Shining a Light on Local Innovation – Inspiring the Creators of Tomorrow
This summer, NIC STARTLINE will highlight local innovations from Nykarleby and the surrounding region through engaging videos and posters. Led by Ellie Käldström, the project aims to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs by showcasing stories of creativity and invention that have shaped the local community.
Through research and creative content production, a young team member will uncover at least five historical innovations. These stories will be shared via social media, displayed in the NIC Lounge through posters, and possibly turned into short video clips to capture attention and spark curiosity.
NIC Startline celebrates the entrepreneurial spirit of small towns, proving that big ideas can come from anywhere.
Prevex - The tiny piece of plastic that keeps your kitchen from smelling
Two water traps. Together, they form the shape of an anthropomorphic elephant lugging around with a backpack.
These posters are a tribute to the water trap. Inspired by the true story of a small Finnish company that quietly reinvented kitchen hygiene in the 1970s, and later became the hidden standard behind millions of sinks, this artwork celebrates innovation that speaks through function, not fame.
Jeppo Biogas - The company Elon Musk would probably hate
A cow smelling its own fart. The cow looks unimpressed, but deeply satisfied.
These posters are a tribute to rural innovation that quietly outsmarts Silicon Valley. Inspired by Jeppo Biogas, a farmer-run energy project in Western Finland, this piece celebrates the absurd elegance of turning manure into motion.
Mekrapid - The most powerful leaders in the world are sitting on a secret. And it's not a state secret.
This poster is of a Tiki head built from the technical diagram of a chair swivel. The mechanical casings and springs are rearranged to create the lines and shapes of a tribal face.
These posters are a tribute to the auto-return chair mechanism by the Finnish company Mekrapid. It celebrates an invisible piece of engineering from Jakobstad that became the standard for the world’s greatest furniture brands.
Alholmen Industrial Park - What if the stuff you buy didn't have to create mountains of waste?
This poster depicts the flows of Alholmen Industrial Park. The park’s map, a network of roads is reimagined as a stream of energy converging and diverging.
These posters celebrate the continuous movement that defines the park in Pietarsaari. What enters through the port and railway becomes a current of resources, flowing between companies in a loop. Wood byproducts from the timber industry feed the pulp and paper mills, whose waste is then transformed into energy, creating a self-sustaining momentum.
Botnia Marin - The village behind Norway's, Great Britain's and Finland's Police Boats
Posters
A huge thank you to Nyko-Print for printing A2 versions of the posters to add a splash of color to our co-working space.
Financiers
Co-financed by the European Union through Aktion Österbotten.
