Reimagining Collaboration and Innovation for Connected Communities
Event description
What forces are redefining how people, systems and infrastructures connect and evolve today?
This panel explores how innovation connects people, places and knowledge across critical industries. It examines new models of collaboration that reshape how sectors evolve and interact. Bringing together diverse perspectives, the discussion highlights how innovation drives more integrated, adaptive and efficient environments.
On stage start-ups that will pitch in 2 minutes each
Speakers:
Vilma Rissanen, Senior Advisor, Commercial and Economic Affairs Business Finland
Adrian McDonald, CEO Epicenter
Andreas Saxin, Andreas Saxin, Nurse and Senior Innovation Leader Karolinska University Hospital
Kushagr Punyani, Chief Business Officer Smile Incubator
Mattia Palazzi, Innovation Specialist Veolia Italia
Moderator:
Jessica Mansourati, Startup Advisor Uppsala Innovation Centre & Innovation Leadership Group
#smartcities #openinnovation #connectedcommunities
Details
Speakers in this Panel
Jessica Mansourati
Jessica Mansourati is a startup advisor and innovation leader in the Nordic startup scene, helping businesses turn innovative ideas into scalable reality. With experience from Nextory, Business Sweden USA, Spotify, and as the founder of two audio ventures, she combines deep market insight...Read more
Vilma Sofia Rissanen
Vilma is a Senior Advisor, Commercial and Economic Affairs, at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, based at the Embassy of Finland in Stockholm. In her role, she works to accelerate the growth of Finnish companies, strengthen trade with Sweden, and actively drive collaboration...Read more
Andreas Saxin
Andreas Saxin is a registered nurse and senior innovation leader at Karolinska University Hospital. Combining active clinical practice with innovation leadership, he brings firsthand understanding of frontline needs to his work — a foundation he sees as essential for driving relevant and...Read more
Kushagr Punyani
Kushagr Punyani is Chief Business Officer at SmiLe Venture Hub in Lund, one of Europe’s and of course Sweden’s leading life science incubators. SmiLe supports startups and corporates in building and scaling companies in diagnostics, medtech, and biotech, with a strong focus on...Read more
Mattia Palazzi
As an Innovation Specialist at Veolia Italia, Mattia transforms innovative ideas into impactful projects, reinforcing the company’s leadership in energy efficiency. Currently, he is actively involved in the development of the Research Gateway, an initiative designed to foster an...Read more
Adrian McDonald
Adrian is the CEO of Epicenter, the Nordics’ largest tech ecosystem. With experience spanning both high-growth startups and global enterprises, he brings a sharp, strategic perspective on how to scale.Most recently, Adrian served as CEO of Adway, where he helped redefine how companies...Read more