If you’re an entrepreneur in the creative industries with international ambitions, SHINE!Showcase is where you should be on 1 October. From investment and new markets to business development, international networks and industry-specific expertise, SHINE! brings together people who can help your company take its next steps. The question is not only who will be in the room – but who should your company be talking to?
On 1 October, SHINE! Showcase brings companies in the creative industries together with international and Finnish investors, mentors and industry professionals in Tampere.
Who should your company be talking to?
What makes SHINE! different is the mix of people, industries and international perspectives brought together in the same room. A game company can meet an investor. A company looking towards new markets in the Gulf can talk with people who know the market. An entrepreneur can find perspectives on business development, internationalisation or funding – and a new partner or idea may come from a completely different creative field.
Selected companies have three minutes to present their business and international ambitions, followed by feedback and questions. But the pitches are only the starting point. SHINE! leaves plenty of time for conversations, meetings and new connections.
Looking for investment?
For game companies, Ali Farha, investor at Behold Ventures, brings together investment experience and a hands-on background in the games industry. He invests in game studios across the Nordics and Europe and, before moving into venture capital, spent ten years in tech leadership and worked as a Senior Producer.
At SHINE!, Ali will meet game companies, hear their pitches and share his investor perspective on funding, growth and building a strong games business.
Anna Sofia Piha, Founder and CEO of Abraca and one of the founders of FiBAN Creative Angels, brings both an entrepreneur’s and an investor’s perspective. She has first-hand experience of leading growth companies in the creative industries, raising investment and expanding internationally. She is also an experienced startup competition jury member.
Looking for opportunities in Asia and the Middle East?
Khawla Alshaikh works in strategic partnerships and ecosystem development at AstroLabs, supporting international companies entering and growing in Saudi Arabia and the UAE. At SHINE!, she is particularly interested in meeting companies in gaming, audiovisual, media and fashion.
Joining from Bahrain, entrepreneur, business growth coach and startup mentor Safa Sharif brings experience from Saudi Arabia and the wider Middle East. He has worked with entrepreneurs in the creative industries on business development, growth and internationalisation.
Composer, producer and business developer Anjana Rajagopalan brings another international perspective, with experience and connections across India, Europe and the Middle East. Her work spans music, audiovisual productions and cross-cultural collaborations, and she has built partnerships across markets and creative industries.
At SHINE!, Khawla, Safa and Anjana bring market knowledge, international experience and connections across Asia and the Middle East – and an opportunity for companies to explore new partnerships and markets.
Looking for new international networks?
Rasmus Wiinstedt Tscherning, Managing Director of Creative Business Network, has spent years building an international community around entrepreneurship in the creative industries. CBN connects entrepreneurs and SMEs with investors, mentors and partners and supports them in areas including access to finance, internationalisation, IP strategies and business development.
Under Rasmus’s leadership, initiatives including the Creative Business Cup, Creative Business Investors Network and MyCreativeNetworks.com have been developed to connect companies and entrepreneurs internationally.
Helene Berling, Project Manager for Consulting & Training at Hamburg Kreativ Gesellschaft, works with entrepreneurs and companies across the creative industries. Her work spans business development, networks and opportunities for growth and includes Music WorX, a European programme for early-stage music-tech companies.
Together, Rasmus and Helene bring perspectives and connections from two established European creative industries networks, with experience in internationalisation, business development, access to finance and connecting companies with new opportunities.
The most useful conversation may not be the one you expected to have
As new guests continue to join the SHINE! line-up, the pitch application will remain open until 13 September.
Apply to pitch – or join us to network and meet people who could help your company take its next international step.
Pitch applications close 13 September 2026.General registration closes 21 September 2026.
SHINE! Showcase1 October 2026 | Tampere, Finland
Free to attend. Event language English.
Creative Businesses. Global Ambitions.
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