Junction

What Junction does

Junction is a Finnish non-profit hackathon organizer and technology community founded in 2015 and headquartered in Espoo. It operates as Junction Oy under the Startup Foundation umbrella alongside sister company Slush and Maria01, and is a spinout of Aaltoes (Aalto Entrepreneurship Society) at Aalto University. Junction's core product is the Junction Platform (hackjunction.app), an end-to-end web platform that manages the full hackathon lifecycle — participant registration, team formation, challenge management, project submissions, partner scoring and judging, and live event check-in — used across 100+ global hackathons with 15,000+ active builders.

The company's offerings span three layers. First, the annual flagship Junction Main Event in Espoo (Junction 2026 scheduled for Nov 13–15, 2026, targeting 2,000 participants and a €100K+ cash prize pool), which has grown from 400+ hackers in 2015 to 1,500+ participants in 2025. Second, the JunctionX franchise model, which licenses the Junction brand, format, and platform to local organizers across 15+ countries and 28 cities on 5 continents. Third, three tiered partnership packages (Tech Partner, Challenge Partner, Main Partner) sold to corporate clients seeking developer talent and rapid prototyping.

Junction's revenue model is based entirely on corporate sponsorships and franchise/platform licensing — participants attend free, with travel grants of €300 and €100 for international attendees. Sponsorship contracts are multi-year and event-based, with 200+ partner companies including Google, Microsoft, Nokia, KONE, Supercell, OpenAI, SAP, and ElevenLabs. Distribution is split between a self-serve participant funnel (hackjunction.app) and a dedicated partnerships sales team (Emil Pekkinen, Rasmus Peltola) acquiring enterprise clients directly. The organization is led by a C-suite (Joel Lahtinen, CEO; Velma Linko, COO; Emil Pekkinen, CFO & Partnerships; Yankuan Zhang, CMO; Rasmus Peltola, CCO; Alexander Oiling, CTO) plus heads of Global Operations, Growth, and GTM.

Name

Junction

Legal name

Junction Oy

Website

https://hackjunction.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Junction is a Finnish non-profit hackathon organizer founded in 2015 in Espoo, operating the annual Junction flagship event, the global JunctionX franchise across 15+ countries, and the Junction Platform for hackathon management, serving corporate partners and developer participants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hackathon Event Organization

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920), Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)

akta.pro primary industry

Developer Portals, SDKs & Documentation Platforms (BPAMADAG)

Keywords

• Hackathon organization
• Corporate sponsorship
• Event management platform
• Developer community
• Talent recruitment

Headquarters

HQ city

Helsinki

HQ country

Finland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Partner Sponsorships and Challenge Fees: Corporate partners (Google, Microsoft, Nokia, KONE, Supercell, etc.) pay to sponsor Junction events, set challenge tracks, and access participant talent. Partnership packages range from Tech Partner (API/platform integration challenge) to Challenge Partner (custom track with mentor/judge spots) to Main Partner (event naming rights and maximum reach). Revenue is event-based and recurring annually with flagship and JunctionX events.
2. Platform Licensing: The Junction Platform is offered to third-party hackathon organizers, universities, and corporations to run their own branded hackathons. This provides a SaaS-like recurring revenue stream from organizations using Junction's infrastructure rather than organizing independently.
3. Prize Pool Funding: Prize pools (e.g., Junction 2025 over €50,000 total, including €10,000 grand prize) are funded by partner contributions. While prizes go to participants, the prize structure creates partner visibility and talent pipeline value that sustains sponsorship relationships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Junction organizes world-class hackathons and operates an end-to-end proprietary platform (Junction Platform / hackjunction.app) that manages the full hackathon lifecycle from participant registration and team formation through challenge management, project submissions, partner scoring, and live event check-in. Revenue is generated primarily from corporate sponsorship packages sold to partner companies (Tech Partner, Challenge Partner, Main Partner tiers), with the JunctionX franchise model licensing the format and platform to organizers in 15+ countries.

