​Arktinen Hehku 2026

​Hehku is back and this time we're heading deep into the Arctic. Two days of entrepreneurship, innovation and real conversations at Salla Wilderness Park, surrounded by reindeer, fell landscapes and people who mean business.

​Keynotes from some of Finland's sharpest entrepreneurial minds, hands-on workshops, two panel discussions, a startup pitching competition with €1,000 in prizes, and a 12-hour hackathon. Whether you're here to pitch, build or learn — there's a place for you at Hehku.

​Speakers

​Peter Vesterbacka · Aki Kangasharju (ETLA) · Juhani Honkala (IkonAI) · Emmi Keskisarja (Emmi Ventures) · Zachary Burda · Ida-Maria Tyyskä & Timo Vanhapiha (Knitgrammer) · Satu Laiho (Salla) · Timo Tuuha · Leena Lundell

​Programme
Thursday 9 April

​11:00–12:00 Arrival, registration .
12:00–13:45 Opening session & keynote speeches
13:45–14:30 Coffee break & expo area
14:30–16:00 Parallel workshops — pitching fundamentals, design thinking, startup ideation
16:00–17:00 Panel A: Future Entrepreneurship in the Arctic · Panel B: Entrepreneurship in Salla
17:00–18:00 Dinner Break & networking
18:15–Hackathon kickoff — challenge reveal, team formation, overnight work begins
Expo area open 10:00–17:00 · and coffee at 13:45

​Friday 10 April

​08:30–09:00 Welcome coffee & expo area
09:00–09:30 Keynotes — Peter Vesterbacka & Juhani Honkala (IkonAI)
09:30–11:30 Pitching competition — 3–5 min pitches + Q&A
11:30–12:00 Wellbeing session — Glow and Success Come from Well-being
12:00–13:00 Lunch & expo area
13:00–13:15 Pitching competition — winner announced on stage
13:15–16:00 Hackathon finale — team presentations, winner announced
Expo area open 08:30–16:00 · Complimentary coffee in the morning

Contact info: [email protected]
[email protected]