OYSTER incubator strengthens health innovation in Oulu – MAI experts contributing to ecosystem growth

Several MAI professionals are engaged in the OYSTER incubator, bringing expertise in business development, innovation management, and ecosystem thinking.

At MAI, the work is carried out by Professor Petri Ahokangas, Postdoctoral Researcher Raushan Aman, Postdoctoral Researcher Mahmoud Mohamed, and Doctoral Researcher Chathurangani Jayathilake, who work closely with startup teams on topics related to business development, customer understanding, strategic thinking, and the commercialization of ideas.

Their work includes workshops and coaching sessions focusing on trend analysis, customer journey mapping, prototyping, testing, and strategic business development. Through these activities, MAI experts help teams better understand healthcare ecosystems, stakeholder relationships, and the broader adoption environment surrounding their innovations.

Bridging research and business

One of MAI’s key contributions to OYSTER is helping startups move beyond purely technology-driven thinking toward a broader strategic and ecosystem-oriented perspective.

In healthcare environments, identifying the “customer” is often more complex than expected. The end user, the decision-maker, and the paying customer are not always the same actor. A digital health solution may be used by patients, recommended by healthcare professionals, evaluated by hospital management, and funded by municipalities or healthcare organizations.

Through coaching and workshops, startup teams are encouraged to better understand these multiple stakeholder perspectives and reflect on how different actors influence the adoption and long-term success of healthcare innovations. The process also helps teams challenge assumptions, refine their concepts through experimentation, and strengthen the commercial potential of their solutions.

What happens in the OYSTER incubator?

The OYSTER incubator is designed as a structured process that supports early-stage health innovations from idea to implementation.

The program combines workshops, mentoring sessions, prototyping and testing activities, stakeholder analysis, and strategic business development support. Teams develop their ideas iteratively through experimentation, feedback, and collaboration with experts from different organizations and disciplines.

Another important aspect of the incubator is trend analysis, which encourages startups to look beyond immediate product development and consider broader developments in healthcare, digitalization, and changing user expectations. This helps teams think about long-term positioning, value creation, and future ecosystem dynamics.

Emerging solutions and impact

OYSTER has already supported the development of several promising health and wellbeing solutions.

One example of impact emerging from the OYSTER incubator is the DermaEXO project, which explores a novel approach to diagnosing dementia through skin-based biomarkers. The idea originated from a research observation and was further developed into a business concept with the support of the OYSTER program. Through mentoring and training in areas such as problem definition, customer value, and pitching, the team was able to transform promising research findings into a scalable innovation.

These solutions address real-world challenges in healthcare, ranging from digital tools to service innovations, and contribute to the growing vitality of the OuluHealth ecosystem.

Connecting research, entrepreneurship, and healthcare

The OYSTER incubator continues to evolve as a collaborative platform for healthcare innovation. As healthcare ecosystems become increasingly digital and interconnected, the importance of combining strategic thinking, customer understanding, and ecosystem awareness is expected to grow further. The collaboration between researchers, startup teams, educators, and regional innovation actors also highlights the value of multidisciplinary learning environments in supporting entrepreneurship and innovation.

Through its involvement in OYSTER, MAI helps connect research, strategic thinking, and entrepreneurship in ways that support the development of impactful health innovations in Oulu.

Read more: Curious about what startup coaching looks like in practice? Read from OBS blog Mahmoud Mohamed's post on learning through collaboration in the OYSTER incubator.