Boost Tales: Artturi Elovirta
2014 was a dramatic year for me as we closed up our family business and during that time Turku region was seeing a economic crisis, a boom of shop closedowns. There were about 120 businesses that had to shut down and city of Turku was looking empty.
As a former art student (ba) I couldn’t find a job that would have inspired me enough and decided to try my wings as an entrepreneur, opened up a pop up store for selling some collections of clothes and music records in Titanik art gallery. This contemporary (pop Up) culture was also something that I started to write about in my former blog Funktiå, along with other activities as my journey to solve problem about digitalisation and its phenomenas.
November 2014 I participated on “Turun kehittäjä2014” contest. Of course i didn’t win cause I was more than a start-up: Just the idea on my head, I was a fool with no team trying to solve problem about cities/shopkeepers facing booming e-commerce epidemia. Eventually then in the contest I met Leo and very next day got introduced to Boost. My journey had really began.
End of the 2014 I got nominated to Boost board (I quess people liked my ideas and mad attitude towards making shit happen) and started to work on the topic that I found as huge issue in modern city culture. Soon, with the help of my new friends I introduced my thoughts to Forum-kortteli and got a job as contact manager in (then) almost empty shopping district in the center of Turku. As a rookie I had no idea where to start but soon I discovered that the recipe for getting the place viral was a as simple as “more happenings- more people- more commerce” so I started to do communal happenings like restaurant day and other culture activities at Forum kortteli. And It worked! First time ever, in the end of 2017, Forum kortteli reached its peak and was rented 100% and commerce was doing good.
During those couple of years I have organised a lot of events, Including downhill skateboarding contest to techno parties and From Åbo Akademi’s 100 year open ceremony to forming a HUB Turku, the first co-working and makerspace community in downtown Turku. I have found a team and really looking forward to make new company called Jokojo- the change office, introducing new ways to experience cities and to help businesses to raise attention on their products and services. And now 2018 is looking brighter then ever!
So how this all started to happen? By getting out of my comfort zone, by making and doing, believing in crazy ideas and thats why Boost is there: To inspire new, brilliant entrepreneurs who can change the world to better. Boost is about networking, meeting inspirational bright minds, organizing communal entrepreneurial events, and joining the award winning “Start Up journey” for putting the hands to the dirt. Just get out of the box and meet us all at Boost!
Original Author: Boostturku