Etelä-Pohjanmaan WIISE ry

What Etelä-Pohjanmaan WIISE ry does

Etelä-Pohjanmaan WIISE ry is a Finnish registered non-profit association (rekisteröity yhdistys, Business ID 3143910-4) headquartered in Seinäjoki, Finland, founded in 2020 to support immigrants moving to or returning to the Etelä-Pohjanmaa (South Ostrobothnia) region. The association was established by three immigrant entrepreneurs — Paul Fairchild, Jiuliano Prisada, and Mark Wiltshear — who collectively hold more than 50 years of entrepreneurial experience in the region, and is governed by an eight-person volunteer board combining Finnish and international members. WIISE serves three primary customer segments: individual immigrants seeking work placement and community connection, Finnish companies seeking to integrate international employees, and projects/organizations (hankkeet) requiring cross-cultural training, event organization, or mentoring services.

The organization's core service portfolio consists of Member Services (networking events, mentoring, casual coffee meetings, cultural activities, sports events), Integration Evaluations (personalized initial interviews, group workshops, summary discussions, and personal integration action plans — partly government-funded via KEHA-keskus through municipalities), and a suite of fee-based services including Cultural Training for Company Employees, Basic Finnish Language Courses, Small Business Advisory Meetings, Working Life Integration Training, New Entrepreneur Mentoring, and event organization. Supporting offerings include Members Video CVs and an E-P Practical Training Recruitment Fair scheduled for 2026.

WIISE operates a community-led go-to-market model anchored on annual membership subscriptions (€25 for individuals, €100 for companies enabling up to three employees to attend events) plus voluntary donations (Kannatusmaksu) and fee-based training and advisory services. Distribution is self-serve through the wiise.fi online store with payment via Paytrail Plc, complemented by event-driven engagement, social media presence (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn), and an email newsletter. Revenue is not publicly disclosed; the organization holds no external funding rounds or parent ownership, and there is no proprietary technology layer, no API, and no AI/ML capability, with all service delivery fundamentally human-driven through the founders' and members' networks and expertise.

Name

Etelä-Pohjanmaan WIISE ry

Legal name

Etelä-Pohjanmaan WIISE ry

Website

https://wiise.fi

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Etelä-Pohjanmaan WIISE ry is a Finnish non-profit association founded in 2020 that helps immigrants integrate into work and community life in Etelä-Pohjanmaa, serving individual newcomers, Finnish companies, and regional projects through networking events, integration evaluations, training, and mentoring.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Integration Services

NAICS

Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139), Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDALANAD

Cultural Adjustment & Integration Services (intercultural programs, community connection)

Education/Student Services & Campus Operations/International Student Services & Immigration Support

Keywords

• Immigrant integration services
• Community networking events
• Cultural training programs
• Finnish language courses
• Entrepreneurship mentoring

Headquarters

HQ city

Seinäjoki

HQ country

Finland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Membership Subscriptions: Annual membership fees providing access to WIISE community network, regular networking events, casual coffee meetings, guided tours, cultural activities, sports events, and the opportunity to help others integrate into life in Etelä-Pohjanmaa.
2. Company/Organization Membership: Annual company membership enabling up to three employees to attend WIISE events and activities. Companies use this to help integrate international employees or for networking purposes.
3. Voluntary Donations: Members and supporters can make voluntary donations (Kannatusmaksu) at their discretion to support WIISE's goals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Etelä-Pohjanmaan WIISE ry is a registered Finnish non-profit association that provides work integration services and a community network for immigrants who have moved to the South Ostrobothnia (Etelä-Pohjanmaa) region. Its core offerings are paid Individual and Company Memberships that grant access to regular networking events, after-work coffee meetings, guided tours, cultural activities, and sports events, supplemented by fee-based Integration Evaluations, Cultural Training, Finnish Language Courses, Small Business Advisory Meetings, Working Life Integration Training, New Entrepreneur Mentoring, and event organizing for projects and organizations (hankkeet).

