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A good CEO. That’s what Maija Itkonen aspires to be, above all. As a young designer, she didn’t see developing businesses as a creative pursuit on par with design. ‘I no longer ask myself how I can express myself – that happens through the companies I build,’ she says.

Itkonen first rose to fame as the co-developer of Pulled Oats, but it wasn’t her first startup. Already during her studies, she co-founded PowerKiss Ltd, a company that created wireless charging devices integrated into furniture. She began developing Pulled Oats in the 2010s with Reetta Andolin and Zhongqing Jiang. It became a massive hit in 2016, selling out in stores across Finland.

Clearly, Itkonen has no shortage of ideas, but she knows she can’t chase every single one. For her, getting things done is key. 

‘If you ask me whether I’m a starter or a finisher, I’m definitely a finisher. Nothing is more rewarding than completing something,’ she laughs, adding that she has a passion for making lists.

Itkonen has co-founded companies in both tech and food. Could she help shape a business in any industry? ‘In theory, yes. But of course, it’s essential to have experts who know the field inside out. I don’t imagine I can do it all alone.’

The power of networks

Between 2002 and 2008, Itkonen studied industrial design at the University of Art and Design Helsinki and design management in the IDBM programme at the Helsinki School of Economics – both predecessor institutions of Aalto University. Before that, she had studied music at the Sibelius Academy and the University of Gothenburg.

When she began her design studies, she didn’t intend to give up music. She continued playing oboe with the Helsinki City Theatre Orchestra while studying and launching startups, until family life took over her calendar. ‘I’ve always juggled several things at once.’

Networks have played a major role in her career, something she often highlights to students. ‘Just think about what kind of network Aalto University offers: students, professors, an incredible amount of expertise. Each of them is, in principle, willing to help you if you approach them genuinely and without an agenda.’

But building networks doesn’t mean pushing your idea on everyone. For Itkonen, the key is finding the right match. When that happens, things move forward without a struggle. She also stresses that networking is reciprocal. ‘If you help someone less experienced, they’ll remember it.’

She says she’s never really had dreams in the traditional sense – she doesn’t just dream, she makes things happen. Although, as a child, she did have a dream job: to be an art teacher. 

‘I thought it would be inspiring to be the fairy godmother who opens the supply cupboard and hands out little sparks to unlock people’s creativity,’ she says enthusiastically, but adds that she probably wouldn’t make a very good teacher. ‘I tend to spoon-feed answers and I’m impatient.’

Aiming for systems-level change

In 2022, Itkonen co-founded Onego Bio with Christopher Landowski. The company produces egg white powder for industrial use without chickens or eggs. ‘It’s a VTT spin-off, and the technology is so valuable that it wasn’t easy to get it out of VTT. I had to raise funding and prove that my vision and abilities were exactly what the product needed.’

She describes it as a product that aims to improve the egg industry on a systems level. ‘We currently pay a high price to make our cakes fluffy,’ she says, referring to the environmental costs of egg production and blights like avian flu.

What’s more, eggs – which are mostly water – are expensive to store and transport. Powder, on the other hand, keeps well and is easy to ship. The goal isn’t to replace eggs entirely. You can’t make the Finnish delicacy egg butter from it, and no one expects people to give up boiled eggs for breakfast. 

‘We’re continuing the work started by Mother Nature. We take from the egg what we need – say, for leavening cakes – and do it in a way that avoids the byproducts of egg production. Isn’t that a fascinating idea?’

An engineer’s brain

Itkonen lives with her family in Helsinki’s Arabianranta district, where Onego Bio’s office is also located. That’s where we meet. The company currently employs around 40 people. 

‘There’s a food lab upstairs where we run experiments and test the product’s functionality,’ Itkonen says before we head to a meeting room.

She says Onego Bio values collaboration with farmers and is not interested in setting plant-based and animal-based products against one another. ‘Our customer is the food industry, which struggles with the inconsistency of egg quality, price and availability.’

Opposition doesn’t lead to progress – and right now, the goal is to transform the food industry and improve the world. ‘I don’t believe that wanting change is enough. Real change happens through business. If money moves, change follows.’

In Itkonen’s view, improving the world and doing business are not opposing forces; they depend on each other.

The company is currently targeting the US market, as approval processes in Europe can take years. There’s plenty to do, and Itkonen’s phone keeps buzzing. ‘I work all hours if needed. But I’m protected by the fact that my brain is built like an engineer’s. I simply can’t function if I’m tired.’

Designed to taste

When Itkonen and Andolin founded their Pulled Oats company Gold&Green in 2015, they were told that food couldn’t be designed. ‘That it just ends up on your plate and tastes good or bad. But it’s not that simple.’

She picks up a chocolate from the bowl on the table. 

‘Food is incredibly designed. It’s about what I want to eat, what I want to reach for, what I truly like, the childhood memories the product evokes, the feelings it triggers and what it does to me or the environment over time.”

For her, design is first and foremost about creating value. ‘Technology is worthless if it doesn’t reach the user. You have to crystallise the idea and make it accessible in some kind of package.’

When developing something new, Itkonen believes in ‘pessimistic optimism.’ First, consider everything that could go wrong. What remains is a crystal clear core. 

Sometimes, though, an idea simply doesn’t work. Then you have to be ready to change course overnight. ‘In startups, you go all in. You give your company all your love, creativity and energy. But no one guarantees it will succeed.’

So far, Itkonen has succeeded: PowerKiss was sold to the US-based Powermat in 2013, Gold&Green was sold first to Paulig in 2016 and later to Valio in 2022. With Onego Bio, she’s aiming even higher. 

Text: Miina Poikolainen.

This article has been published in the (issuu.com), September 2025.