Development Manager, City of Tampere

Vesa-Matti is a Senior Specialist in Entrepreneurship in the public sector, with a wealth of experience in startup community development and life design. He co-founded Tribe Tampere, the most unified and fastest-growing startup community in Finland, and has played a key role in building it over the past four years. Additionally, Vesa-Matti is the creator of Self-Hack, a life-design movement aimed at helping individuals live with greater purpose and ease.

Throughout his career, Vesa-Matti has been instrumental in revolutionising the Tampere startup scene by uniting 20 different communities under a shared vision, fostering collaboration and growth. He has helped launch 20 new startup initiatives and supported 50 people in securing employment within two years. Vesa-Matti also developed the Self-Hack life-design concept, which has been successfully implemented for over 3,000 university students, and authored the Creative Self-Leadership Workbook.

His impact extends beyond startups, as he was listed among the top 100 young influencers in his region and made a nationwide impact by introducing a creative tech course to 25 high schools in just six months through Mehackit. Vesa-Matti also built a thriving nationwide West Coast Swing dance community over seven years and organised more than 200 events in the past four years.

Having worked in five startups, Vesa-Matti has gained invaluable experience, learning from both successes and failures. His global mindset has been shaped by living in Asia and Silicon Valley, where he further honed his entrepreneurial skills. Vesa-Matti has facilitated over 100 workshops on service design, concept development, and ideation and is trained in the Art of Hosting and other participatory learning methods. He also authored a book on creativity and improvisation, Ideas Anywhere – The Power of Associations.

With his passion for entrepreneurship, creativity, and community-building, Vesa-Matti has significantly contributed to the growth and development of people and organisations alike.