HELRIDE Day 0 | Creativity, Resilience, and Courage: Skateboarding as an Entrepreneur's Mindset. Epicenter Helsinki
Creativity, Resilience, and Courage: Skateboarding as an Entrepreneur's Mindset
Forget the stiff suits and scripted corporate jargon. We’re bringing the raw, relentless energy of the streets into the heart of Finland’s innovation hub. In collaboration with HELRIDE, we present a business forum dedicated to bridging the gap between subculture and scalability.
"Creativity, Resilience and Courage - Skateboarding as an entrepreneur's mindset" is a unique psychological blueprint of grit, trial-and-error, and calculated risk that has birthed some of the most disruptive entrepreneurs of our time.
From the dusty asphalts to the boardroom, the transition isn't as different as you think. Both require the guts to fall a thousand times and the vision to see a line where others see a wall.
After the keynotes, there will be a demo of all that grit and trial-and-error outside of Epicenter - a show you don’t wanna miss. The demo will lead to a networking session where participants can connect with entrepreneurs, business leaders, and forward-thinking creative minds driving the skateboarding industry.
Meet the speakers:
Per Welinder - From pioneer professional skateboarder and a member of the legendary Bones Brigade to a seasoned venture capital partner and corporate executive, Per Welinder has spent three decades turning raw subcultural trends into global enterprises. He co-founded Birdhouse Skateboards with Tony Hawk, ran global distribution powerhouses, and has guided consumer brands through rapid expansion and market turnarounds. Armed with an Executive MBA, Per’s methodology bridges the gap between raw creative intuition and rigid financial governance – helping founders protect their cash flow and build resilient systems.
When the macroeconomic climate shifts overnight from "growth at all costs" to "immediate survival," traditional business models break. In this provocative masterclass, Per shares the real-world scars and exuberance of venture capital – contrasting the hyper-growth surge of fintech breakout Sezzle (NASDAQ) against the sudden capital constraints of hardware tech pioneer CAKE.
Attendees will discover The 3 Pillars of Velocity Framework (Idea, Leadership, Speed), exploring how next-generation AI workflows can handle unglamorous operational logic, giving founders the space and leverage to protect, defend, and amplify their brand’s authentic human soul. Whether you are a venture investor de-risking a portfolio or a lifestyle founder looking to scale, this session provides a street-tested architectural blueprint to transition a fragile scene into an unstoppable system.
Harri Puupponen - a Finnish skateboarder, entrepreneur and strategic growth leader at Norrin, a Nordic Enterprise AI and data company. Harri has spent nearly forty years in skateboarding. He was part of the European contest scene during the intense years of the late nineteen-nineties and early two-thousands, became a multiple-time Finnish champion, appeared in international skate media, and is still remembered by many for his Kingpin Magazine cover and contest trademark, the three-sixty flip tailgrab. He also co-founded Lamina skateshop in two thousand and built Nolla.net, one of the early digital skateboarding communities, which helped connect the Finnish skate scene long before social media.
Before skateboarding turned into a business lens, computers had already become another obsession. Harri built early web platforms in the late nineteen-nineties, later founded Cloud1 in twenty twelve, and grew with the company through founder, CEO, board, and ownership roles. Cloud1 is now part of Norrin, one of the fastest-growing Enterprise AI companies in the Nordics. Today, Harri focuses on strategic growth, M&A, board work, and the next phase of Norrin’s international expansion.
His keynote connects skateboarding and company building without polishing either one too much: reading the spot, taking the hit, learning from failure, and building a culture that keeps moving.
Lauri Vassinen - Lauri has been a skateboarder since the days of the Police Academy 3 movies. He is a creative director, skateboard culture advocate, and positive voice known for connecting skateboarding, creativity, and social impact.
Besides his work in creative advertising and visual design, he has contributed in numerous side quests such as Chasing The Spot, the cultural initiative surrounding Skateboarding Team Finland’s journey to the Tokyo Olympics, Business sk8 for good with Nordic Business Forum / Tony Hawk and has contributed to the Finnish Skateboarding Association as a chairperson of the board and Terminaali360 skatepark.
Through his work, Lauri has helped empower skateboarding communities behind the scenes by building international connections, promoting DIY mindset, and developing more authentic approaches to corporate sponsorship within action sports.
His talks explore how low-threshold participation, imagination, and self-initiated communities create stronger individuals and healthier societies. Through skateboarding, he speaks about creativity, agency, resilience, freedom, and the ability to see new possibilities in existing structures.
Because sometimes the most important thing is not asking for permission. Just grab a board and go.
This event will take place in Epicenter Helsinki's Lounge.