Business Networking Day 2026

Director, Ecosystem Virpi Puhakka from Valmet Oyj will deliver a pitch titled:

Valmet's Industrial NEXUS: Where people, skills, and technology unite to transform industry

Academy Research Fellow Babooshka Shavazipour from the Faculty of Information Technology at the University of Jyväskylä will deliver a pitch titled:

Robust data-driven decision-making for handling conflicting data and algorithm outcomes

Doctoral Researcher Ariful Islam from the Faculty of Information Technology at the University of Jyväskylä will deliver a pitch titled:

Data, Responsibility, and Decision-Making in the age of AI

Technical Manager Mikko Heikkilä from Beckhoff Automation Oy will deliver a pitch titled:

Training AI models for industry – without a data scientist

DR, Technical Manager I have more than 20 years of experience in industrial automation, software development,
product development and research projects. My career has combined engineering, leadership and innovation,
from academic research to practical industrial solutions.

Professor of Practice Antti Liski from the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Jyväskylä will deliver a pitch titled:

When is there enough data to make a decision? What an education in statistics gives to data-driven decision-making

Principal Researcher Anna-Mari Simunaniemi from the School of Business of Jamk University of Applied Sciences will deliver a pitch titled:

From AI Adoption to AI Leadership: What Comes Next for SMEs?

Professor of Practice Minna Kivipelto from the Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy at the University of Jyväskylä will deliver a pitch titled:

Turning Social Care Data into Better Decisions

Professor Neil Cronin from the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences at the University of Jyväskylä will deliver a pitch titled:

Towards Agentic AI for Personalised Human Movement Analysis

Project Researcher Petra Torvinen from the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences at the University of Jyväskylä will deliver a pitch titled:

Datasta kilpailueduksi: talvilajien analytiikkaa valmennuksen tueksi

Technical Director Ville Kuoppala from BK-Hydrometa Oy will deliver a pitch titled:

Vedenkäsittely ja mittaus muuttuvassa ympäristössä

Program Manager Nina Rautiainen from the City of Jyväskylä will deliver a pitch titled:

Miten vihreää siirtymää vauhditetaan vetyinnovaatioilla Jyväskylässä?

Professor of Practice Risto Miettunen from Jyväskylä University School of Business and Economics will deliver a pitch titled:

Sosiaali- ja terveyspalvelut osallistuvat ilmastotalkoisiin

Professori, Vice Dean Terhi-Anna Wilska from the Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy at the University of Jyväskylä will deliver a pitch titled: 

Miten edistää kestävää kulutusta digitalisoituvassa arjessa?

Program Manager Timo Harju from the City of Jyväskylä will deliver a pitch titled:

Puolituotannollinen TKI-alusta innovaatioalustana: case Maailmanpuu

University Teacher, Vice Director Susanne Syrén from the Open University of University of Jyväskylä will deliver a pitch titled:

Tekoälystä oppimiskumppani: miten rakennamme parempaa verkko-opiskelua?

Director, Product Development Anna Suurnäkki from Metsä Group will deliver a pitch titled:

Metsä LigOTM – lisäarvoa puusta

Doctoral Researcher Rakesh Gowdihalli Nagarajappa from the Department of Chemistry at the University of Jyväskylä will deliver a pitch titled:

CW2H: Circular Waste‑to‑Hydrogen Technology

Nandhini Natarajan studies Musicology at the Department of Music, Art and Cultural Studies and presents a pitch titled:

Good Vibrations: Preceding Vibroacoustic Stimulation Modulates Brain Activity During Music Listening 

Introductory:

My project is Feel the Good Vibrations: The effect of vibroacoustic stimulation on the music listening experience.

Music listening affects the state of the body, but how the state of the body affects the music listening experience is underexamined. I studied brain activity during music listening after a body state manipulation through 2 conditions, one in which participants experienced a massage-like stimulation and one in which they didn't. Then I recorded brain activity at 3 time points- after stimulation, during music listening and after music listening. I found that after stimulation, alpha and beta power increased, indicating a more engaged and alert state and during music listening in the stimulation condition, alpha power decreased and low gamma power increased, indicating that the brain was more receptive to stimuli and had increased sensorimotor engagement. We speculate that vibroacoustic stimulation is associated with an engaged and embodied neural state during music listening.

