American Company Established a Subsidiary in Jyväskylä, Finland for University Cooperation

JYVÄSKYLÄ, FINLAND – USA Medical Electronix has established a subsidiary in Jyväskylä thanks to successful university cooperation. The company develops a home-use defibrillator, the software for which was completed in Jyväskylä. The cooperation supports the University of Jyväskylä’s goals for its engineering education, whose first Master of Science in Technology students will graduate in 2026. The development project offered engineering students an opportunity to learn about working with experts from different fields.

The American health technology company, USA Medical Electronix, has established a subsidiary in Jyväskylä. The decision stems from successful cooperation with the University of Jyväskylä.

Tom Kuutti, CEO of USA Medical Electronix, explains that a year and a half ago, the company had a problem: who would develop the world’s most accurate software for identifying heart rhythm?

They searched for a solution in the United States as well as elsewhere in the world.

Finally, Kuutti called an acquaintance at the University of Jyväskylä, Lauri Kettunen, the Vice Dean of the Faculty of Information Technology. “He called back a few days later and said it could be done here. That’s how it all started,” says Kuutti.

Kuutti states that the company’s goal is to bring “the world’s smallest and the world’s most accurate” home-use defibrillator to the market. The software for it was completed in Jyväskylä. “The coders in America were completely astonished by how much the Jyväskylä team accomplished in a week. Excellent code came out, line after line,” he says.

The Project Provided a Job

The challenge of the defibrillator’s software was solved by a project team consisting of students from the Faculty of Information Technology and university staff.

Teemu Paloniemi, a fourth-year Master of Science in Technology student, was attracted by the opportunity to develop software that would actually be used. “It brings enthusiasm and a sense of responsibility when you know that the code is truly going into use,” Paloniemi says.

The development project, which lasted a year and a half, was much more than just coding. “The biggest benefit was learning to work with experts from different fields and understanding their needs. For example, we had to condense a cardiologist’s wishes into a format understandable to a computer,” Paloniemi explains.

The Long-Sought Education is Producing Results

The University of Jyväskylä pursued engineering education for years before the permission was granted by the Government.

The first Master of Science in Technology students, who started their studies in 2021, will graduate next year.

The defibrillator software project with USA Medical Electronix is an example of what the university has aimed for with its engineering education.

Tom Kuutti will be back in Finland for Slush 2025 to meet more cooperation partners and potential investors.