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feature
I
t’s a chill November day in Helsinki, but the
temperature inside the Exhibition & Convention
Centre is hotting up by the minute. On stage, beads
of perspiration glisten as young hopefuls pitch their
ideas to angel investors.
This is Slush, one of the world’s leading events
where startups and tech talent can meet with top-
tier international investors, executives and media.
Seated near the stage is
Jukka Salmikuukka
,
KONE’s Director of New Business Concepts. But what does
a corporate goliath like KONE expect to gain from an event
for newbie entrepreneurs?
“We’re always looking for fresh ideas and opportunities
to partner with innovators. We work with startups to speed
up our innovation process because they’re creative, fast,
and willing to adopt new technology,” says Salmikuukka.
SECRET SAUCE OF SUCCESS
KONE is already an industry-leading innovator – why reach
outside the company for new ideas?
“Digitalization is changing every industry. It’s not about
individual companies competing anymore, but more about
competing ecosystems. In today’s business environment,
it is difficult to succeed with a closed model of innovation.
Open cooperation is the only way to go.”
Smart buildings are fueling this trend. “Everything from
elevators to air conditioning systems are starting to talk to
each other. By integrating them, we can create an endless
array of smart services,” explains Salmikuukka.
“But if you think of what it means to improve People
Flow it’s clear that we at KONE cannot innovate everything
on our own. By pooling our talents and offering solutions
together with third parties, we deliver greater value.”
If KONE is the supertanker, startups are like high-speed
motorboats. By leveraging their agility, KONE can focus
on its core ecosystem and let speedier visionaries find new
angles for enhancing the customer experience.
“In return we link them up with our global customer base.
And, by working together, we ensure that their innovations
are compliant with our systems. We believe that 1 + 1 = 3.”
WELCOME TO THE KONE ECOSYSTEM
Corporations from Apple to Google are all hooking up with
small, agile tech businesses, says Slush CEO
Riku Mäkelä
.
This is because a large corporation’s overall ecosystem is
always more valuable than the enterprise itself.
“There’s a multitude of ways for big companies to
become more open and collaborative. Cooperation might
take the form of pilot projects with selected startups,
opening up digital interfaces and APIs (application
programming interfaces) to new apps, or running
hackathons and competitions,” says Mäkelä.
KONE actively uses all three approaches. In its API
Challenge at last year’s Slush, KONE threw down the
In search of
prospective business
partners at Slush
PHOTO
MAIJA ASTIKAINEN
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