues!

[Patria Group @group_patria]

Patria and NestAI have entered a technology partnership to bring adaptive AI capabilities to unmanned systems for European defence forces.

The partnership pairs Patria’s drone platform, operational reach and expertise in unmanned systems, with NestAI’s adaptive intelligence and open, modular operating system for modern battlefield operations ‒ combining state of the art AI and a world-class defence platform in one system.

"Patria’s unmanned systems are built for the most demanding conditions in Europe. With NestAI’s AI capabilities, we can make them more intelligent and more effective for the operators who depend on them," says Panu Routila, President and CEO of Patria.

"European defence needs AI for modern battlefield operations: adaptive, sovereign, and designed to evolve after deployment. And it needs to be built in Europe, by Europeans, for European operational requirements," says Peter Sarlin, founder and chairman of NestAI.

🔗 Read more: https://t.co/Qff7X3Wt2c

#PatriaGroup #whenifisnotanoption #extremeconditionsembedded #defenceindustry

[Samuli Pehkonen @samulipehkonen]

Finland needs more garages?

[Jon Erlichman @JonErlichman]

First offices of 6 companies worth a combined $21 trillion.

[Samuli Pehkonen @samulipehkonen]

From a 2015 Kickstarter campaign to a US IPO filing, Oura's journey is a Finnish success story worth celebrating. The IPO means real wealth flowing back to Finnish employees and early backers who will recycle it to fuel the next wave of startups from our ecosystem. Here's to the plan to ring the bell 🇫🇮

[TechCrunch @TechCrunch]

Smart ring maker Oura files to go public https://t.co/gqv1XFpofD

[Samuli Pehkonen @samulipehkonen]

@SE4LION Thanks for sharing your story yesterday! A stand out example of building with conviction. More to come from 🇫🇮

[Samuli Pehkonen @samulipehkonen]

The land of deep tech 🇫🇮

[Andreas Klinger 🦾 @andreasklinger]

I just visited a company in Finland that can turn any transparent surface — windows, glasses, plastic, anything — into a 3D display that perfectly augments what you see behind it.

Welcome to Distance . One of the most exciting companies in Europe right now. And they're only two years old.

We're not talking about a tiny rectangle in the corner of your windshield. The entire glass becomes your screen.

They showed this to Kia's design team. It led to a concept car with a full edge-to-edge 3D windshield that paints navigation onto the actual road, shows you what the car sees, highlights threats, and yes, could theoretically replace every Pepsi billboard with a Coke one.

But the defense side is where it gets serious.

As a neighbor to Russia, Finland feels the pain of Ukraine very directly. The Distance team wanted to be part of the solution.

Their field operator headset gives soldiers jet fighter-grade situational awareness.

Any sensor (thermal, infrared, multispectral) overlaid onto what you actually see. Tested in over a dozen field trials with the Finnish army. Driving armored vehicles in arctic conditions in the middle of the night with full 3D perception.
The field operator headset effectively allows soldiers to see through smoke, and with extra cameras even behind walls.

Some of what they showed us had never been shown publicly before.  And there's more cooking under the hood they couldn't share yet.

Two years in. Moving at the speed of light. Welcome to Europe!

[Oliver Molander @OliverMolander]

In less supervising news, the Nordic countries are leading in AI adoption in Europe 🇩🇰🇫🇮🇸🇪

[Samuli Pehkonen @samulipehkonen]

We won! Our proposal on tax incentives for recycling capital generated through startup exits back into new growth companies took home the growth financing track at the TAKOMO policy hackathon. Happy to see @startupyhteiso continue advancing it with decision-makers.

[Samuli Pehkonen @samulipehkonen]

TIL: Espoo files more European patents than London or Stockholm. 2,500+ in 2025, ranking 4th after Munich, Paris, and Eindhoven. Nokia anchors the deep industrial base, while startups like IQM & ICEYE rise from the ecosystem. Keilaniemi–Otaniemi deep tech corridor in full effect.

[Samuli Pehkonen @samulipehkonen]

The arc of Finnish ambition: Nokia → Slush → FR8 🏴‍☠️
https://t.co/VD1ZL7BZ1u

[Samuli Pehkonen @samulipehkonen]

One of the finest exports from Finland 🌊

[Wave Ventures @WaveVentures]

Got mentioned in @Forbes today.

Not a bad Thursday.

https://t.co/pJqriasy6o

[Samuli Pehkonen @samulipehkonen]

YC in Stockholm: equally inspiring and entertaining. Helsinki next?