Product overview

E-P WIISE ry is a membership-based non-profit association (registered as a Finnish ry/yhdistys) offering a portfolio of work integration and community services for immigrants in Etelä-Pohjanmaa. The core offering consists of Member Services (networking events, mentoring, and community building) and Integration Evaluations (personalized initial assessments and action plans). The organization supplements these with fee-based services for companies (Small Business Advisory Meetings, Cultural Training, Basic Finnish Language Courses) and services for projects and organizations (event organizing, working life integration training, new entrepreneur mentoring). Members Video CVs provides additional job-seeking support. The organization operates on a membership model with Individual Membership (€25/year) and Company Membership (€100/year) tiers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Member Services Core membership offering for individual members, providing regular after-work coffee get-togethers, structured networking events, official Spring and Autumn meetings, mentoring for members with business ideas, and access to WIISE's network and local knowledge.
• Organising & Hosting Events Event organization and hosting services for projects (hankkeet) and organizations, leveraging WIISE team's experience in arranging events, delivered to public-sector and development-organization clients in Etelä-Pohjanmaa.
• Working Life Integration Training Training programs to help immigrants integrate into Finnish working life, delivered to organizations and projects (hankkeet) seeking structured integration support.
• New Entrepreneur Mentoring Mentoring and business coaching for new entrepreneurs, provided to projects and organizations in Etelä-Pohjanmaa.
• Small Business Advisory Meetings Advisory meetings for small businesses, drawing on the WIISE team's experience in international sales, importing, export sales, project management, accounting, and small business management.
• Cultural Training for Company Employees Cross-cultural training with two program tracks: training on Finnish culture for immigrant workers and training on foreign cultures for Finnish workers. Offered as half-day or one-day sessions to companies integrating international employees.
• Basic Finnish Language Course Finnish language training courses provided to companies to help integrate foreign workers into the workforce.
• Integration Evaluations Personalized integration evaluation service for immigrants including individual initial interviews, group workshop sessions, individual summary discussions, and creation of personal integration action plans. Designed to serve employees moving for work, families of migrating workers, international degree students, and immigrants interested in becoming entrepreneurs.
• Members Video CVs Video CV service for WIISE members to showcase their skills and experience to potential employers in the Etelä-Pohjanmaa region.
• Individual Membership 12-month individual membership subscription priced at €25.00, providing access to WIISE's community network, local knowledge, regular networking events, casual coffee meetings, cultural activities, and sports events.
• Company Membership 12-month company membership subscription priced at €100.00, enabling up to three employees to attend WIISE events and activities. Companies use this membership to help integrate international employees or for business networking purposes.

