Elina Sertti, What Did You Learn Working at Foundry?
Arttu Närhi
The Foundry team is a tight unit, meaning team members find themselves doing meaningful hands-on work from the get-go. Elina Sertti joined Foundry in Fall 2019 and was thrown into the thick of it right away. In this interview, she shares highlights from her Foundry career.
During Elina’s time at Foundry, she completed her Master’s degree in Economics and Finance. Not surprisingly, her professional background is from the banking sector. Finding a job at Foundry piqued her interest in the startup ecosystem.
“I wanted to work in the startup sphere in a business development context,” Elina says. “I had also learned the team and working culture at Foundry are really great. Already in the interview I felt welcomed to the team.”
Elina’s good experience with the team continued through the first weeks of her job and beyond. She says she felt right at home straight from the beginning.
“My new colleagues were always ready to help,” Elina recalls her first weeks. “Of course, as with any new job, the amount of new info was enormous, so I am really happy for the patience they had with all my questions.”
Not only was the atmosphere welcoming, but Elina was able to take a hands on role early on. In September, the second Foundry Cycle of the year began. With a busy Fall schedule ahead, she took ownership of her new territory right away.
“I started working with Stora Enso and Fazer on their business needs,” she says. “It was a deep dive into the world of autonomous retail, last-mile logistics, and digital wood construction solutions.”
Elina quickly realised the best way to learn is by doing. She was also impressed by the amount of responsibility she earned and the opportunity to work independently. Her most memorable experience was easy to point out.
“Only a couple of months into the job, I hosted our Slush 2019 event together with my colleague Miikka,” she recalls. “In front of hundreds of attendees, I got to have fascinating on-stage discussions with C-Level Executives, like Stora Enso’s then-CEO Karl-Henrik Sundström. This really made clear to me how much trust the team has with one another.”
At the time of publishing, Elina has already left the Foundry team to pursue new challenges in London. We want to thank Elina for her invaluable time with us and wish her good luck in her future endeavors!