Maritime Venture Program:
From Pilot to Investment
Where startups, scaleups, corporates, and investors meet to accelerate maritime innovation.
Pressure-test your innovation with industry operators and venture partners
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Meet the experts
Terhi Vapola
Founder & Managing Partner, Greencode Ventures
Terhi is Founder & Managing Partner at Greencode Ventures, Greencode Ventures, a VC firm investing in early-phase, digital-first startups driving the green transition across Europe. She has over 40 investments and 18 board positions, and previously founded & led Helen Ventures. With deep expertise in greentech, digitalization, and international growth, Terhi helps founders sharpen their impact, business model, and navigate scaling.
Tuomo Veivo
VC, Redstone
Tuomo is a member of the Investment Team Nordics at Redstone VC, working with the emerging Redstone Blue fund that targets early-stage startups in the Blue Economy. He works closely with startup founders to support them in scaling in the market.
Piia Maaranen
Investment Director, Innovestor
Piia combines founder and investor perspectives, having led startups to successful exits and advised accelerators across industries. At Innovestor, she leverages deep tech and venture experience to support early-stage founders. She focuses on impact-driven innovation and helps startups sharpen their fundraising approach — insights directly applicable to scaling maritime ventures.
Tuomas Riski
Entrepreneur, ex-CEO of Norsepower
Tuomas is a serial entrepreneur and former CEO/co-founder of Norsepower, where he led development and commercialization of rotor sail technology that dramatically lowers emissions for large vessels. His deep experience scaling maritime cleantech, – from proof of concept to industrial deployment, – gives him a unique perspective on navigating tech, operations, and markets in the ocean space.
Pontus Stråhlman
Partner, Voima Ventures
A serial entrepreneur and Partner at Voima Ventures, a Nordic deep-tech VC investing in science-driven innovations from AI to biotech and robotics. Pontus brings two decades of entrepreneurial and angel investing experience, supporting founders in turning research into scalable companies.
Alina Sippolainen
Blue Economy & Ecosystem Advisor, A'Pelago
Alina is a Blue Economy and Ecosystem Advisor at the Accelerator Team at A'Pelago, the Baltic Sea region’s leading blue economy ecosystem. She works with the global blue economy ecosystem to connect early-stage startups with investors and collaborates closely with founders and investors to support their market scaling.
Matti Ristimäki
Founder & CEO, Krosswise
Matti is Founder & CEO of Krosswise, a group building specialized tech teams that help founders in demanding industrial sectors digitalize their core operations. With Krosswise’s model of combining domain expertise and senior technical insight, Matti supports founders hands-on in structuring technical efforts, scaling teams, and making complex systems work reliably in the field.
Tuomas Pahlman
Founder, Hopohopo.io
Tuomas has built two deeptech companies and invested in more than 40 startups, giving him perspective from both sides of the table. Today, he builds Hopohopo.io, a platform that helps founders manage their fundraising pipeline and investor relations. At the bootcamp, he shares practical methods to structure your fundraising funnel and keep momentum with investors.
⚓ Get investment- and partnership-ready in 48 hours
Verify your market
Test your positioning ahead of your meetings. Strengthen your pitch with hands-on workshops and real talks with potential customers and investors.
Master your fundraising and growth strategy
Learn the playbook of running your fundraising and sales with the best practices from 20,000+ fundraising rounds and market entries.
Connect with the ecosystem
Engage directly with VCs, corporates, and peers through pitches, reverse pitches, and curated 1-on-1 matchmaking.
Identify the next steps
Leave with a clear plan for fundraising, partnerships, and scaling in maritime innovation.
Why to join the Venture Program?
Innovation in maritime needs both capital and customers. This two-day bootcamp brings the ecosystem together: startups, scaleups, corporates, and investors.
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Day 1 helps startups sharpen their fundraising strategy through workshops, feedback rounds, and mentor check-ins.
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Day 2 connects the whole ecosystem through startup and scaleup pitches, corporate reverse pitches, and curated 1-on-1 matchmaking.
You’ll get frameworks, real-life feedback, and clear next steps to grow — packed into 2 days designed to help you secure funding, forge partnerships, and accelerate innovation in maritime.
Date & place
October 29-30
Turku, Finland
For whom
Startups - Scaleups
Corporates & Operators
Investors
Format
In-person · Workshops, pitches, roundtables, and curated 1-on-1 matchmaking
Bootcamp agenda
October 29
Founder Preparation Day
(09:30 – 17:30)
09:30 – Inside the Fundraising ProcessA real-world view of how successful early-stage rounds unfold—and where they get stuck.
10:00 – What Investors Actually Look ForBased on 20k+ evaluations: traction, timing, team, and credibility signals.
10:45 – Fundability ScorecardUse a VC-style diagnostic to assess your current position and challenges.
11:30 – Sharpening Your StoryClarify traction, team–market fit, and timing to strengthen investor belief.
12:30 – Lunch Break
13:30 – Peer Feedback RoundsTest your narrative with fellow founders — what resonates for customers, and what convinces investors.
14:30 – Building Your Fundraising ProcessLearn how to structure fundraising work as a repeatable, trackable process.
