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The 2017 spring seminar of the alumni community of the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management – Prodeko –  was organized on April 28 at Kalastajatorppa. The aspiring atmosphere among the 300 DIEM students, alumni and staff members tuned the audience to the First of May festivities. The seminar demonstrated the strength of our active alumni community.

The themes of the seminar included the launch of the Prodeko values and discussions about the entrepreneurship culture. The themes were discussed from the perspectives of start-up businesses, investors and corporations. Entrepreneurial activity raises its profile in the society. It is increasingly seen as a basis of agile operations and strategic renewal even in large organizations.

Risto Siilasmaa (in picture), an active alumnus and the founder of F-Secure as well as the Chairman of the Board at Nokia led the audience to think about the values of the community. The alumni community based the selection of the values on the grass root initiatives by the community members. The selected five values are:
 

• THINK BIG. Be bold. Trust yourself and your skills. Take risks, but not blindly – do so with entrepreneurial responsibility, ownership and humility.
• GET THINGS DONE. Take initiative. Have a can-do-attitude. Value results, not working hours. Be efficient, but above all, be effective - what you do and don't do are equally important.
• LEARN AND GROW. Be curious. Keep learning. Embrace imperfection. Know that your qualities aren't fixed - you can grow and develop throughout life.
• GIVE BACK. Support. Collaborate. Value your community. Don't ask what others can do for you, ask what you can do for others.
• BE A GOOD PERSON. Act with integrity. Be worthy of trust. Meet others with kindness. Remember that who you are is more important than what you do.
   

In the second part of the seminar, a number of newly established firms were presented. The firms have received financial support from the venture capital fund run by the alumni. These firms include:

• Wave Ventures () of Eero Vartiainen
• ResQ Club () of Tuure Parkkinen
• Rivender () of Juha Pennanen
• Blok () of Rudi Skogman, and
• YOU-app () of Nelli Lähteenmäki

The following people are commended for their contributions to the discussions, pitch talks and panel sessions in the seminar:

• Risto Siilasmaa – F-Secure, Nokia: Älä suhtaudu työpaikkaasi kuin vuokra-autoon. Jos et tunne omistajuutta, se ei kannata!
• Hans Sohlström – Ahlström Capital: Kysymysten kysyminen on eräs parhaista tavoista johtaa.
• Ilkka Paananen – Supercell: Pienissä tiimeissä on voimaa! Small is beautiful.
• Ilkka Kivimäki – Inventure, Slush: Voit kehittyä ja kasvaa koko elämäsi ajan.
• Marianne Vikkula – Slush: Yrittäjyyden alueella Aallossa ja Suomessa tapahtuu valtavasti.
• Pyry Huhtanen – AYY: Aalto-kampus kehittyy yrittäjien kaupungiksi.
• Esa Saarinen – filosofi, Aalto-yliopiston professori: Tasapaino itseisarvojen ja välineellisten arvojen välillä on yhteisöllisen arvokokemuksen perusta.
• Kaj Hagros – Pivot5, Prodeko Ventures: Ota riskejä yrittäjämäisellä vastuullisuudella, omistajuudella ja nöyryydellä.
   

The seminar day included a number of meetings such as the Prodeko Advisory Board meeting, the shareholder meeting of Prodeko Ventures, Inc., and the spring meeting of the Prodeko Alumni Association. These meetings were followed by networking over a cocktail party and a dinner. The Prodeko Guild accompanied the party with the Economic Eclipse and Alumni Open Jam bands.

Photos of the seminar are available at the event’s Facebook-pages. The photos are taken by Olli Kiikkilä and Ossi Hakulinen.