Product overview

Junction is a not-for-profit hackathon organizer and tech community based in Espoo, Finland, founded in 2015. Its primary offering is the Junction Platform — an end-to-end SaaS platform for hackathon management — paired with the flagship Junction Main Event (one of Europe's largest hackathons, held annually in Finland) and the JunctionX sub-brand (a global hackathon league enabling local organizers worldwide). Junction's product portfolio also includes a Challenge Archive database, three partnership tiers (Tech Partner, Challenge Partner, Main Partner), a downloadable Partnership Deck, a jobs board, and editorial blog content. The organization hosts 100+ hackathons annually across 28 cities on 5 continents, engaging 10,000+ participants from 90+ nationalities, and is supported by 200+ partner companies including Google, Microsoft, Nokia, and OpenAI.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• JunctionX: The global hackathon league run by Junction, enabling local organizers to host hackathons in their own communities worldwide using Junction's proven format, brand, and platform. JunctionX has expanded to 15+ countries across Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas.
• The Junction Platform

Products and services

• Junction Platform
• Junction Main Event (Flagship Annual Hackathon)
• JunctionX
• Corporate Sponsorship Packages

Quantifiable outcome

• KONE received production-quality 2D to 3D BIM model conversion prototypes from a 48-hour hackathon, pursued continued collaboration with top teams through recruitment.
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

