Startups Go Full Throttle at Rally Pitch Finland

Twelve founders pitched their companies from the passenger seat of a rally car driven by four-time World Rally Champion Tommi Mäkinen.

PUUPPOLA, Finland — Startup founders often talk about acceleration, traction and staying calm under pressure. At Rally Pitch Finland, those were not merely business metaphors.

This idea was originally created by Olli Rundgren (one of the judges, and CEO, founder of Psyon Games) after the Oulu, Finland annual Polar Bear Pitching… He thought about what would be unigue way to do a pitching competinion in Jyväskylä, Finland, where the WRC Rally is driven every year… Well, he went to Sauna with Peter Vesterbacka, Kustaa Valtonen and few other Finnish startup guys, and thus created the idea of pitching in a rally car while on the go, and the rest is… Rally Pitch was born!

So, in 2026, twelve carefully selected entrepreneurs delivered their pitches while riding at rally speed with four-time World Rally Champion Tommi Mäkinen behind the wheel. Held at Tommi’s Rally headquarters near Jyväskylä on 29 July,2026. This invitation-only event brought startups, investors and partners together in a setting far removed from the usual conference stage. It was real full throttle without the pitch deck.

The 12 Rally Pitch Startups

1. Benoît Gouit
   LinkedIn profile | INRACE website
2. Valtteri Leitola
   LinkedIn profile | Intercontinental Sustainable Racing on LinkedIn
3. Erica Ylimäki
   LinkedIn profile | MedicubeX website
4. Petra Puolakanaho
   LinkedIn profile | Menox website
5. Mathias Svahn
   LinkedIn profile | NextCell Pharma website
6. Valtteri Lahti
   LinkedIn profile | Psyon Games website
7. Lennu Keinänen
   LinkedIn profile | Rise Financial Group website
8. Lukas Schuster
   LinkedIn profile | Syntactiq website
9. Seha Polat
   LinkedIn profile | Nutshell Education Technologies website
10. Leo Olebe
    LinkedIn profile | Big Kitten
11. Joonas Lius
    LinkedIn profile | Veuby Insights
12. Feng Gao
    LinkedIn profile | Chipmetrics website

Here’s two vids of MedicubeX pitching, pre and during Rally Pitch. Same same, but different

IMG_1877

IMG_1881

The pitches were filmed inside the car and shown live on a screen at the venue, allowing the audience—and a five-member judging panel—to see which founders could communicate their vision while being thrown around in a genuine rally environment. Well, they did have a chance to do their pitch also before the ride, as most of the words were hard to recognise at the circuit:)

There were no slides to hide behind and very little time for lengthy explanations. Each founder had to make the problem, solution and business opportunity understandable while remaining composed at full speed.

The participating companies represented a broad range of industries, including health technology, artificial intelligence, gaming, financial services, education, semiconductor technology and sustainable motorsport:

Mäkinen was originally expected to share the driving duties with another Finnish rally legend, Marcus Grönholm, but Grönholm was unable to drive because of back problems…

Yes, that Marcus Grönholm: the two-time World Rally Champion behind one of motorsport’s most memorable post-stage interviews.

After his co-driver Timo Rautiainen was injured during the 2004 Rally Turkey, Grönholm attempted to explain the incident in English with the now-famous line: “Up in the ass of Timo.” The remark became part of rally folklore, although the incident itself was serious: a piece of steel had penetrated through the floor and seat of their car and struck Rautiainen.

Grönholm may have remained outside the car in Puuppola, telling great stories, but Mäkinen ensured that the founders still received the full Rally Pitch experience.

The result was part startup competition, part media production and part Finnish rally spectacle—a format designed to test not only the strength of a business idea, but the founder’s ability to deliver it when conditions are anything but comfortable. The results to be published shortly, after the event’s ending ceremonies.

The Five Rally Pitch Judges were:

1. Milapsinh Jadeja — Metl Ventures / Iroller Capital
2. Fredrik Debong — Nineteen Twenty-One
3. Olli Rundgren — Psyon Games
4. Kustaa Valtonen — FinEst Bay Area Development
5. Joshua Haynes — Masawa Ventures

At Rally Pitch, the cars provided the speed. The startups had to provide the traction. A truly unique experience!

/Peter