Riku Asikainen nominated Alumni of the Year 2014
18.06.2014
M.Sc. (Econ.) Riku Asikainen is awarded at the Homecoming Day alumni event in August.
− It was always clear to me I wanted to have a degree in business. In my studies I was aiming to deepen my business know-how, but I gained so much more. Studies at the School of Business made me value academic thinking. This was a true finding, Asikainen says.
Entrepreneur and active investor Riku Asikainen (born 1969) has been involved in over 30 companies. He graduated in 1999 with a Master’s degree in economics and majoring in finance.
Riku Asikainen is one of the founders and currently the chairman of Finnish Business Angels Network. He has been active in developing the tax models related to business angel investing.
He is an active player and contributor in the academic community. He is one of the founding members of Aalto University related Start-up Sauna Foundation and works as one the Head Coaches for Start-up Sauna.
− I really value the award and feel this is an acknowledgement for the whole startup scene. When I was studying, maybe 3 or 4 people from the 400 students were entrepreneurship oriented. Starting your own business was not an option for the best students. It is now, and that is a great change, Asikainen says.
His career as an entrepreneur got a spark already in high school where he began to run schoolbook sales operations. This became an official business when Asikainen founded Lukiolaisten Kirjakauppa bookstore in his twenties. The bookstore later became part of Sanoma-WSOY group. He founded also a company following the same concept in France. This company is now the biggest schoolbook supplier in France.
Riku Asikainen has also worked in Tansania for UN Foundation for three years. He was a volunteer specialist in IT development projects.
Alumni of the Year recognition will be awarded on the School of Business Homecoming Day for Alumni Friday 22 August 2014. A speech from the Alumni of the Year will be heard in the Leading Views seminar.
Previously the Alumni of the year have been Matti Honkala (2008), Arto Hiltunen (2009), Mikko Kosonen (2010), Sirkka Hämäläinen (2011) ja Timo Löyttyniemi (2012).