Reaktor is a technology company, specialised in design, development and strategy of digital services and products.[1]

Reaktor
IndustrySoftware, strategy, design
Founded2000
Number of locations
5
Key people
Pekka Horo (CEO) Mika Sutinen (Chairman of the board)
Revenue€120M (2023)
Number of employees
700
Websitehttps://www.reaktor.com/

Founded in Finland in 2000,[2] Reaktor has offices in New York, Amsterdam, Helsinki, Stockholm, and Tokyo.[3][4] Reaktor employs 700 people. In 2023, its revenue amounted to 120 million euros, approximately $130M. Reaktor Group’s CEO is Pekka Horo.

Reaktor builds digital products for clients including Finnair, Finavia, HBO, Adidas, Nasdaq, and Varian Medical Systems.[5][6][7][8][9] Its work has been awarded and recognized by the Red Dot awards, Webby Awards, Emmy Awards, and German Design Council, among others.[10][11][12]

In 2019, Reaktor was named as one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies by the American business journal Fast Company.[1]

Reaktor is known from being the creator of Elements of AI massive open online course (MOOC) with the University of Helsinki. The online course about artificial intelligence has been taken to over half a million participants worldwide.[13][14]

Initiatives

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In 2020, Fast Company listed Reaktor Education and the +POOL project in New York among world-changing ideas.[15]

In 2019, Reaktor partnered with Columbia University and +POOL to build an installation in East River in New York.[16] Named +POOL Light, the sculpture changes colors based on water conditions that are tracked by sensors and algorithms by the university and Reaktor.[17]

In 2018, Reaktor launched Finland’s first commercially-built nanosatellite “Reaktor Hello World” into space.[18] The nanosatellite carries an infrared hyperspectral camera built by VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland.[19] The satellite was built in collaboration with Aalto University and the same people who were behind the launch of Finland’s first two satellites, Aalto 1 and Aalto 2.[20] Reaktor’s satellite platform is also used in the W-cube satellite by ESA, European Space Agency.[21]

Elements of AI is a massive open online course (MOOC) designed and organized by Reaktor and the University of Helsinki.[22] The course teaches the basics of artificial intelligence, and it was originally launched in 2018.[23] With over half a million participants, the course is being translated into all official EU languages.[14] The government of Finland has pledged to offer the course for all EU citizens by the end of 2021.[24] In 2019, the course won the global grand prize in the Inclusive Innovation Challenge by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.[25]

Reaktor has also held the world’s first coding championships in 2014 together with the Finnish game developer Supercell.[26]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Reaktor: Most Innovative Company". Fast Company. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  2. ^ "Management lessons from an American general". The Economist. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  3. ^ "Razorfish, R/GA Vet Heads to Strategy, Design and Tech Firm Reaktor as President, North America". www.adweek.com. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  4. ^ Helsinki, Charlie Taylor in. "Helsinki firm pilots self-driving ferry". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  5. ^ "Suomalaisyritys nappasi tv-jätti HBO:n – New Yorkissa olisi jo enemmän asiakkaita kuin voi ottaa". Yle Uutiset (in Finnish). Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  6. ^ "Reaktor and adidas head for "all things future"". Good News from Finland. 2017-12-07. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  7. ^ "Teknologia | Maailman suurimpiin syövän sädehoitojen kehittäjiin kuuluva yhtiö turvautui suomalaisosaamiseen – Meilahdessa kehitetään hoidon tarkkuutta parantavaa ohjelmistoa". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). 2020-07-05. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  8. ^ "Finland's airports will soon be run by AI". TechHQ. 2019-10-28. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  9. ^ "The direct approach - Issue 114 - Magazine". Monocle. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  10. ^ "NEW Webby Gallery + Index". NEW Webby Gallery + Index. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  11. ^ "The world's first festival to plant a forest - Winner - Integrated Campaigns and Advertising - German Design Award". www.german-design-award.com. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  12. ^ "Red Dot Design Award: Finnair – Onboard Service Platform". www.red-dot.org. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  13. ^ "Finland's grand AI experiment". POLITICO. 2019-01-02. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  14. ^ a b Virki, Tarmo (2020-01-03). "Finland seeks to teach 1% of all Europeans basics on AI". Reuters. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  15. ^ "DAILY BRIEF: World-changing ideas, acquisitions, health and high technology, science and research". Good News from Finland. 2020-04-29. Retrieved 2022-08-03.
  16. ^ Kurutz, Steven (2019-10-05). "New Yorkers Will Have to Wait for an East River Pool (Published 2019)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  17. ^ "+ Pool's Floating Light Installation Changes Color Based on East River's Water Quality". HYPEBEAST. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  18. ^ "Building a cloud in space – this IT company is taking the space industry into the 21st century". International Business Times UK. 2016-12-07. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  19. ^ "Groundbreaking nanosatellite imaging technology brings new possibilities to manage climate change | VTT". www.vttresearch.com. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  20. ^ "Avaruus | Eurooppa ei saa jäädä start-up-yritysten jälkeen avaruuskilpailussa – Kolme asiantuntijaa listasi, missä Eurooppa voi vielä kehittyä". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). 2020-03-15. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  21. ^ "Reaktor Space Lab and VTT investigate a new frequency band for telecommunications satellites | VTT". www.vttresearch.com. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  22. ^ Varghese, Sanjana (2019-10-23). "In Finland, prisoners are being taught crucial AI skills". Wired UK. ISSN 1357-0978. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  23. ^ "A country's ambitious plan to teach anyone the basics of AI". MIT Technology Review. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  24. ^ "Koulu | Helsingin yliopiston kaikkien aikojen suosituin kurssi saa jatkoa – järjestäjien tavoitteena opettaa tekoälyn perusteet prosentille maailman väestöstä". Helsingin Sanomat (in Finnish). 2020-10-21. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  25. ^ "Reaktor Education". MIT Inclusive Innovation Challenge. Retrieved 2021-03-19.
  26. ^ "Hello World! Poland Wins First Computer Coding Championship". NBC News. Retrieved 2020-11-11.