Named customers23 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• UusyrityskeskusminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Project cooperation partner listed on WIISE website for hankkeet and organisations services.
• Into SeinäjokicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey cooperation partner. Co-organized 'Get Hired Etelä-Pohjanmaa!' international recruitment event with WIISE in November 2021.
• Seinäjoen kaupunki (City of Seinäjoki)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAuthorized WIISE to run a pilot integration evaluation program for international students from SeAMK in early 2020.
• E-P OpistominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject cooperation partner listed on WIISE website for hankkeet and organisations services.
• Finnish Migration InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject cooperation partner listed on WIISE website for hankkeet and organisations services.
• ELY-keskus (Etnisten suhteiden neuvottelukunta ETNO)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject cooperation partner listed on WIISE website for hankkeet and organisations services.
• KEHA-keskuscoreOthersELY-keskusten sekä TE-toimistojen kehittämis- ja hallintokeskus. Government body that publicly funds integration evaluations administered via Municipalities, which is the funding mechanism for WIISE's initial assessments.
• Suomen Yrittäjäopisto (Finnish Entrepreneurship School)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJiuliano Prisada managed the 'Promotion of Immigrant Entrepreneurship' project (2017-18) with this organization. Also runs the INNOWinternational Project in collaboration with WIISE. Key strategic partner for entrepreneurship promotion.
• MONI-info (Seinäjoki)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMONI-info is an information service for immigrants and serves as an ideal first point of contact. WIISE involved Katja and Tanja from MONI-Info in their Integration Evaluations programme.
• SeAMK (Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWIISE conducted integration evaluations pilot program with International Business students from SeAMK in early 2020, recruiting 13 students for the program.
• Kokka kohti Etelä-Pohjanmaata ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject aims to improve immigrant employment in the Etelä-Pohjanmaa region and increase awareness among local companies and students. Aligned with WIISE's mission.
• E-P Kauppakamari (E-P Chamber of Commerce)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounder member of WIISE. Represented by Pertti Kinnunen (Toimitusjohtaja) who spoke at the official launch event explaining why E-P Kauppakamari decided to be a founding member.
• Xport and BSTRminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerXport and BSTR - luova markkinoititoimisto (creative marketing agency) hosted the official WIISE launch event. Their office at Keskuskatu 10 serves as WIISE's co-working location.
• SeiES (Seinäjoki Entrepreneur Society)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organized 'Get Hired Etelä-Pohjanmaa!' international recruitment event with WIISE and INTO Seinäjoki in November 2021.
• Etelä-Pohjanmaan Liitto (Regional Council of South Ostrobothnia)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided snacks and drinks for WIISE's 'Moving Back to Etelä-Pohjanmaa' seminar event. Co-sponsored venue for events.
• INNOWinternational ProjectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject run by Suomen Yrittäjäopisto and managed by Jiuliano Prisada. WIISE organizes member events as part of this project which seeks new ideas for winter activities and events in the Liiveri area.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• HelsinkiMissio: Helsinki-based community integration and social inclusion NGO providing community-based integration services with member and volunteer engagement. Same member/volunteer-driven model as WIISE but serving the Helsinki metropolitan area rather than South Ostrobothnia.

Emerging players

• Koto-SIB (Kotoutumisen tuloksellisuuden Social Impact Bond): Finnish integration impact bond program financing employment-focused integration outcomes for immigrants. Emerging alternative integration funding and delivery model that competes for the same government contracts and policy mandates that fund WIISE's integration evaluation work.

Direct peers

• Refugees Welcome Finland: Volunteer- and community-led organization connecting refugees with Finnish hosts and supporting integration through grassroots community action. Comparable volunteer/membership integration model with a different programmatic focus (housing-first).
• Moniku ry: Helsinki-based multicultural association supporting immigrants and multicultural communities across Finland. Directly comparable membership/community model offering integration services, networking, and cultural programming — same organizational structure as WIISE but operating in the capital region.
• Etnisten suhteiden neuvottelukunta (ETNO / Advisory Board for Ethnic Relations): National Finnish advisory and coordinating body for ethnic relations and immigrant integration dialogue. Comparable integration-coordination role at a national level; WIISE already lists ETNO/ELY-keskus neuvottelukunta as a project cooperation partner.

Broad incumbents

• Suomen Pakolaisapu (Refugee Aid Finland): Finland's largest refugee and immigrant support NGO with national reach. Operates broader-scope integration, advocacy, and refugee support programs at substantially greater scale; comparable mission but with vastly larger resources and government standing.
• SPR Integrointi (Finnish Red Cross Integration Programs): Finnish Red Cross branch operating national-scale integration and refugee support programs through its volunteer network. Operates integration programming across Finland with substantially larger organizational and financial footprint than WIISE.
• IOM Suomi (International Organization for Migration, Finland): UN agency office supporting migrant integration, resettlement, and policy advisory in Finland. Operates national integration programs with substantially greater resources and intergovernmental backing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/epwiise
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/epwiise
• Instagraminstagram.com/epwiise

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Etelä-Pohjanmaan WIISE ry