Nordic Startup News Early Stage Startup News From The Nordics
This piece is part of the Slush Chronicles series, “Founders Unplugged,” where we interview founders and key personnel of innovative companies, to hear their thoughts on the event we’re attending or dive into other spontaneously chosen topics.
Slush 2025 founder: Jukka Tuhkanen, HIIL
I ran into Jukka Tuhkanen, Director of Sales and Partnerships from Hiil, a wood “startup” transforming waste wood into high-value products using an innovative charring process. Their Kiertopuu® (“Circularwood”) line repurposes discarded timber into durable, sustainable materials for construction and design, promoting circular economy principles and energy efficiency.
As a first-time attendee, Jukka entered Slush with curiosity, exploring the familiar Helsinki Exhibition Center in its unfamiliar transformation dim lighting, lasers, vibrant stages, and uniquely styled booths. Despite the sensory overload, Jukka confidently showcased Hiil’s “hardware product,” explaining the the concept behind their eco-friendly innovation.
What Is Hiil?
The Finnish word hiil(i means “charcoal,” and charring wood forms the basis of Hiil’s technology. This process not only protects the wood’s surface but extends its lifespan, making it ideal for both interior and exterior applications. Hiil combines traditional techniques with a self-developed, modern manufacturing process to create high-quality, environmentally sustainable products.
The company is now scaling operations, supported by a €0.5M investment in product development and a new manufacturing facility in Kontiolahti, Finland. Originating as a side project of a sister company specializing in artistic wood designs like the iconic Supercell Sauna, Hiil evolved to focus on larger-scale applications, utilizing wood sidestreams from construction and sawmills. Their toxin-free products are perfect for a range of uses, from built environments to nature-based installations.
“Our team has worked with unique and luxurious Wood interiors for more than a decade, gathering experience from different wood materials and their protection. We have always wanted to find natural and non-toxic ways to protect wood and started a quest to find an efficient way to protect wood with industrial approach. Since there were none for our standard and vision we developed it ourselves”, Jukka says.
The Road Ahead
Recently, Hiil secured €1.5M in funding (article in Finnish), enabling plans to triple production, expand internationally, and establish a distribution network across Finland and the Nordics. With growing global interest in eco-friendly wood protection, Hiil aims to take its charred wood products worldwide, promoting sustainable, CO2-free construction practices.
Jukka’s First Slush Experience
Jukka’s first Slush exceeded his expectations. While the event is often seen as a hub for digital innovation, Hiil’s tangible, hardware-based product found its place. The matchmaking tool facilitated multiple fruitful meetings, and Jukka left the event with invaluable experiences and connections. “I’ll definitely be back at Slush,” he said enthusiastically.
NOTE: As a new content service from Nordic Startup News, we are trialing with some of our interviews (and other stories, too) to be spoken out as Podcasts. Here is our NotebookLM generated spoken audio for this interview. Enjoy!
