Boost Startup Journey 2025: The pitches, the business ideas and the winners
August 14th 2025 and the Joki Center in Turku became a pressure cooker for 12 new startups.
The 2025 Boost Startup Journey Demo Day was the final stop for these 12 new businesses, after eight weeks of intense work, in an event that gathered an audience of over 200 people.
The mix was electric: judges, mentors, investors, Business Turku representatives, students, and the simply curious. They came to see a new generation of founders tackle problems ranging from healthcare and hygiene to fashion, AI-powered task automation, clean water production, bureaucratic simplification, language learning, and even tech to keep women safe when traveling.
One member from each venture had the chance to pitch before the four judges of this edition—Pia-Maria Nickström of Startup Foundation; Claes Mikko Nielsen of Nordic Ninja; Oona Suominen of Antler; and Vesa Palander, the City of Turku’s Director of Economic Development—to showcase their solutions, operating model, and growth prospects.
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The Winners’ Circle
The evening’s competitive edge didn’t disappoint:
- Best Pitch - Hajuton, tackling odorless hygiene solutions.
- Best Team / Idea - SleepSafe, dedicated to safer sleep environments.
- Exceptional Prize - Aqua Vivia, securing a coveted spot at a special event in Ă…land.
- Second Place - F-Bureaucracy from Germany, rethinking administrative processes.
- Grand Winner - Futuuri, whose clinical SaaS platform uses AI to turn X-rays, MRIs, and CT scans into instant, actionable insights.
For Fuuturi, the recognition is the payoff for an eight-week sprint of development, customer validation, and iteration.
"It feels good that after an eight-week journey of hard work, it’s paid off," said Talha Ahmad, the CEO of the startup, which is already eyeing expansion to Helsinki and scouting funding opportunities.
Beyond the Pitch Deck
Judges made it clear: this year’s decisions were tough. "We wanted to look at teams that had already gained some traction," explained Pia-Maria Nickström from Startup Foundation.
"Not just the idea, but what they accomplished during the program and the demand we can see in the market."
Pia-Maria Nickström, Startup Foundation & Boost DemoDay 2025 Judge
That higher bar is part of a larger trend. As Lauri Konttola (Executive director of Boost) noted, the success of previous cohorts is pulling in more intense, more prepared founders each year. The cycle is self-reinforcing—higher quality applications mean stiffer competition, sharper pitches, and a stronger ecosystem.
A Rare Honor Returns
For the first time since 2020, Boost’s Community Hero Award was presented, going to Vesa Palander of Turku City. The recognition, rarely awarded, celebrates individuals who have meaningfully strengthened the local startup ecosystem.
