Reporting from: FallUp 2017
FallUp 2017 was organized 10th of October in Finlandia Hall, Helsinki, by a group of enthusiastic students from Aaltoes, who have been working on this project since the very beginning of the year 2017.
The goal was to create a mindset shift in the participants of FallUp 2017, as many members of the team had felt that same shift happen in their minds when they attended FallUp 2016. Entrepreneurship might not be the first career path that comes to your mind as a student, especially if you’re a freshman. But what if it was?
Read further to find out what the sold-out event looked like from a team member’s perspective…
6 am, outside Finlandia Hall, current status: raining.
The FallUp team meets up by the doors of Finlandia hall, and the atmosphere is quite electric. There’s a lot to do, and the time is limited: all of the constructing should be done by the time the doors open. Luckily we have an amazing team of volunteers — it does not take long until everyone is doing their bit in making Finlandia hall look like the venue we imagined for FallUp 2017.
2 pm, Finlandia Hall, current status: still raining (luckily not inside, though).
It’s really happening! The venue is looking amazing as the first participants manage to escape the rain and join the fun inside Finlandia Hall. The Demo Booth area, the Startup Village and the Community area have some of the coolest things planned for the participants: you can try out a race car simulator, taste some bugs, experience virtual reality or, if you dare to go back outside, test your skills in an escape room.
The workshops are about to begin downstairs, and participants are ready to challenge themselves and learn new skills like coding, pitching, idea validation and design thinking. We aimed to have workshops that would be more than just lectures — because don’t we all really learn by doing?
2:30 pm, Helsinki Hall, current status: rainy (still).
TalkUp begins — an exciting moment for all of us, since the talking-competition is an entirely new concept that we have developed with Student Talks and Excitera. Speakers from all around Europe have travelled here to challenge themselves and inspire others! After the pre-registered talks it’s time for the open mic, which is a great success: so many people are ready to put themselves out there, not letting fear of failure stop them!
6 pm, Finlandia Hall, current status: raining (does this surprise anyone anymore?)
Alright, alright, a little late, but the Stage Show begins anyhow, and with such energy! Our surprise performer Biniyam kicks off the show, followed by Nelli Lähteenmäki and our panelists.
Perttu Pölönen finishes the first part of the show with his speech “Curiosity Game”. He talks about the importance of curiosity in entrepreneurship, and how he himself would not have believed as a teenager that he would become an entrepreneur — he describes himself as having been too “hippie” for it.
“We had these entrepreneurship talks at high school, but I always skipped them — because I didn’t think there was anything for me, to be honest.” — Perttu Pölönen
And look at him now! A great example of what a simple mindset shift can create — we all have it in ourselves, we just need to be courageous enough to reach for our dreams.
After a refreshing break the show continues with the speech of the TalkUp winner Eva-Lisa Janssen. It’s amazing to see this young talent take over the big stage! After her we hear the speech of Pata Degerman, who manages to make the audience laugh out loud several times during his speech — something is done right here. He makes an excellent point about how group work can help make ideas reality.
After Degerman, our international speaker Kristel Kruustük tells her entrepreneurial story, and finally, the founder of ST1, Mika Anttonen, steps on the stage to talk about aiming high: a subject he himself is very familiar with, for sure.
9 pm, KAIKU, current status: the rain continues, but so does the party!
FallUp wouldn’t be FallUp without the legendary After Party! Kaiku offers the place for the participants to mingle and have fun with old and new friends, and the party continues until dawn…
FallUp 2017 for sure has been one to remember!
See you next year, maybe?
