And the winner is… VoimaX!

At Startup Summit Eastern Finland 2025, one team stood out with a combination of deep technology, clear market relevance and strong execution. The winner of last year’s startup competition was VoimaX.

VoimaX is developing a magnet-free electric motor, addressing one of the key structural challenges in electrification: dependency on rare earth materials.

Winner VoimaX
Origin LUT University
Theme Research-based innovation

A strong example of startup potential from Eastern Finland

VoimaX’s win captured what Startup Summit is about: giving promising startups a serious stage in front of investors, partners and the wider ecosystem.

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What VoimaX is building

VoimaX is developing a magnet-free electric motor for electric mobility and industrial applications. The company’s technology aims to reduce dependency on rare earth materials, which are widely used in permanent magnet motors.

By removing permanent magnets from the equation, VoimaX aims to improve supply security, reduce environmental impact and offer a scalable alternative for electrification.

Problem Electric motor production is heavily affected by rare earth material dependency.
Solution VoimaX is developing magnet-free electric motor technology.
Applications The technology is relevant for electric mobility and industrial solutions.
Potential The company addresses a global and increasingly important electrification challenge.

Why VoimaX won

The jury’s decision was based on a clear set of criteria: problem relevance, technical credibility, market potential and the team’s ability to communicate all of this convincingly on stage.

VoimaX delivered on all fronts. The pitch was credible, timely and grounded in a real market need.

  • A real, global problem: rare earth dependency is a recognized bottleneck in electric motor production. VoimaX tackles this directly.
  • Strong research roots: the company originates from LUT University’s Research to Business pipeline, giving the solution solid scientific grounding.
  • Commercial focus: the pitch showed a clear understanding of use cases, customers and next steps.
  • Execution mindset: the team showed ambition, but also realism. That balance matters at an early stage.

Recognition beyond the Summit

Winning Startup Summit Eastern Finland was not an isolated moment. Over the past year, VoimaX has continued to gain recognition across the Finnish startup ecosystem, including competition wins and audience awards.

This momentum reflects both the strength of the technology and the team’s persistence in refining their story, commercial direction and strategy.

As one jury member put it after the event: this is exactly the kind of company that shows how research-based innovation can turn into real commercial opportunity.

A reminder of what the Summit is about

VoimaX’s win captures the broader purpose of Startup Summit Eastern Finland: to surface high-quality startups from the region and give them a serious stage in front of investors, partners and the wider ecosystem.

Eastern Finland continues to produce ambitious, globally relevant companies. VoimaX is a strong example of that potential.

For startups The Summit provides visibility, feedback and relevant ecosystem connections.
For investors The event creates a window into early-stage deal flow and research-based innovation.
For researchers VoimaX shows how university-based work can develop toward commercial opportunity.
For the region Strong startup stories help make Eastern Finland’s innovation potential more visible.

From research to commercial opportunity

Research-based startups often need more than strong technology. They need a clear problem, a credible market, a capable team and the ability to explain why the solution matters now.

VoimaX demonstrated this combination well. The company’s pitch connected technical depth with a commercially relevant problem, making the opportunity understandable for both technical and non-technical audiences.

  • The problem was easy to understand and globally relevant.
  • The solution had strong research and technical grounding.
  • The market need was connected to major electrification trends.
  • The team communicated the opportunity clearly on stage.
  • The pitch showed both ambition and realism.

Congratulations to VoimaX

Congratulations once again to VoimaX, and to all the teams who took the stage at Startup Summit Eastern Finland 2025.

The quality of the pitching teams showed that Eastern Finland has strong startup potential across research, technology, services, industry and life sciences. Startup Summit Kuopio 2026 will continue this work by bringing founders, investors, researchers, students and ecosystem builders together again.

Could your startup be next?

Applications are open for the Startup Summit Kuopio 2026 pitch competition. Selected startups get stage visibility, expert feedback, free entry, pitch preparation and relevant ecosystem connections.

Apply to pitch at Startup Summit Kuopio 2026