Meet the team – who is building Wayby: Veikko
Quick Facts
- Role: Head of Operations, founder
- Location: Helsinki & Hohhot, Inner Mongolia
- Fun fact: Powered by Lao Gan Ma chili
The best careers rarely follow a script
Veikko’s career has taken him across the globe. Originally from Kajaani, he left Finland soon after graduating and headed to Shanghai, where he spent several years working at a local game company. From there, he moved to Seoul to lead a game studio before shortly returning to Finland, until he was off again to San Francisco to help establish sales operations.
Following the pandemic and a couple of successful exits, Veikko focused on his own game projects and launched several titles, including one that still has an active player community today.
The next chapter began in December 2024, when a conversation with Dini, Wayby’s CEO and founder, sparked his interest. The vision behind the company immediately resonated with him, and before long, he had joined the team. Today, he’s been building Wayby for almost two years.
Building with purpose
When asked what motivates Veikko, he says it is overcoming challenges and the opportunity to build something meaningful. He describes himself as someone who enjoys being in the middle of the action, always looking for the next problem to solve or opportunity to improve. Whether it’s developing the business, working closely with users, or laying the foundations for Wayby’s growth, what drives him most is seeing tangible results.
According to him, one thing that often surprises people is how much Wayby has achieved with such a small team. What makes him especially proud is the team’s ability to deliver at such a high level and keep the user base growing. Much of that comes down to Wayby’s product development, where Jesse has played a key role. It’s proof that a small, focused team can accomplish remarkable things.
The right people make the difference
Looking back, Veikko believes the biggest lesson he’s learned as a founder is simple: surround yourself with the right people. Great companies are built by great people, and when you have the right team from the start, everything else becomes easier. He says that those who thrive at Wayby are experienced professionals who take initiative, enjoy working independently toward clear goals, and take ownership of their work. For Veikko, those are the qualities that enable both individuals and the company to grow.
Looking ahead, his focus is on building the foundations for sustainable, predictable growth. He believes long-term success depends on scalable processes and a solid foundation that supports the company’s next stage of development.
“Halki poikki pinoon”
It’s a uniquely Finnish expression and mindset that describes someone who is determined, decisive, and relentlessly goal-oriented, and that is how Veikko’s colleagues would describe him. Once he knows where he’s going, he wastes no time finding the most effective way to get there.
If given the chance to swap roles for a day at Wayby, he would happily step into the marketing team. As a passionate believer in the product and the value it brings to users, he would find the chance to spend a day sharing that story hard to resist. After all, building a great product is only part of the equation, as people also need to understand why it matters.
Outside of work, Veikko has developed a passion for Chinese cooking. Every visit to China is an opportunity to learn new recipes and techniques from his Chinese grandmother, bringing those authentic flavors back to his own kitchen in Finland. Alongside cooking, regular gym sessions provide a welcome balance to the fast pace of startup life.