Founder Forward: Customer Acquisition Mini-hack — Build a Plan to Win Your First Customers

Produced by: Business Helsinki X International Founders Finland In collaboration with Startup Refugees & Think Africa Winning customers takes more than a good product — it takes people who understand channels, messaging, sales, and data. Most founders don't have all of that in-house, and figuring out where to focus first is often the real bottleneck. Founder Forward is Business Helsinki's monthly gathering for international entrepreneurs and founding teams ready to take the next step — building their businesses sustainably through structured learning, peer support, networks, and practical tools. Founder Forward's second mini-hack brings founders together with skilled professionals for one focused evening: founders bring a real customer acquisition challenge, teams of doers pitch in to solve it, and everyone leaves with a plan — and new connections. This mini-hack is for you, if you're a founder who wants to Get outside perspective on your customer acquisition strategyFind people to help execute — marketers, salespeople, content creators, data-minded doersTest your channel assumptions and messaging with fresh eyesDiscover potential co-founders, freelancers, or advisorsGet input from experienced marketers and growth specialists on the jury Or if you're a professional who wants to Put your skills to work on a real startup challengeBuild your portfolio with a concrete caseMeet founders you could work with, join, or adviseExpand your network among Helsinki's international startup community Program Open doors in event space Kaskadi 12-15:30 Join our open space on the 4th floor of Innovation Home at the heart of Kamppi, work on your projects, meet other entrepreneurs and potential collaborators, and get to know our office, people and services. Mini-hack 16:30–19:00 16:30 Check-in 16:45 Reminder of workshop theory 17:00 Facilitated work in groups – Challenge Solution ideation/brainstorming 17:30 Facilitated work in groups – Challenge Solution execution planning / with skills needed aspect in mind 18:00 Break/Pizza/Presentation Prep time 18:20 Group work presentations Mini-hack Jury Johanna Fräki Marketing, Commercialization, Strategic Partnerships & Innovation Ecosystems Pia Erkinheimo Angel investor, board professional, mentor, partner at Nordic Nano Reidar Wasenius AI Researcher at Aalto University, Personal Brainer, Voice Ekaterina Gianelli Venture partner at Calm/Storm This mini-hack is facilitated by Vivian Maar. About the facilitator Vivian Maar is the founder behind HookedByNorth, a Nordic travel brand and Aurora House, a entrepreneurship training concept for female founders. She has coached and supported hundreds of founders during her work in the startup ecosystem and can talk about entrepreneurship and growing your business from variety of perspectives. These days she actively builds both b2b and b2c businesses. This event is in English.