Lauri Tähtinen
Chief Executive Officer
Strategist and entrepreneur at the intersection of geopolitics, technology, and business
Harvard, Cambridge PhD. Advised public and private sector leaders globally.
About Mission Grey
Built by operators, researchers, and intelligence experts.
Mission Grey builds the intelligence layer between the world and enterprise decisions. Organizations operate in a world shaped by external forces. The company exists to connect those forces directly to the decisions they affect.
Four disciplines, one system
Why Mission Grey exists.
External intelligence is not one job. It takes people who have run international businesses, people who read the world for a living, people who can price risk, and people who build the models underneath. All four are in the company.
Operators
Entrepreneurs and executives who have built and scaled international businesses.
Intelligence experts
Specialists in geopolitical analysis and global systems who translate complexity into strategic implications.
Risk experts
Experts in risk management and financial modeling who quantify impact.
Research
Economists, data scientists, and complex systems researchers building the models behind the platform.
The team
16 people · 4 advisors
The people accountable for the work.
Names, roles, and prior work
Profiles link out where public
Jouko Ahvenainen
Founder & Chairman
Serial entrepreneur in data analytics, fintech, and external intelligence
Built and scaled companies across Asia, Europe, and the US.
Janaki Kates
Head of Intelligence
National security expert with 18 years in intelligence and government
Former CIA analyst. Briefed executives at the Department of State and National Security Council.
Jani Kinnunen
Chief Research Officer
Senior researcher in economics, finance, and computational modeling
100+ peer-reviewed publications.
Andrew Ong
Chief Growth Officer
C-level executive with 30+ years scaling fintech and SaaS businesses globally
Delivered triple-digit growth across Asia-Pacific markets.
Akseli Kettula
VP, Product & Business Development
Expert in insurance, risk management, and large-scale corporate exposure
Managed portfolios for 40+ organizations.
Teppo Koskinen
Founder & Chief Technology Officer
Technology entrepreneur specializing in scalable software and machine learning systems
20+ years building products from architecture to production.
Mercy Kuo
Head of Strategy, United States
Geopolitics, strategic risk, and external intelligence expert with experience across government, corporate advisory, and international affairs
Former CIA analyst and executive in U.S. risk intelligence, helping organizations understand how external developments shape business decisions.
Lauri Byckling
Strategic Advisor
Senior executive and advisor with 30+ years in consulting, technology, and business transformation
Former Deloitte Managing Partner. Helps global organizations build practical business and technology solutions.
Erno Pirinen
VP, Technical Product Management
Product leader in AI and data-driven enterprise platforms
Scaled a cloud orchestration platform from concept to Fortune 500 adoption.
Monique Boddington
Head of Campus
Professor at Cambridge Judge Business School
Directs the Master's in Entrepreneurship. Leads research collaborations.
Peter Steube
Head of Community
Strategic community builder for executive-level intelligence networks
Former Gartner executive community lead.
Thorsten Terweiden
Director, Business Development
Senior trade and investment professional with 20+ years across Europe, Asia, and Australia
Part of the core team that secured Intel's landmark investment in Germany.
Pekka Virkki
Co-founder & Intelligence Recruiter
Geopolitical author and journalist specializing in international power dynamics
Published by The Times, El País, CEPA.
Eva Mikkonen
OSINT Specialist & Software Developer
OSINT specialist and cybersecurity professional
Full-stack security experience. Specializes in open-source intelligence.
Seán McLoughlin
Practice & Community Developer
International politics researcher focused on geopolitical complexity
Background in municipal politics, civil society, and global insurance brokerage.
Advisors
Kuan Yen Tan
Co-founder of IQM Quantum Computers. PhD in experimental physics
Named CTO of the Year 2023 by Technology Industries of Finland.
Pasi Eronen Watt
Expert in information operations, strategic analysis, and hybrid threat assessment
Career spanning NATO, OSCE, EU missions.
Jay Tannon
Business lawyer and principal investor in infrastructure and renewable energy
Recognized by Best Lawyers in America for 25 consecutive years.
Markus Lampinen
Serial entrepreneur and investor with global fintech and AI scaling experience
Based in Silicon Valley.
Research partnerships
University of CambridgeJudge Business School
Aalto University
Tampere University
Partners and the Guild
Where we are
Three regions
Globally present, locally connected.
Americas
Venture X, Arlington, VAUnited States
Europe, Middle East & Africa
La Défense, PuteauxFrance
Asia
Raffles PlaceSingapore
Other offices and operationsTampere, FinlandSan Francisco, USA
A new category
Intelligence, modeling, and expertise in one system.
Mission Grey combines intelligence, modeling, and expertise into one system. The platform, the research models, and the Guild operate together. Access is by request.