Sampo Ahonen has built his career in project-based business and the commercialization of innovations. As a member of the Finnish Research Impact Foundation’s (FRIF) Board, he aims to help identify Finnish research ideas with strong commercial potential.
Who are you, and what motivated you to join FRIF’s Board?
“I have a degree in electrical power engineering and have worked in various international companies throughout my career – as an expert, in leadership roles, and as a founder. Currently, I am a partner at the private equity firm Helmet Capital, which has also led me to serve on the boards of several SMEs.
Three key themes have remained central throughout my career: project-based business, international business, and the commercialization of innovations. I even call myself an innovation activist!
I was initially invited to join FRIF’s Board through Technology Industries of Finland, and I was immediately inspired by the foundation’s mission. I quickly saw that FRIF is doing exactly what needs to be done to foster commercial success in Finland.”
FRIF seeks to identify financial bottlenecks for businesses, such as the so-called ‘valley of death’ or growth gaps in green innovations. How can companies overcome these hurdles?
“The financing landscape in Finland is challenging, and funding gaps appear in various places. What concerns me the most is that as a nation, we have become rich in ideas but tend to assume that commercialization happens automatically.
An idea itself is not yet an innovation – by innovation, I mean a commercialized, successful product or service that has actual customers. The journey from an idea to a commercialized innovation runs through an ‘innovation pipeline,’ and we need to make these pipelines more fluid.
We need to create clear innovation pathways for every idea, ensuring that each has a structured route to commercialization. By doing so, we can identify financial bottlenecks early and address them proactively. This is where FRIF’s support, for example, can help advance ideas toward commercialization.”
You have specialized in the internationalization of technologies. How can collaboration between research and business become even more impactful on a global scale?
“Courage, courage, and more courage. If we want to be the best or second best in the world in any technology sector, we need the courage to be open. This means, for example, involving partners at the very early stages of projects.
Many innovations do not emerge solely in Finland. We may have specialized expertise and cutting-edge research that fits into a specific phase of the innovation pipeline, but we may not have world-class expertise throughout the entire pipeline. In such cases, we must identify where the best global expertise exists and bring it in early enough.
Of course, timely funding also helps overcome a lack of courage.”
FRIF’s new strategic focus is on integrating humanities and social sciences into business. Why do companies need humanities expertise now more than ever?
“At the end of the day, people solve even the most complex problems. While AI has its place, innovation pipelines won’t function without human interaction.
We must understand human interaction better and determine how to get the best out of teams and individuals. Humanities play a crucial role in this – just as much as technical sciences. I have no doubt about that.”
Finally, what do you hope to achieve during your term on FRIF’s Board? What are you most looking forward to?
“I want to help ensure that we can identify commercializable ideas and opportunities as early as possible, leading to real innovations. Strengthening the innovation pipeline is my mission, and FRIF is an exciting platform to advance that goal.
I also look forward to learning new things on the board. I believe there are many projects I haven’t heard of yet, and I anticipate discussions that will challenge me, both by increasing my understanding and, perhaps, by adding a bit of frustration along the way.”
Check out here the stories of the other new board members and read how the outgoing members view FRIF’s impact and future.
