Jumping into the unknown

"I had a crazy idea today! It's so crazy that in its utter craziness it's simply brilliant!"

These were the exact words that I used in my first ever pitch precisely four years ago on Oct 10th 2013. Nowadays that "crazy" idea has grown into the embodiment of community spirit and creative collaboration, namely Polar Bear Pitching. It was recently awarded at Nordic Startup Awards as Finland's Best Startup Ecosystem Initiative and is currently competing for the Best Ecosystem Initiative in the Nordics! There’s still time to vote us if you think we’d deserve the title.

Idea alone is like a spark. It dims as easily as it lights up, unless you have people around you who believe in your idea and fan the flame. I am so grateful and lucky that I've been able to work with amazing people, who rather say "yes" than "no", and who do not turn down even the craziest of ideas.

A special thanks goes to my previous colleague Matti, who helped turn the idea into reality, and my boss Johanna, who gave us a green light the very day the idea was born. Thank you for trusting us, even though it would've been more logical to say no. You might have just as well said: Too risky! No one has ever done this before. You only have four months from an idea to execution - how are you planning to get all parties excited and willing to join your cause? How on earth are you going to find any startups who would jump into the cold water? You don't even have any money!

Indeed, all details were not planned out, but our vision was crystal clear. We knew exactly what we were doing and why, but not exactly how. But what mattered the most was that we simply started doing things instead of just planning and planning. We were certain we’d come up with ways to execute our plan along the journey. Suddenly there were a group of people around us willing to help out. So many wonderful people were willing to contribute and share their talents, time and know-how for the common good! 

A big shout out to Slush for making us believe in ourselves and helping us think even bigger! In November 2013, almost exactly a month after the initial idea, we decided to validate the concept at Slush, one of the world’s leading startup events. At that point we only had a vision to sell, but thanks to the design of Henna and Pasi, that vision looked amazing! And besides, who could say no to the world’s friendliest polar bear, JBear, whose gigantic hug doesn’t leave anyone cold? This is what Slush does to you – it helps you scale up! What was initially meant to be a small local event grew into an international one that has attracted participants from over 20 different countries and received semifinal inquiries from Australia to Asia, from Europe to America.  

It takes an entire village to raise a child. The same applies to ideas. A big thank you to all of you wonderful people who have cared for and nurtured this seed of an idea over the years! You know who you are. <3 Over the years the greatest and the most precious thing for me has definitely been getting to know so many wonderful, passionate, kind and caring people who have made the event into what it is today. Currently the event is built by enthusiastic young future leaders whose energy is contagious. These people, such as Kaisa, Sebastian, and Ville, do not freeze no matter how tough the going gets! In addition, special thanks go to organizations such as Business Kitchen, University of Oulu, Oulu University of Applied Sciences and Business Oulu and all the officials who trusted in us and gave us the permission to execute a truly unique “final seminar”! Last but not least, very special thanks go to all of you brave startups, investors, and countless of volunteers who have courageously stepped out of your comfort zones – without you we would be nothing! Together as a community we have created something truly unique, about which P?rtel-Peeter Pere, an expert on place branding, has stated: 

"Polar Bear Pitching is a good example of place branding. It manages to encapsulate some important features that all place branding efforts need to have - authenticity and differentiation. It is authentic because of ice hole swimming as it relates to Finland and the sauna culture as well as the pitching, given the current tech scene and legacy the Oulu region has. This is authentic Oulu stuff right here. Differentiation is achieved because it is a nice marketing trick. Usually marketing tricks and place branding are not necessarily compatible - one is short term effort, the other is a long term strategic effort. But in this case the authenticity makes it a logical and natural thing to showcase and it is a part of the place’s identity and value offer." 

Today we were celebrating not only the four year old Polar Bear Pitching but most importantly the community and its members who over the years have been creating the story with us! Polar Bear Pitching is a story about Finnish attitude of Sisu, an extraordinary determination and bravery in the face of an extreme adversity and a mindset that surpasses the hardships and turns challenges into opportunities. It is a story of accepting ourselves the way we are; it is a story of the change of perspective that makes us see so called weaknesses as strengths. It is a story about positive uniqueness, the same character André No?l Chaker also writes in his book The Finnish Miracle. But most importantly it is a story about a community; a story about the people behind the red beanies - people who are willing to give their all for the community and together create a brighter future. <3