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You’ve probably heard of young startup entrepreneurs who are on the lookout for a breakthrough idea to revolutionise the market. Dr Teemu Myllymäki, a chemist, is not one of them. He first considered entrepreneurship during his doctoral studies, when he realised there was a market for the materials testing he was doing. This led to the creation of Measur Oy. 

Measurlabs has already been placed in the national spotlight. "We were commissioned by YLE to investigate whether toys bought from the online store Temu contained any toxic substances. We discovered dangerous chemicals in the products," Myllymäki explains.  

First steps towards entrepreneurship

Myllymäki completed his doctoral thesis within the Molecular Mathematics research group led by physicist Olli Ikkala. The team studied spider webs, nacre, and other natural materials to understand why these materials are as strong as they are. 

“I tried to create similar materials in the laboratory and find out how close nanomaterials are to naturally occurring materials. This required numerous tests and various testing methods.” 

News of Myllymäki’s tests reached representatives of a Swiss company, who requested him to evaluate the materials manufactured by them. “The company was pleased and ordered more tests. I couldn’t do them all myself, so I reached out to my friend Kalle Lagerblom for assistance. 

Lagerblom, who holds a PhD in inorganic chemistry, encouraged Myllymäki to follow the same path and pursue a doctoral degree of his own. Lagerblom later became a co-founder of Measur Oy. 

Initially, Myllymäki and Lagerblom conducted tests alongside their own work, until they faced a test request needing equipment they weren’t familiar with. This led to the idea of outsourcing tests to a company offering laboratory services. 

This sparked the idea to establish their own company selling measurement services. Measur Oy was founded in 2017. “We received a call to adventure. We wanted to see where the rabbit hole leads”, Myllymäki says. 

Support from Aalto University's entrepreneurial ecosystem has been crucial 

Myllymäki was ready to try new things and take risks. "At the beginning, many didn't believe in our business idea, but that didn't discourage us. I think when someone says something is impossible, it might just mean that no one has managed to do it yet.” 

His entrepreneurial mindset stems from his childhood home, as his father is a sole entrepreneur. "I learned from home that entrepreneurship is a viable career path. I also participated in Aaltoes activities, and I was inspired by the success stories of other startup entrepreneurs." 

"In the beginning, there were only two guys and two laptops. At the moment Measurlabs team has 36 employees. We have over 1000 customers in more than 70 countries worldwide." The company has raised €4.3 million in funding from capital investors. One of the investors is Lifeline Ventures, whose investment portfolio includes companies like Supercell, Wolt, and Oura. Measurlabs' turnover is expected to exceed six million euros this year.