How can a small country succeed among the big ones? The answer often lies where no one else is looking. This is the belief of Petteri Kilpinen, a long-standing marketing and management professional - and, since last autumn, also President of the Finnish Olympic Committee.
"The biggest innovations always come from outside the mainstream," says Kilpinen. He says Finland will never be able to compete in sport or business in terms of size or money - and that's why we have the opportunity to succeed. When resources are limited, the only way to compete is to think differently.
Kilpinen points out that history is full of examples of how small and nimble players have overtaken giants: Polar beat Casio, Oura overtook Fitbit, and Netflix drove Blockbuster out of business. "Big innovations always come from places where market share is not defended".
This thinking doesn't require technology or big investments, but the courage to challenge the status quo. Innovation often starts with someone daring to ask: why do we do it this way? "When you present your idea and someone says to you 'are you crazy?', that’s when you know your idea might be worth something," says Kilpinen with a twinkle in his eye.
Data is everywhere - but only a fraction of it is in use
Today, in both sport and business, huge amounts of data are collected. The problem is not the amount of data, but how to use it. "Data is everywhere, but only a fraction of it is used in sport or to grow businesses," says Kilpinen.
The Suomisport service is a promising example of how data can be used in sport. Traditionally, sports data in Finland has been scattered: there are more than 100 sports federations in the country, each with their own systems. Now the Olympic Committee has combined the data of more than a million Finnish athletes into a single service that tracks individuals across sporting boundaries. For the first time, we can truly see when young people stop participating, how different sports affect each other, and where to invest.
But this is just the beginning. "Now we have the raw materials. The next step is to build services that people actually want to use - and that feel easy, smart and interesting," says Kilpinen. Many Finnish companies face the same challenge: they have data, but it’s not yet turning into insights — let alone business.
An athlete tries without knowing if they'll succeed — will you?
One of the best things about sport, according to Petteri Kilpinen, is that you can try even if you're not sure you'll succeed. "Athletes go to the field or the track even though someone else might be better. They still try. The same attitude would suit quite a lot of management teams and founding teams."
The same goes for innovation. They don't come from doing the old thing a bit smarter. They happen when someone dares to question the whole premise: why do we do it this way? Questioning is a courage of thought that Kilpinen says is worth cultivating in business.
A great example of courageous thinking in sports is the story of high jumper Dick Fosbury. Until the 1960s, everyone jumped belly-first towards the bar. Fosbury did it differently. He approached the bar in a curved run and jumped backwards, landing on a soft mat. Later known as the Fosbury Flop, the technique looked strange at first, but it worked. In 1968, Fosbury won Olympic gold and changed the face of the sport.
Fosbury didn't optimise what was already there - he invented a new way. The same kind of thinking is needed in Finnish business: insights that don't improve the old, but change the whole logic.
According to Kilpinen, Finland has exceptional prerequisites for success - technology, education, a safe society and a strong sports culture. But it is not enough. "We have all the ingredients, but now we need ideas that make someone say 'you can't do that'. That's when you're on the right track."
Petteri Kilpinen visited Jyväskylä to give a keynote speech at Sports Tech Day on 1 August 2025.
The event is hosted by the City of Jyväskylä's Business Development Services, Finnish Institute of High Performance Sport KIHU and European Business Angel Network EBAN.
Sport Tech Day is part of the "Jyväskylä International Growth" development project, implemented by the Business Services of the City of Jyväskylä. The aim of the project is to build and strengthen networks that support international growth and to develop internationalization capabilities for companies in the region. The project is funded by the Regional Council of Central Finland (ERDF funding, 2023–2025).
