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Agenda
16.30 Doors open
17.00 Welcoming words by the cities of Jyväskylä, Kuopio, Lahti and Rovaniemi:
Power of sport, health and wellbeing in Finland
17.15 Partner Key-note: Global Sport Innovation Center GSIC / Iris Córdoba Managing Director of GSIC & Juan Fuentes / Director of GSIC Microsoft Global Testing Center:
GSIC's insight to startups
17.30 Pitches (5 pitching startups)
18.00 Key-note: Veikkausliiga - Professional Football League in Finland / CEO Kaarlo Kankkunen:
"We may not be the biggest, but we can be the boldest – Finnish football as a testbed for innovation"
18.15 Pitches continue (5 pitching startups)
18.45 Closing words
Cocktails and networking including Speed dating with investors and startups
20.00 End of the event
Iris Córdoba Mondéjar is the General Manager of the Global Sports Innovation Center GSIC powered by Microsoft. She is a recognized leader in sports tech innovation and a dedicated mentor for startups worldwide.
Iris leads the GSIC powered by Microsoft, a global initiative fostering innovation in the sports industry through collaboration between public, private, and academic sectors. With a background in law, public policy, and digital economics, she has extensive experience promoting entrepreneurship and supporting SMEs across Latin America, Europe, and APAC.
She established GSIC’s Singapore office and launched programs that have supported nearly 100 entrepreneurs in Asia and the Middle East. Recognized among the “Top 100 Women in Tech Singapore” and “Top 100 Female Leaders of Spain,” Iris is a key figure in sports tech, open innovation, and female leadership worldwide.
Juan Fuentes Fernández is the Director of the GSIC Testing Lab in Valencia, an innovation hub powered by Microsoft and operated by the Global Sports Innovation Center. He leads the lab’s mission to test and scale technology solutions in sport, entertainment, media, and health.
With a strong background in strategic leadership and international business, Juan has worked across Europe, the Middle East, and the U.S., supporting startups and advising sports organizations. Before this, he spent nearly a decade at LALIGA, driving its international growth in the MENA region and Northern Europe.
Kaarlo Kankkunen is an experienced business executive and sports leader with a broad background in both corporate management and football. He currently serves as the Chairman of the Finnish Premier League (Veikkausliiga) and has held several CFO and CEO positions across industries, from family-owned companies to international corporations.
In football, his background includes a career as a player, club leader, and trusted roles within the Football Association of Finland and UEFA. Outside of work, Kaarlo enjoys sports, travelling, and reading.
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Jyväskylä as a driver for thriving business
Jyväskylä puts things in motion, focusing on the innovative and evidence-based development of the wellbeing business together with others.
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Lahti as a promoter of sporty business
In the network, Lahti manages the creative development and international exports of the sports business using its solid know-how of sports events and tourism.
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Kuopio as an ambassador of healthy business
Kuopio accelerates the utilisation of data that supports wellbeing within a healthy business.
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Rovaniemi as the heart of Arctic Sports and Wellbeing
Rovaniemi combines world-class expertise, unique natural surroundings and a vibrant international spirit to drive sustainable success.
