Tuomas TiilikainenGet in touch

About

About Tuomas Tiilikainen

Finnish founder, based in Ho Chi Minh City. Co-founder and CEO of Finest Future, which I bootstrapped to €9.3 million a year in four years, and which my own country's new law pushed out of Finland in 2026.

Short answer

  • Tuomas Tiilikainen is a Finnish entrepreneur based in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and the co-founder and CEO of Finest Future.
  • He co-founded Finest Future in 2020 with Peter Vesterbacka (Angry Birds, Slush) and Bambi Dang. The company brought students from Asia into Finnish upper secondary and vocational schools.
  • Finest Future grew to €9.3 million (about $10 million) in yearly revenue in four years with no outside funding, selling through a partner network in more than 15 countries.
  • Finest Future Vietnam won the Asia Pacific Enterprise Awards' Inspirational Brand Award in 2024 and Fast Enterprise Award in 2025.
  • After Finland introduced tuition fees for students from outside the EU and EEA (in force 1 August 2026), the Finnish company went bankrupt. Finest Future continues outside Finland.
  • He gives keynotes, coaches founders and consults companies on bootstrapping, partnership-led sales, leading across cultures and doing business in Vietnam and Southeast Asia.
Based in
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
From
Finland
Company
Finest Future, co-founder and CEO
Co-founders
Peter Vesterbacka, Bambi Dang
Background
12+ years in sales and business development
Works on
Keynotes, founder coaching, consulting
Tuomas Tiilikainen, portrait

The story so far

From a Finnish idea to a company run from Vietnam

The short version is above. This is the year-by-year one, with what I can show for each step.

  1. Finest Future starts

    The company was founded in Finland in September and in Vietnam in December. Our first customers were Finnish municipalities whose schools were losing students: two deals in the first two months, seven in about six.

  2. The first students arrive

    The first 15 students started at Finnish schools. I went to Vietnam to run revenue, and instead of hiring salespeople we built a partner network that later sold for us in more than 15 countries.

  3. Recognised at home and in Vietnam

    Finest Future was named among Finland's Menestyjät (Achievers), and we launched Amazing Race Finland × Vietnam with Peter Vesterbacka in Ho Chi Minh City.

  4. €9.3 million a year, bootstrapped

    Four years from the first deal, with no investors and no loans. Finest Future Vietnam won the APEA Inspirational Brand Award.

  5. The law

    The government proposed tuition fees for students from outside the EU and EEA in October. Finest Future Vietnam won the APEA Fast Enterprise Award the same month. Parliament passed the law 131 to 42 on 10 December.

  6. The company goes, the mission stays

    The law came into force on 1 August and the Finnish company went bankrupt. Finest Future carries on outside Finland, from our office in Vietnam. In September I started telling the whole story on YouTube.

On the record

Awards and moments

Accepting the APEA 2024 Inspirational Brand Award on stage
Accepting the APEA 2024 Inspirational Brand Award for Finest Future Vietnam.
The Finest Future team on the APEA 2024 red carpet
The red carpet at APEA 2024, GEM Center, Ho Chi Minh City.
Amazing Race Finland × Vietnam launch press conference
Launching Amazing Race Finland × Vietnam with Peter Vesterbacka, New World Saigon, 2023.
Finest Future team with the Menestyjät 2023 certificate
Finest Future among Finland's Menestyjät (Achievers), 2023.
In the press Tuổi Trẻ: APEA 2025 (opens in a new tab) Vietnam Investment Review: APEA 2024 (opens in a new tab) APEA Hall of Fame (opens in a new tab) Vietcetera: Amazing Race Finland × Vietnam (opens in a new tab) ScandAsia, 2021 (opens in a new tab)

Questions

What people ask

Elsewhere: LinkedIn (opens in a new tab)   YouTube (opens in a new tab)

What is Finest Future?

An education company that brings students from Asia and other regions into Finnish upper secondary and vocational schools, with Finnish language training before and during their studies. It was founded in 2020 by Peter Vesterbacka, Bambi Dang and Tuomas Tiilikainen.

Did Finest Future raise outside funding?

No. It was bootstrapped: no investors, no loans, no debt. Growth was paid for by revenue, which reached €9.3 million a year in four years. The playbook is in the bootstrapping story.

What happened to Finest Future in Finland?

Finland introduced tuition fees for new students from outside the EU and EEA in upper secondary and vocational schools (government bill HE 143/2025, passed 131 to 42 on 10 December 2025, in force 1 August 2026). The Finnish company could not survive the change and went bankrupt. Finest Future continues outside Finland. The documents are in this post.

Where is Tuomas Tiilikainen based?

In Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, where he has run Finest Future's revenue operations for the past five years. He is Finnish and works between Finland and Southeast Asia. Talks are delivered in English.

How do I book Tuomas for a talk or coaching?

Send a message through the contact form or email hello@tuomastiilikainen.com with the event or the problem, the timing and the audience. He replies personally, usually within two business days.