51 partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• SlushcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJunction is a sister company of Slush within the Startup Foundation umbrella. Slush is a Helsinki-based tech conference connecting startups with leading investors, one of the most influential startup events globally, founded in 2008. Junction and Slush share the mission of sparking entrepreneurship and innovation in Finland and Europe.
• Founders HousecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFinnish startup organization that co-organized the Sunstead Hack with Junction, Slush, and Kiuka. Represents the Finnish startup ecosystem collaboration.
• KiukacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFinnish startup organization co-organizing the Sunstead Hack event with Junction, Slush, and Founders House. Part of the deeper cooperation initiative among Finnish startup organizations.
• Aaltoes (Aalto Entrepreneurship Society)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJunction is a spinout of Aaltoes, the largest student-run entrepreneurship community in the Nordics, based at Aalto University in Otaniemi, Espoo. Aaltoes is the founding organization behind Junction.
• Startup Foundation (Startup Saatio)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJunction belongs to the Startup Foundation, a Finnish non-profit umbrella organization whose mission is to create more entrepreneurs, new companies, and growth. Parent organization of Junction, Slush, and Maria01. Junction is supported by this global network of volunteers, partners, and sponsors.
• Google (Google Cloud)flagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerTech Partner and sponsor at Junction 2025. Provided GCP credits to all participants, with approximately 500 developers (~1/3 of all teams) building their entire hackathon project on Google Cloud's tech stack over 48 hours. Part of the broader trusted partner network including Google Cloud, Google, and Google Cloud Platform.
• MicrosoftflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerTrusted partner company providing technology challenges at Junction events. Logo featured prominently on the partner logos section alongside other world-class companies.
• NokiaflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerTrusted partner company providing challenge tracks at Junction hackathons. Featured among world-class companies in the trusted partner network.
• CiscoflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerTrusted partner company providing challenge tracks and mentorship at Junction events. Featured among world-class companies in the trusted partner network.
• AccentureflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerTrusted partner company providing challenge tracks at Junction hackathons. Featured among world-class companies in the trusted partner network.
• FigmaflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner providing the Figma Make Challenge at Junction 2025 with a €3,000 cash prize for the winning team. Featured among world-class companies in the trusted partner network.
• JetBrainsflagshipTechnology or IntegrationTrusted partner company providing developer tools and challenges at Junction events. Featured among world-class companies in the trusted partner network.
• IntelflagshipTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partner providing hardware and developer tools at Junction hackathons. Featured among world-class companies in the trusted partner network.
• ReaktorflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerFinnish technology company providing challenge tracks at Junction hackathons. Featured among world-class companies in the trusted partner network.
• RovioflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerFinnish gaming company (Angry Birds) providing challenge tracks at Junction hackathons. Featured among world-class companies in the trusted partner network.
• OpenAIflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner providing AI-related challenges at Junction hackathons. Featured among world-class companies in the trusted partner network.
• ElevenLabsflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerAI audio company providing challenges and prizes at Junction 2025 (1+ million characters for each member of the winning team). Featured among world-class companies in the trusted partner network.
• Epic GamesflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner providing game development challenges at Junction hackathons. Featured among world-class companies in the trusted partner network.
• KONEflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerChallenge Partner at Junction. Set challenge tracks for participants to build 2D to 3D BIM model conversion tools. Pursued continued collaboration with top teams through recruitment and evaluated prototypes for production deployment. Partnership includes KONE x Granlund challenge at Junction 2025.
• SAPflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner providing challenges at Junction hackathons. Featured among world-class companies in the trusted partner network.
• LinearflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner company featured in Junction's trusted partner network.
• HuaweiflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner providing challenges and prizes at Junction hackathons. At Junction 2024, Huawei offered €8,000/€5,000/€3,000 for first through third place. Featured in trusted partner network.
• McKinsey DigitalflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner providing challenge tracks at Junction hackathons (e.g., 'Unleash Geospatial Analytics' challenge at Junction 2022 with iPad Mini and AirPods Pro prizes). Featured in trusted partner network.
• MiroflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerTech Partner for online hackathons. Miro provided its collaboration platform for participants, with several hundred active participants exceeding Miro's conversion KPIs. Several prototypes were viable for Miro's public Marketplace.
• SupercellflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner providing game development and AI agent challenges at Junction hackathons. Hosted the Supercell x Florent VP Agentic Frontier Hackathon in 2026. Featured in trusted partner network.
• Aalto UniversityflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerJunction's founding university. The organization is led by students and recent graduates from Aalto University. Aalto University provides challenges at Junction events (e.g., 'Aging with AI' challenge at Junction 2025 with €2,000 prize).
• City of EspooflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerCity government partner providing challenges at Junction hackathons (e.g., 'Business Advisory Service 2.0' at Junction 2025 with €750 prize). The flagship annual event is held in Espoo.
• Business FinlandflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerFinnish government organization providing challenges at Junction hackathons (e.g., 'The DNA of Helsinki' at Junction 2019). Featured in trusted partner network.
• FortumflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerEnergy company providing challenges at Junction hackathons (e.g., 'Watt's next? - Forecasting energy consumption with AI' at Junction 2025 with €3,000 prize pool).
• SitraflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerFinnish innovation fund providing challenges at Junction hackathons (e.g., 'Let\'s make Finland the world leader of digital democracy' at Junction 2025).
• WoltflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerDelivery platform providing challenges at Junction hackathons (e.g., 'AI for the next local experience' at Junction 2025 with €2,000/€1,500/€500 prizes). Featured in trusted partner network.
• ElisaflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerFinnish telecom company providing challenges at Junction hackathons. Featured in trusted partner network.
• AivenflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerFinnish data platform company providing challenges at Junction hackathons (e.g., 'Sustainable Data Infrastructure' at Junction 2021). Featured in trusted partner network.
• ValmetflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerIndustrial company providing challenges at Junction hackathons (e.g., 'Intelligent Flow Optimization' with Valmet x HSY at Junction 2025 with €2,000/€1,500/€500 prizes).
• PfizerflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerPharmaceutical company providing health technology challenges at Junction hackathons (e.g., 'Head Start' challenge with Lääkärikeskus Aava at Junction 2025 with €2,000/€1,000/€500 prizes).
• WithSecureflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerCybersecurity company providing challenges at Junction hackathons (e.g., 'Reputation Recon: AI-Powered Software Trust Assessment' at Junction 2025 with €2,000/€1,500/€500 prizes).
• TraficomflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerFinnish Transport and Communications Agency providing challenges at Junction hackathons (e.g., 'AI Audit Aid (AAA)' at Junction 2025 with €1,500/€1,000/€500 prizes).
• University of HelsinkiflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerProviding education-focused challenges at Junction hackathons (e.g., 'Financial Literacy for All' at Junction 2025 via Helsinki Education Hub).
• TietoEvryflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerFinnish IT services company providing challenges at Junction hackathons (e.g., 'PainMgmt: Safer Solutions' at Junction 2024). Featured in trusted partner network.
• OutokumpuflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerFinnish stainless steel company providing sustainability challenges at Junction hackathons (e.g., 'Sustainable generative AI assistant for insights' at Junction 2024 with €2,000/€1,000/€500 prizes).
• DensoflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerAutomotive technology company providing challenges at Junction hackathons (e.g., 'ChargeID: Trusted EV Services' at Junction 2025 with €1,000 total prize pool).
• HarviaflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerFinnish sauna company providing challenges at Junction hackathons (e.g., 'Sauna Intelligence' at Junction 2025 with €1,500 cash prize pool plus €1,500 for 30-day follow-up).
• Suomen Pankki (Bank of Finland)flagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerCentral bank of Finland providing challenges at Junction hackathons (e.g., 'Use AI to develop regulation' at Junction 2025 with €1,000/€600/€400 prizes).
• BNB ChainflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerBlockchain company providing challenges at Junction hackathons (e.g., 'The Road Towards Society 2.0' at Junction 2022 and 'Real-time data indexing' at Junction 2023 with €2,500/€1,500/€1,000 prizes).
• StarstuffflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerAI gaming company providing challenges at Junction 2025 ('Create Playable AI Content at Lightspeed'). Provided 1,000 free Starbux AI creation credits per team.
• Snap Inc.flagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerTechnology company providing challenges at Junction 2025 ('Your Real-World AI Companion'). Prizes included Spectacles for 1st place team members.
• SASflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerAnalytics company providing challenges at Junction 2025 ('Best Use of SAS Technologies'). Partner company at Junction 2025.
• HSY (Helsinki Region Environmental Services)flagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerEnvironmental services company providing challenges at Junction hackathons (e.g., 'Intelligent Flow Optimization' with Valmet at Junction 2025).
• Lääkärikeskus AavaflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerHealthcare provider providing challenges at Junction hackathons (e.g., 'ThriveConnect: Redefine Work Well-being' at Junction 2025 and 'Head Start' with Pfizer at Junction 2025).
• Featherless.aiflagshipTechnology or IntegrationServerless AI inference platform providing challenges at Junction 2025. Provided unlimited access to thousands of open-source AI models for participants.
• n8nflagshipTechnology or IntegrationWorkflow automation company providing challenges at Junction 2025 ('Agentic AI with the flexibility of code and easyness of no-code').

