Herizon Impact Newsletter 9/2024

As we move into the final quarter of the year, we’re excited to share the latest updates on our journey toward building a more diverse and inclusive tech ecosystem. This month, we’re focusing on the impact of our growing community, highlighting key success stories, and sharing some exciting upcoming events and initiatives.

In this edition, you’ll find updates on our programs, new opportunities to get involved, and inspiring stories from within our community. Thank you for being a part of this journey with us.

KPIs

• Community members: Now at 1164, up from 1012 last month [Goal 2024: 2000]
• Employed members: Reached 449, up from 412 last month
• New jobs in 2024: 211 members have secured employment this year [Goal 2024: 200]
• Economic impact:
  • New jobs: Contributing to €633,000 in monthly salaries [Goal 2024: €600,000]
  • Total employment: Contributing to €1.3 million in monthly salaries, up from €1.2 million

Read more about our goals

News

Mari Luukkainen is the Global Diversity Role Model

Our founder, Mari Luukkainen, was named the Global Winner of Diversity Role Model of the Year at the Global Startup Awards 2024.

Surrounded by over 1,100 guests from 100+ nationalities, all celebrating innovation and entrepreneurship, Mari expressed her gratitude for being part of such an inspiring global community. This recognition highlights our shared dedication to promoting diversity and inclusion in the tech industry.

Herizon was selected as a finalist for Kototeko 2024

We’re excited to announce that Herizon has been selected as a finalist for the Kototeko 2024 Award, an annual recognition by the Finnish Refugee Council for initiatives that promote the integration of immigrants.

This nomination is an honor and further reinforces our commitment to empowering international talents and fostering diversity in Finland.

Learn more about the finalists here.

Employment

The job market for international talent continues to show positive momentum, with both established companies and startups actively seeking diverse candidates. Many opportunities are found through direct connections, even when roles aren’t publicly advertised.

Our community members are securing positions by keeping their LinkedIn profiles up-to-date, engaging in proactive networking, and leveraging the support of Herizon’s network. Building visibility and connections within the industry has been key to landing these exciting opportunities.

Recent placements: Our members have recently been hired by companies such as Fujitsu, HappySignals, Singa, and EY. They’ve taken on diverse roles including Growth Marketing Manager, Tech Support, Designer, and Product Marketer.

Our community members are increasingly exploring freelancing opportunities. To support this shift, Herizon is actively seeking partnerships with service providers to make the transition into freelancing smoother and more accessible for our members.

If you are looking for diverse talent, we encourage you to try our success-fee-based headhunting service. Contact us.

Events and Community

September brought significant milestones for Herizon, including a 17% MoM growth and our LinkedIn Bootcamp Telegram group surpassing 800 members, with over 70 participants in the first session of the month.

Looking ahead, along with our weekly activities for community members, we’re preparing for several exciting events, including company visits and collaborative projects:

• Weekly co-working hours: Continuing until late December.
• Finnish speaking sessions: Continuing until late December.
• Online networking and co-working coffee: Weekly sessions to facilitate connections.
• Company visits: New company visits have been booked, including upcoming ones on 8.10. Reaktor x Herizon excursion and 23.10. AdvanceB2B x Herizon excursion.

If you know international talents that would benefit from our community support, feel free to share the link: https://herizon.io/talent.

Product

Visual identity update

We’ve completed a branding project to enhance the coherence of our visual identity. This updated look ensures that Herizon’s values and mission are reflected consistently across all platforms, making our presence more unified and recognizable.

Software updates

We’ve rolled out several new features to improve our software, making it even easier for companies to discover the right talent as we're piloting Talent Finder with companies during Q4/2024.

Contact oneliner: A short description of the talent is now available for quicker review.

New filters: Talents can now be filtered by employment status, location, and origin country in Talent Finder.

Preferred name feature: Many international talents prefer using a different name than their first name, so we’ve added a feature to reflect that.

Also, Juhani Vanhatapio from the Lapland University of Applied Sciences is conducting a data science project to help us better understand our statistics and data.

University of Applied Sciences Internships

We had a total of 7 UAS joining the last cohorts of 2024, and we’re currently rolling students into the two-week "how to work" training program. If you know a company interested in offering internship placements now’s the perfect time to connect.

Both business and engineering programs are available in the internship tracks.

During the Q4/2024 cohorts, companies will gain access to Talent Finder as we pilot a company-facing anonymous talent pool, providing a streamlined way to explore diverse talent.

Success-fee based employment partnerships

In Q4/2024, we’re launching a pilot success-fee-based employment partnership with three cities across Finland. We’re also in active discussions to expand these collaborations, integrating our services more deeply into the public sector.

Read more in Finnish about our public sector services.

As we wrap up this month, we’re excited about what’s to come and the opportunities that lie ahead. Be sure to check out the latest success stories from our University of Applied Sciences program, now available on our blog, where we highlight the inspiring journeys of our interns and the impact they’ve had on their host companies.

Thank you for being part of this incredible journey toward a more inclusive and diverse tech ecosystem. Your support helps us continue to grow and create opportunities for international talents across the Nordics.

Stay tuned for more updates, success stories, and ways to get involved in the coming months!

Warm regards,
Mari, Viivi, Sini, Martti, Sofi, Daria and Juhani,
The Herizon Team 💜