IDBM | Aalto University

IDBM Challenge: Bridges of Innovation 🚀 Last week, I had the opportunity to host the IDBM | Aalto University final event at Maria 01 together with Mila Coe. 🌟 It was inspiring to witness 11 amazing teams present their innovative solutions to tackle the challenges brought by Sitra megatrends, all with a vision to create a greener, healthier society and a more sustainable future. The entrepreneurial spirit and creativity in the room were phenomenal – exactly the kind of mindset we need to foster not just in academic settings but across Helsinki and beyond. We need to drive this type of meaningful change and new opportunities in Finland now! A huge thanks to all the students for their incredible work, and a special shout-out to Mila for co-hosting with me, Juli for capturing the moments through photography, and of course to Ville Eloranta IDBM Program Director, for making this event possible. 🌟 Let’s continue pushing the boundaries of innovation and sustainability!

Choosing IDBM as my minor at Aalto turned out to be one of the best decisions I've made! The experience of working with motivated students from ARTS, BIZ, and TECH, alongside great teachers and projects, was truly rewarding. I often get asked about the difference between the CoID and IDBM programs. It’s not an easy comparison, but here’s what I’ve noticed: - IDBM(Design Business Management) brings together students from diverse backgrounds, which helped me learn to see things from different perspectives. In my opinion, It focuses more on design "thinking", strategic design, and product management. - CoID (Collaborative and Industrial Design), emphasizes user-centered design, and collaborative design and offers more hands-on, practice-oriented projects, like digital interaction design. One interesting thing about IDBM is how often we were asked, "How can you make this profitable?" That business-focused mindset isn’t as common in CoID, where the questions lean more towards design itself. Here are some photos from our final event! I was part of the organizing team, and it was a lot of fun putting it together. Everyone did such a fantastic job with their presentations—it was truly inspiring. Big thanks to our teacher Ville Eloranta, our amazing host and my team’s presenter Isaac Jyväsjärvi, and our keynote speaker Sini Ågrén for sharing such helpful insights at the event. A special shoutout to my teammates Issac, Anssi Moilanen, Mila Lakkapää, and Katerina Tchilinguirov for the fantastic teamwork, and to photographer Júlia Vila for capturing the day with beautiful photos!

🚨 Final call for all the IDBM alumni: The registration for IDBM Alumni Mentoring Programme ends this Sunday! 🚨 Still not sure if you should sign up for the IDBM Mentoring Programme? Take it from one of last year's mentors, Laura, who joined the program inspired by her own mentors and role-models and found the experience equally rewarding. “In addition to being able to offer support, mentoring is a good way to develop your competence and ability to lead and support the development of others constructively. Through the program, I found a fantastic person, who turned out to be a wonderful mentee, with great abilities for growth, self-reflection, and maturity to receive mentoring,” Laura IDBM (ARTS 2017) mentor Are you ready to continue your professional and personal growing journey? Don’t miss your chance and connect with IDBMers across the years! 📅 Registration closes on Sunday, 13th October – don't wait! Sign up now here: https://lnkd.in/dPEMrTSw

📣 IDBM Mentoring Programme is coming again! 📣 You heard it right! Whether you missed the previous iteration or are eager to join again - you can register now here: https://lnkd.in/djRgtCgg The programme is organized by the IDBM Alumni Association and is targeted to IDBM second year students, recent & soon-to-be graduates, and alumni, aiming to facilitate meaningful exchanges that lead to career growth and personal development. If you’re still not sure whether to join, read about previous years experience here: https://lnkd.in/dSSaRdPT The registration for the mentoring programme ends on Sunday, 13th October.

From IDBM to Leading Operations at the Nordic Innovation House in Tokyo🗼 An open mind and ‘connecting the dots’ thinking led Niklas Karvonen, International Design Business Management alum from class of 2015, to Japan after graduation. We had a conversation with him to learn about his career path and the mindset that has guided his decision-making over the years. Read Niklas's career story on our blog 🖋 Link to post: https://lnkd.in/d6VBKxu7 Interview by Jasmin el Kordy

Building a professional identity can be a complex journey that may seem especially puzzling for students with interdisciplinary backgrounds. To support the exploration process, the self-organised IDBM Alumni Association launched a mentoring program last fall. With the first iteration of the program coming to an end, we asked program participants Maria, Laura and Viorica, as well as Helena from the Alumni Association to reflect on the learnings from the program and share with us. Read what they have to say about their experience on our blog 🖋 Link: https://lnkd.in/dSSaRdPT Text by Jasmin el Kordy

"Highlights of the journey included forming new friendships and cultural experiences. The trip opened our eyes to see the world in a new light. The African rhythm of life and perception of time offered us new perspectives and lessons compared to the efficiency-driven Finnish lifestyle" At their best, the IDBM Industry Project field trips offer eye-opening experiences and exposure to new cultures on top of the lessons learnt about field research. Read more on our blog about the AGI Industry Project team's field trip to Uganda this spring here: https://lnkd.in/dz_FnPZF

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then what about a video? Relive this year’s IDBM Impact Gala magic with the gala after movie. Video by Janne Nuolioja

Just over a week ago we gathered at the annual IDBM Impact Gala to hear the IDBM Industry Project course outcomes. We listened to inspiring presentations on everything from innovative use cases for deep tech start-ups to fairer funding mechanisms in humanitarian aid. The creativity and drive of our multidisciplinary student teams never fails to amaze us! This year, the gala was topped up with an IDBM alumni panel discussion organised by the IDBM alumni association. It was wonderful to see so many of you there and learn about our alumni’s experiences and practical tips for pushing the boundaries and championing creativity and innovation in their work. The panelist all agreed that pushing the boundaries requires a strong belief in your vision, taking good care of yourself to keep up the drive, and above all, fierce collaboration and teamwork. Thank you to everyone who made this year’s IDBM Impact Gala a huge success! Photos by Kristian Presnal

How might deep tech startups in the bio-foam industry use their existing resources to make their product easy to understand? Woamy has been working on startup-friendly ways to create awareness using minimum cost and resources. Our goal? To make it easy for potential clients to grasp the benefits and applications of Woamy’s product! See you at Impact Gala 2024! Let’s meet and discuss with us if you want to know more about Woamy! #IDBM #ImpactGala2024 #ShapesofTomorrow #WOAMY #biofoam #startup