Ahead Fast at the Epicenter of AI
Jakob Wikström, founder of Switch says you don’t have to be finished right away. It’s actually a good thing thing. But listen to customer and make radical changes when needed.
“We’ve made a radical shift,” Jakob Wikström says. “While here, we decided to refocus and rebuild our product around a no-code platform concept.”
From Garage Deals to Global Ambitions
Jakob Wikström, a Hanken School of Economics alumnus, has had an entrepreneurial streak since his teenage years. Today, he’s building his company, Switch, alongside three co-founders—but the roots of that journey trace back to something far more modest.
“My dad let me sell things out of our garage,” Wikström recalls. “Eventually I was even selling mopeds on commission. I got hooked on entrepreneurship early—and it felt very clearly like my path.”
An Entrepreneur Grounded in Agency
Wikström’s default setting is unmistakable: optimistic, energetic, the kind of person who brings others along with him. That mindset has shaped not just what he builds, but how he thinks.
During his time at Hanken, he and a group of fellow students organized their own “exchange program” to Stanford University—a move that speaks volumes about his initiative. There, he met Professor Bill Burnett, head of Stanford’s design program and co-author of Designing Your Life.
“I highly recommend Burnett’s book to any student trying to choose a major,” Wikström says. “It gave me a framework for building different career scenarios—and made decision-making a lot easier.”
Another cornerstone came from a book he read in a Hanken literature group: Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.
“The core idea is that happiness comes from active engagement—from making conscious choices that fit you, and focusing on them.”
Wikström doesn’t just quote these ideas—he lives them.
Plugging Into Silicon Valley’s Dense Ecosystem
This spring, Wikström joined the SILTA program, an initiative that brings promising early-stage Finnish founders to Silicon Valley to immerse themselves in its uniquely fast-paced entrepreneurial culture.
SILTA places founders under one roof and connects them with an established local mentor network. It’s designed as a gateway—to market validation, customers, and funding.
Wikström leans in fully. On the early afternoon we spoke, he had already had five meetings. Still, he arrived focused and prepared—his presence signaling respect, clarity, and intent.
His company, Switch, addresses a growing need: helping businesses adopt AI agents without requiring technical expertise.
“The reason I joined SILTA was to refine our company’s focus through real-world conversations—right here, where AI agents are evolving at incredible speed,” he says.
The program, he adds, prepared participants well for what they’d face.
“We were given everything—spreadsheets, links, platforms for finding events. It helped us understand just how dense this ecosystem is, and how constant the exposure to opportunity can be.”
He’s equally enthusiastic about the program’s structure.
“Living with other founders has been incredibly valuable. We each have our own rooms, but there’s shared space where we can exchange ideas and spar when needed.”
If there’s one thing he would have done differently, it’s practical.
“I underestimated the time difference. Running a team and client projects in Finland while being active in Silicon Valley—it was sometimes challenging to manage both simultaneously.”
Living at the Center of the AI Shift
Wikström describes Silicon Valley as a place where something is always happening—and where focus becomes a competitive advantage.
He points to the HumanX conference, a 7,000-person event featuring speakers like Jensen Huang of Nvidia.
“I can tell you—AI is not a bubble that’s about to burst. Not even close. We’re just getting started.”
He sees AI as a tool that allows people to spend more time with other people, while offloading dangerous or repetitive tasks to machines.
Beyond events, Wikström has been actively reaching out—cold calls, emails, building a pipeline.
“If you send 50 emails, you might get five responses,” he says. “The SILTA mentors have been a crucial support network, especially for local introductions.”
He’s also had early conversations with investors—not to raise capital yet, but to learn.
“You take in everything you can.”
Pivoting in Real Time
The intensity of the San Francisco experience has accelerated Switch’s trajectory.
“We’ve made a radical shift,” Wikström says. “While here, we decided to refocus and rebuild our product around a no-code platform concept.”
His approach is grounded in listening.
“In countless meetings, our understanding of customer needs became clearer. Product development is now in full swing—we expect to have a new version ready for testing within few weeks.”
For Wikström, the principle is simple: a company doesn’t exist to showcase its own excellence—it exists to solve a real customer problem.
Finland and Silicon Valley: Two Mindsets
Wikström doesn’t romanticize America. He’s quick to point out that Silicon Valley is its own bubble within the United States.
He praises Finland’s pragmatism, safety, and reliability—but also sees something worth importing from the Valley.
“Americans’ ambition, speed, and willingness to take risks—those are qualities Finns could learn from.”
Risk-taking, he explains, includes the courage to fail—or to change direction.
“In Finland, there’s often a desire to perfect the product before showing it to customers. Here, it’s the opposite. You can spend endless time refining something, only to realize the customer’s needs have already moved on. It’s better to stay close to the customer and listen carefully.”
Those encounters have reshaped how he views Finnish perfectionism.
“You don’t have to be finished right away. It’s okay to be unfinished—in fact, it’s a good thing.”
Encouraging the Next Wave of Founders
Wikström is encouraged by the growing entrepreneurial conversation in Finland, shaped in part by voices like Jyri Engeström and Timo Ahopelto.
If Finland wants to sustain its welfare state long-term, he argues, it must continue to create—and keep—companies.
“I absolutely want to encourage entrepreneurship in Finland. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you need someone to spar with.”
He’s already heard from many aspiring founders and has made time to share his experiences.
“I’ve met so many helpful people during the SILTA program. I want to give back.”
Wikström returns to Finland in early May. He doesn’t plan to relocate permanently to Silicon Valley—but he intends to return regularly.
“The SILTA experience has been incredible. What I’ve learned here will stay with me for a long time. I highly recommend it.”