“It was really a spur-of-the-moment decision to fill in the application,” recalls Kate Korpela-Juntunen, describing the early days of Soilence, founded in January 2026. Korpela-Juntunen had received an email from Jamk, which was looking for circular economy solutions for log storage that would reduce water use as part of the Stora Enso Hackathon. At that point, the idea of an organic solution based on side and waste streams had already been developing in her mind for a couple of years while she was running Woolherd.
From the very beginning, Woolherd was driven by a strong interest in finding more value and new uses for different side and waste streams. The hackathon offered a perfect opportunity to test whether the idea could also have market potential.
Although the idea did not win the hackathon held in December 2024, it received strong encouragement to continue development. And only a few weeks later, funding for product development was already in place.
Field trials in Tarvaala with international markets in sight
In the spring, product development began with an independent partner, Jamk. Research and development work took place at the Bioeconomy Institute in Tarvaala, where small-scale field trials tested different product versions against control plots.
“The final product turned out very different from what we originally had in mind,” says Korpela-Juntunen.
As preparations for pilot testing progressed, it became clear that the strongest market potential lies in hot and dry regions, where longer-lasting moisture retention is essential. At the same time, the product was spun out from Woolherd and a new company was established around it: Soilence.
In March, Korpela-Juntunen traveled to the United States as part of the SILTA program to prepare for the pilot phase. “The aim is to build solutions where the need is greatest,” she says, describing Soilence’s direction.
The company has since secured additional funding from angel investors. Soilence plans to scale production step by step and to build strong expertise and data around the solution. This will allow its performance to be evaluated more accurately in different conditions.
While the main markets are expected to be international, Finland remains part of the plan. Preparations are also underway to establish production in Finland to meet domestic needs.
“Working with Jamk has been smooth and straightforward. The people have been extremely helpful, and the field studies and laboratory tests have provided high-quality data. We definitely want to continue the collaboration, and there is also potential to involve students in the future.”
