California & LA28: Business Opportunities for Finnish Companies

Meet Team Finland's North America leadership in Lahti and discover new business opportunities in California

Team Finland North America Region Head Juhani Siren will visit Lahti to share insights on California's evolving business landscape and future opportunities for Finnish companies.

California is one of the world's leading innovation and technology hubs, and the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games are driving major investments, infrastructure projects and new business opportunities across the region.

Join us to hear where opportunities are emerging for Finnish companies and how to approach the Californian market. Senior Business Advisor Jennifer Tarkiainen from Team Finland USA will provide an up-to-date overview of opportunities related to California, the Greater Los Angeles area, LA28 and Riverside, with particular focus on mobility, electrification, the built environment and sustainable construction solutions.

You will also hear practical experiences from companies in the Lahti region that have already established business connections in California.

New Opportunities Across California

While LA28 is attracting global attention and investments to the Los Angeles region, opportunities extend well beyond the Games themselves.

During the event, we will explore:

• Business opportunities in California, Los Angeles and Riverside
• Market developments related to LA28
• Opportunities in mobility, electrification and sustainable construction
• Experiences from Finnish companies operating in California
• Future cooperation between Lahti and California

The event is intended for companies interested in California, the U.S. market and international growth opportunities, particularly in the fields of mobility, electrification, sustainable construction and the built environment. Participants will also have the opportunity to network with Team Finland representatives and fellow companies interested in the Californian market.

Register Now!

Event Agenda

9:45 -10:00 Coffee

10:00 Welcome and opening remarks 

Niko Kyynäräinen, Mayor, City of Lahti

Antti Suikkanen, Head of Business Development, Business Lahti 

Recognition of the Lahti-Riverside partnership and Memorandum of Understanding

Juhani Siren, Region Head, North America, Team Finland

10:20 California, LA28 & Bay Area: Market Opportunities for Finnish Companies

Opportunities in mobility, electrification, built environment and sustainable construction

Jennifer Tarkiainen, Senior Business Advisor, Team Finland USA

10:45 Business Experiences from California

Case presentations from companies in the Lahti region

11:15 What’s next with Lahti & CA?

Q&A and discussion

11:30 Event closes

The event is free of charge and will be held in English. Please register by 27 August 2026, as places are limited.

Please note: Photos and videos will be taken during the event for Business Lahti’s communications purposes. If you do not wish to appear in the images, please indicate this in the registration form under “Greetings to the organisers”.

LADEC is now Business Lahti! On 1 July 2026, the operations of Lahden Seudun Kehitys LADEC Ltd and the tourism company Lahden Seutu – Lahti Region Ltd were merged to form a new growth company.

This event is part of the Towards International Growth project. Towards international growth -project is co-funded by the European Union and implemented by the Lahden seutu - Lahti Region Oy. The funding authority is the Regional Council of Päijät-Häme from the EU Regional and Structural Policy Programme” Innovation and Skills in Finland 2021–2027”.