15:15 – Coffee Break
15:30 – Messaging That Gets RepliesCreate investor messages that are clear, relevant, and response-worthy.
17:00 – Async Work & PrepQuiet time to refine your fundraising story and set goals for Day 2.
October 30
Maritime Innovation Day
(09:00 – 18:30)
08:30 – Arrival & Coffee
09:00 – Kick-off & Framing the DayWelcome note: today is about putting stories into action.
09:30 – Startup & Scaleup ShowcasesStartup and Growth-stage scaleups present their innovation cases to corporates and investors.
11:15 – Corporate Reverse PitchesCorporates share their innovation needs and partnership priorities.
12:00 – Networking Lunch
13:00 – 1:1 Matchmaking SessionsPre-booked meetings between startups, scaleups, corporates, and investors.
15:00 – Coffee & Open Networking
16:00 – Panel: Scaling Maritime InnovationInsights on collaboration between scaleups, corporates, and capital.
16:45 – Wrap-up & Next StepsKey learnings and follow-up opportunities.
17:00 – Networking Reception (until 18:30)Drinks/snacks in an informal setting to close the bootcamp.
How founders and partners describe the experience?
The bootcamp gave me a practical way to think about fundraising, which can otherwise be daunting and not always very pleasant. One key insight for me was the idea that fundraising is sales. I’ve never done B2B sales before, so understanding what kind of story I’m trying to tell, who’s on the other side, and what I’m actually trying to sell to investors was very valuable.
We were just preparing our seed round materials, so the timing of the bootcamp was perfect. It gave us a great feedback loop: sparring with peers, getting input from VCs, and calibrating our story. One of the most valuable parts was testing if our pitch was too technical, too commercial, and how to balance that. It helped us understand how to better communicate what we do.
If you're in the middle of fundraising or just getting started, it’s good to join this bootcamp to get practical tips and kickstart the whole process. I joined the bootcamp as I wanted to get some structure to the fundraising process, and the sessions brought me a lot of new insights and tips.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is eligible to participate in the Venture Program?
Who is eligible to participate?
The Maritime Innovation Bootcamp is designed for the full maritime innovation ecosystem:
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Startups (Pre-seed to Series A): Founders preparing or running their fundraising, looking to sharpen their investor story and process.
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Scaleups: Growth-stage companies with traction, ready to pitch to corporates and investors for pilots or expansion capital.
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Corporates & Operators: Maritime players seeking innovation partnerships, pilot projects, and exposure to new technologies.
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Investors: VCs, angels, and CVCs interested in curated deal flow from early-stage startups to growth-ready ventures.
👉 Day 1 is fundraising training for startups.
👉 Day 2 is Connecting Maritime Innovation — where startups, scaleups, corporates, and investors all join
Is the Venture Program free?
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Day 1 (Startups – Fundraising Foundations): Free for selected startup founders.
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Day 2 (Connecting Maritime Innovation): Participation is by application/invitation for scaleups, corporates, and investors.
How does the application process work?
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Startups: Apply through the Hopohopo platform – – here's the link. The deadline is October 12, and selected startups will be announced the week after. Once selected, you’ll receive an email with further details, including the agenda, venue information, and preparation materials.
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Scaleups, Corporates & Investors: Please contact team@hopohopo.io to request an invitation.
What is the structure and agenda of the Program?
The bootcamp takes place over two days, October 29–30 in Turku:
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Day 1 – Fundraising Foundations (Startups only): Workshops, peer reviews, and mentor check-ins to sharpen your fundraising story and process.
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Day 2 – Connecting Maritime Innovation: Startups and scaleups pitch, corporates share their priorities, and everyone connects through roundtables, 1:1 matchmaking, and networking.
Is there 1-on-1 matchmaking?
Is there 1-on-1 matchmaking?
Yes. On Day 2 – Connecting Maritime Innovation, we run curated 1:1 meetings between startups, scaleups, corporates, and investors. These sessions are designed to help:
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Startups & Scaleups present their solutions directly to relevant investors and corporates.
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Corporates explore technologies that fit their innovation priorities.
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Investors connect with founders and growth-stage teams that match their focus.
👉 In addition, startups also receive Day 2 mentor check-ins for personal fundraising feedback.
What if I can’t attend both days?
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Startups: We strongly recommend attending both days — Day 1 builds the foundation, and Day 2 puts it into practice with investors and corporates. Missing one day reduces the value significantly.
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Others (scaleups, corporates, investors): Your participation is focused on Day 2, so you only need to join that day.
Can I attend the Venture Program online?
No, the bootcamp is an in-person experience held in Turku. It’s designed to be highly interactive, with hands-on feedback, peer learning, and investor conversations that work best face-to-face.
If you’re unable to join this time, you can subscribe to our community newsletter to stay updated on future Bootcamps and upcoming online events.
Can I bring my co-founder or colleague?
Absolutely. In fact, you’ll get even more out of the bootcamp by attending together – especially during the feedback sessions and collaborative workshops.
Who should I contact for any further details?
Feel free to reach out to grigory@hopohopo.io with any questions.