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Beginning in November, Finlandia students and alumni will be participating in an innovative pilot-project utilizing a mobile mentoring application developed by the Helsinki-based Mesensei – a leader in education technology. The project is expected to last three months during which time between 20-40 student-mentor pairs will utilize the application and give feedback on its features and usability as a mobile mentoring platform.
Mesensei co-founder and CEO Tuukka Ylälähti and co-founder and board chair Eeva-Liisa Ylälähti will be coming to Finlandia from October 24-27 to kick-off the project with a workshop on Wednesday, October 25 from 6-9pm at the Finnish American Heritage Center. Tuukka is a start-up entrepreneur, advisor and business angel, specializing in platform strategies with a global reach. He was the creator & Co-founder of Cabforce.com, an online company for booking taxis worldwide for corporate clients. Cabforce.com was sold to the Irish travel company CarTrawler in 2015. Tuuka’s mother Eeva-Liisa is one of the top women entrepreneurs in Finland. She has been involved with online business since the late 90’s, including a successful mobile tech company which was sold to Nokia in early 2000. Since then they have been focusing on the digital education and mentoring market with Mesensei and a couple of related products.
According to Kevin Manninen, dean of the International School of Business, “this is an amazing opportunity for Finlandia. Mobile mentoring is the way of the future. It allows students to connect with alumni and others on a regular basis virtually anywhere in the world. A well-run mentoring program can have a positive effect on student retention as it enables students to connect and relate with mentors who have been in the same situation they are currently facing. In addition, it can assist juniors and seniors to begin the transition to life after graduation by enabling them to receive career guidance and advice from working professionals. “
While here, Tuukka and Eeva Liisa also plan to meet with local business leaders and experts to gain further insight into the possibilities of entering the US market with Mesensei.
Students and mentors from all different majors are needed for the project. For more information contact kevin.manninen@finlandia.edu
