Name: SOHJO Business Event
Start: 2026-03-26T15:00:00+02:00
End: 2026-03-27T17:00:00+02:00
Location: Original Sokos Hotel Kimmel

SOHJO Business Event 2026 is Eastern Finland’s biggest business event and an international festival of inspiration and creativity, bringing together startups, companies, investors, innovators and changemakers to shape the future together.
Taking place in Joensuu on March 26–27, 2026, SOHJO blends business, technology, and creativity into a vibrant, festival-style experience. The two-day event features inspiring keynote speakers, expert panel discussions, hands-on workshops, networking arenas, and the live final of the Susicorn Startup Competition, followed by the award ceremony.
We’re excited to announce the first keynote speakers joining SOHJO 2026 - with more keynotes on the way:
- Peter Vesterbacka – Founder, Brand Breaker & Global Visionary, “The Mighty Eagle” of Innovation
- Sanna Rautio – Voice of the East, Head of RevOps at Avidly Agency
- Ronny Eriksson – Creative Provocateur, Founder of ODDFest
- Kari Kola – International Light Artist
SOHJO also comes alive beyond the main event days with Side Events across Joensuu, turning the city into a buzzing hub of innovation and creation throughout the week.
The full SOHJO programme will be announced in January 2026.
Join the luminous future of business at SOHJO!
Explore more and buy your SOHJO Tickets: www.sohjoevent.fi

Curious about the Susicorn Startup Competition?
Applications open on January 1-31, 2026!
Do you have the brightest business idea or startup innovation shaping the future of technology and business?
Grow into a Susicorn – your path from startup to unicorn!
Susicorn Startup Competition is Finland’s longest-running business idea competition, renewed for 2026. Originally launched in 1999 as the Start Me Up Competition, Susicorn now continues with a new brand and concept focused on identifying high-growth-potential startups and business ideas ready to build and scale in the Greater Joensuu region – one of Finland’s most dynamic and business-friendly innovation areas.
Susicorn is more than a startup competition – it is a launchpad from early-stage ideas to scalable growth companies. The competition invites entrepreneurs, startups, companies, research teams, and innovative individuals and students from all industries to apply!
The Susicorn is a high-growth startup originating from the Greater Joensuu region – born local, built for global growth. It represents a startup unicorn in the making: a company with the ambition, scalability, and international mindset to grow into a unicorn.
Apply: January 1–31, 2026
Final: March 27, 2026, at the SOHJO Business Event, Joensuu
Six finalists will pitch live at the Pitch for the Brightest final, where one will be crowned the winner, Susicorn 2026, a future growth company with unicorn-level international scaling potential.
Prize: The winner will receive a €15,000 prize package and direct entry to FiBAN Pitch Finland in spring 2026.
Pitch your idea, own the stage, win, and become The Susicorn!
Read more and submit your competition entry:
https://businessjoensuu.fi/en/sohjo/susicorn-startup-competition
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