AI pioneers set up a strategic AI consultancy: Off to a flying start even before launch

The newly founded Renessai is a strategic consulting firm co-founded by AI pioneers based in Helsinki and Berlin. The company responds to the market's need for a partner that produces measurable results with AI by connecting strategy, technology, processes, and people. For Renessai, strategy work is not just about deciding what to do; it is also about putting it into practice and creating meaningful results.

"Our team has been working with AI long before the current wave and has already collaborated with some of the world's leading companies," says Mikko Koski, founding partner of Renessai.

Renessai has already attracted interest from top international names and investors alike. The company's growth is supported by the Finnish digital engineering company Nitor, which has taken a minority stake in Renessai. Nitor's founders, Olli Auvinen and Tommi Laitila, sit on Renessai's board, along with Mika Ruokonen, Industry Professor of Digital Business at the University of Lappeenranta.

Olli Auvinen from Nitor observes, "The AI revolution is reshaping the world at an unprecedented speed. The Renessai team has long been at the forefront of AI internationally, allowing them to see beyond the current frenzy. We share a vision of AI's potential and the best practices to deliver tangible and sustainable business benefits. We have great confidence in the Renessai team and the potential of our strategic partnership to provide customers with deep insights, expertise, and tangible business value."

Nitor is not only an investor for us; we are strategic partners. Our services complement each other very well; it’s great to have Olli and Tommi on the board

- Niina Tuikka, Renessai's founding partner

While Finnish expertise in AI is internationally renowned, Renessai was established to support the many companies that still have a long way to go in creating business value with it. "Most companies lack a strategy-led approach," explains Renessai's founding partner Barton Friedland. “We align AI with business goals, integrate it into processes, augment human capabilities, and ensure continuous measurement. Simply put, we help companies navigate AI complexities and drive value creation.”

Renessai’s founders have worked with various internationally known brands, including American Express, JP Morgan, Kesko, Tesco, Stanford University, Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, Nordea, and Yle.

The industry leaders behind Renessai:

Barton Friedland is an American AI guru who began his career at Apple in the 1980s. He has served as the Head of Digital Strategy at Deutsche Bank, among others. His doctoral thesis is on the interaction between people and technology.

Eija-Leena Koponen has forged an impressive career in data science, machine learning, and analytics, leaving her mark both in Finland and abroad. A passionate advocate for the tech community, Eija-Leena plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of AI as the leader of the Finnish chapter of Women in AI, where she actively empowers and inspires others.

Mikko Koski combines a strong technical and business background with over 15 years of AI consulting and commercialisation expertise. Mikko has worked in AI and led AI teams for more than 15 years.

Niina Tuikka specialises in solving AI-related business and organisational challenges. Niina has successfully held various leadership positions in design and sales in data & AI consulting.

Aapo Tanskanen is a prodigious Data Scientist who has been one of the driving forces behind the Finnish-NLP/Ahma-3B open-source LLM (https://huggingface.co/Finnish-NLP/Ahma-3B). Aapo designs and implements production-level AI solutions for large international companies. He is recognised as Finland's leading expert in machine learning and AI language models.

Ossi Syd, the founder of Fourkind, uses his deep technical background to apply a strategic approach to solving business challenges with AI in measurable ways.

Press Contact:

Niina Tuikka, founder, Renessai

Tel: +358 40 528 7518