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• HackerEarth: Developer assessment and hackathon platform running global hackathons and recruitment-focused competitions. Comparable on the platform/enterprise-sponsorship model, though more enterprise-tilted on the assessment/revenue side.
• Topcoder: Crowdsourced development and competitive programming platform that runs hackathons and challenges for enterprise customers. Comparable as a long-standing competitive-developer platform serving enterprise sponsor challenges.
• AngelHack: Global hackathon series and developer community founded in 2011, running sponsored hackathons for enterprise partners. Closely comparable franchise-style hackathon organizer with a similar partner-sponsorship revenue model.
• Devpost: The dominant hackathon hosting platform used by companies and organizations to run online and in-person hackathons. Directly comparable to Junction's Junction Platform business, including partner-side challenge management and judging workflows.
• Major League Hacking: The largest student hackathon league globally, organizing 200+ hackathons annually across the US and beyond. Directly comparable as the leading hackathon-community organizer in the Western market, with similar partner-sponsorship and community-led GTM.
• HackerRank: Developer competition and assessment platform with hackathon-like coding challenges and enterprise customers. Comparable on the platform/developer-community and enterprise-sponsorship dimensions, though broader in scope than hackathons.
• Startup Weekend (Techstars): Techstars-run weekend hackathon/entrepreneurship events in 150+ countries, organized by local volunteers under a global brand. Comparable franchise-style hackathon format with enterprise sponsorship and community-driven expansion.

Broad incumbents

• Web Summit: Large-scale global tech conference with associated PITCH and startup-competition programming. Comparable in operating world-class technology events with major enterprise sponsors, though on a much larger scale than Junction.
• TechCrunch Disrupt Hackathon: Hackathon programming running alongside TechCrunch's flagship Disrupt conference. Comparable as a high-profile tech-event hackathon attracting major sponsors and developers, though embedded in a much larger parent event.

Others

• Slush: Sister company under Startup Foundation organizing one of the world's largest tech/startup conferences in Helsinki. Directly related through shared ownership and ecosystem; adjacent rather than competing, since Slush focuses on investor/startup matchmaking while Junction runs developer hackathons.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hackjunction
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hackjunction
• Instagraminstagram.com/hackjunction

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Junction