Rakesh Gowdihalli Nagarajappa studies Chemistry at the Faculty of Mathematics and Science and presents a pitch titled:

Hy-Value (Waste to green value)

Introductory

As Europe faces intensifying heat waves and the urgent need to reduce CO₂ emissions, affordable low-carbon technologies are increasingly important. My research develops stable electrocatalysts using bio-derived carbon produced through the pyrolysis of renewable waste materials, including wood powder. These catalysts are used in glycerol oxidation-assisted electrolysis, where glycerol, a low-value biodiesel byproduct, is converted into valuable chemicals while green hydrogen is generated simultaneously. This “one-shot, three-application” concept integrates biomass-waste utilization, chemical valorization, and energy-efficient hydrogen production in a single process. My work investigates catalysts activity, glycerol concentration, applied potential, and It also explores PFAS-free membrane technologies (AEMWE) to improve environmental sustainability and reduce hydrogen-production costs. By combining waste-derived catalysts, valuable chemical production, and renewable hydrogen generation, this research supports circular resource use, low-carbon manufacturing, and the development of scalable electrochemical technologies for a climate-neutral future.

Faranak Sabahi Goraghani studies Philosophy-Music Cognition at the Department of Music, Art and Cultural Studies and presents a pitch titled:

The Sound of What Matters

Introductory

How can technology help people living with dementia reconnect with the memories that shape their identity? Dementia can gradually disrupt memory, emotional well-being, and a person’s connection to their own life story. Personalized music-based interventions have shown promising benefits, particularly in supporting memory and emotional well-being. My research builds on this work by exploring whether AI can create personalized soundscapes that combine music with personally meaningful sounds, such as familiar environmental sounds, to reflect each person’s unique experiences. Using cognitive assessments and EEG, I examine how these soundscapes affect memory, emotional responses, and brain activity. Beyond developing new technology, I want to explore how AI can be used responsibly to address real human needs. My experience with JYU has been especially welcoming and supportive, and I would be proud to represent a university that has given me such a positive start to my doctoral journey.

Fatemeh Ahaninjan studies Neurogenerative diseases at the Department of Psychology and presents a pitch titled:

Catching the Whispers: Detecting Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s Before It’s Too Late

Introductory

My PhD research focuses on improving the early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease using magnetoencephalography (MEG), a non-invasive brain imaging technique that measures neural activity with millisecond precision. I analyze brain signals from healthy individuals and patients using advanced signal processing and machine-learning methods to identify neural patterns associated with these diseases before severe symptoms appear. Early diagnosis remains one of the biggest challenges in neurodegenerative diseases, limiting opportunities for timely intervention and treatment. My work aims to develop reliable brain-based biomarkers that can support clinicians in diagnosing disease earlier and predicting its progression. Ultimately, I hope this research will contribute to more accurate, accessible, and patient-friendly diagnostic tools that improve quality of life for people affected by neurodegenerative diseases and support healthier aging.

Leo Kuutti studies Psychology at the Faculty of Education and Psychology and presents a pitch titled:

The Things Between Us

Introductory

Social cognition is the psychological function that enables perception, understanding, and regulation of information about others and their relationships to oneself. It involves the automatic recognition of emotions through facial expressions, body language, or tone of voice and the more deliberate ability to consider others' thoughts, feelings, intentions, and overall states of mind. The latter is usually called theory of mind or mentalizing. Social cognitive phenomena are associated with various mental health conditions, such as schizophrenia and personality disorders. My doctoral dissertation research project, Searching for Optimal Hostility – Studies on the Validity of the Ambiguous Intentions Hostility Questionnaire, aims to develop assessment methods for evaluating social cognition in Finnish and to investigate the effectiveness of a metacognitive skills training group in a forensic psychiatric hospital. The project also aims to generate scientific knowledge on the relationship between social cognition and self-perception, as well as on the jumping-to-conclusions bias.

Trust Chipanga studies Sport and Exercise Sciences at the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences and presents a pitch titled:

From Trash to Triumph: Zimbabwe's Sports Gear Revolution

Introductory:

In Zimbabwe, repairing a football boot can achieve what environmental policies often fail to deliver: less waste, longer equipment life, and greater access to sporting resources. This matters because Zimbabwe’s sports supply chain imports approximately EUR 2,045,630 in goods while exporting less than EUR 4,334,50. My doctoral research investigates how locally developed practices—including repair, reuse, sharing and adaptive procurement—can inform environmental governance. Across three phases, I will work with athletes, coaches, artisans, suppliers, facility managers, club officials and policymakers to examine how institutions and unequal access to resources shape sustainability. By centering African Indigenous Knowledge Systems, Ubuntu and epistemic justice, the study recognizes local knowledge as innovation rather than an informal survival strategy. Together, stakeholders and I will co-design and validate a governance framework that connects local practices with formal policy to reduce waste, strengthen artisan livelihoods, improve resource equity, and position African knowledge systems as equal contributors to sustainable sports governance.