no need for a university degree – Ilkka Paanen @ Slush

Ilkka Paanen broke up his studies in order to start his own company for downloadable mobile games named Sumea. Founded in 2000, Sumea is based in Helsinki. Seeing the success of i-mode in Japan, Paanen expected this new massive technology coming to Europe and therefore wanted to exploit the opportunity of java-based games on mobile phones. In 2004, Sumea joined forces with the Californian company Digital Chocolate, and is now their internal game development studio. Also, Sumeas distribution network to the biggest cellphone operators is managed by Digital Chocolate. According to Paanen, Finland offers a highly conducive environment for starting a company because of its good infrastructure and education, governmental subsidies and lots of available office space. Furthermore, being located in Helsinki, is crucial for Sumeas success: If you go into mobile content, its a big advantage to be close to Nokia, explains Paanen. Above all, he points out that if you want to start your company, make sure you have a coherent team with complementary skills.