Ecosystem & platform partnerships
Building relationships across founders, venture funds, accelerators, enterprises, and public-sector partners — then turning those relationships into introductions, programs, and market opportunities.
Technology Ecosystems · Partnerships · Programs
Hartti Suomela
I build programs and partnerships that connect technology companies with partners, investors, and new markets.
Two decades across Silicon Valley, the Nordics, and ANZ — from Nokia developer relations to startup and VC ecosystem leadership.
- 80+companies supported annually
- 3×growth in VC introductions
- 100%+developer-community growth
About
I help technology companies and founders gain traction in unfamiliar markets. My work combines partnership development, program design, and hands-on community building — identifying who needs to be in the room, creating the structure that brings them together, and following through until the relationship produces a result.
Today I advise Finnish technology and startup companies entering the U.S. market at the Consulate General of Finland to Los Angeles. Earlier roles span international market entry, startup and VC programs, developer relations, partner products, and software research. I hold an M.S. in Engineering Physics, with majors in Strategy and International Business and Software Technology, from Helsinki University of Technology.
Languages: Finnish (native), English (excellent), and Swedish, Spanish, and German (working proficiency).
Where I add value
Founder & developer programs
Designing and running founder- and developer-facing programs, from five U.S. market-entry cohorts for 43 companies to Nordic TINC, CES, SXSW, GDC, RSA, and Slush initiatives.
Technical program leadership
Bringing technical judgment to cross-functional work: leading a developer-community platform renewal, supporting partner product integrations, and continuing to build modern software projects.
Selected experience
Senior Business Advisor
Consulate General of Finland to Los Angeles
– Present · Palo Alto, CA
Advising Finnish technology companies on U.S. market entry, partnerships, and funding, drawing on a network built over two decades in Silicon Valley.
Senior Advisor, ICT Team Lead & Trade Office Manager
Business Finland
– · United States & Australia
Led market-entry and ecosystem programs for technology companies, supporting more than 80 companies annually and tripling introductions between U.S. venture capitalists and Finnish startups. Established the Sydney office, helped 20+ companies win business through the pandemic, and served as a founding board member of Nordic Innovation House.
Senior Consultant & Senior Project Manager
Finpro
– · Santa Clara & Palo Alto, CA
Ran five U.S. market-entry cohorts for 43 Finnish companies, preparing founders for customer, partner, and investor conversations and guiding top performers through follow-on incubation in Silicon Valley.
Developer Relations, Partner Products & Software
Nokia, Icon Information Consultants & BetterDoctor
– · San Francisco Bay Area
Grew Forum Nokia's global developer community more than 100% in 18 months, led its forums and wiki renewal, and spoke at JavaOne. Later worked with partners including Facebook and Amazon on 10 MeeGo home-screen integrations and built BetterDoctor's first iOS prototype.
Earlier work includes software research, university and industry partnerships, technology journalism, and standards development. Full history on LinkedIn or in my résumé.
Selected projects
I keep building to stay close to the products, tools, and technical teams at the center of my work.
ultimatestats.org
A new statistics platform for ultimate frisbee, bringing tournament results and historical data into a modern, searchable experience.
legacy.ultimatestats.org
The national-team results database I have developed and maintained since 1997, preserved as the legacy service.
archive.ultimatestats.org
A preservation archive of tournament source pages recovered from live sites and the Wayback Machine through an automated data pipeline.
paivo.suomela.online
A digital catalog of approximately 250 paintings, drawings, and sculptures by my father, Päivö Suomela, with a custom image and metadata workflow.
Let’s talk
I’m interested in roles and partnerships where technology, ecosystems, and international growth come together.
Get in touch