Case Kelluu
Airships from Karelia. Have you ever heard anything like it?
Sometimes in business you come across things that are difficult to imagine on the first phone call. Kelluu is one of them - you have to see it to believe it. For now you can spot Kelluu in only exotic places like Reijola, Joensuu. The operation is not widely advertized on social media or on big signs but with a flying silver airship in the sky and in this Helsingin Sanomat piece. This scalable airship fit for its purpose is the only one of its kind in the world. Uses for the airship are endless. Airbus is the only competitor working on something quite similar and with the same scale across the pond.
Kelluu is primarily a data company whose business is based on imaging the environment with a fully autonomous airship. The autopilot is responsible for flying, and precise camera systems capture the environment with pinpoint accuracy. For instance, critical infrastructure can be imaged and analyzed from the air. The image produced by RGB cameras is so detailed that it allows for reliable analysis, such as detecting bark beetle infestations in trees. Because the product is new and nothing similar has been done at least in Finland, challenges abound. On the other hand, those who embark on such a project cannot be faint-hearted. At Kelluu, they build airships, not enjoying pre-peeled fruits by the world's largest snooker table.
CEO Janne Hietala, what do you need from a recruiting partner?
"That's a good question. However, we're doing something that isn't done everywhere. We need software expertise, electronics, imaging, mechanical assembly, and more. Technical expertise is, of course, crucial for us in product development, but there will be many other roles opening up for us in the future. The key is to be able to help a growth company like ours find the right kind of individuals. Every hiring decision is carefully considered, so one must think about things from many different perspectives. We need to be a winning team."
Why did you yourself join Kelluu?
"I've been involved in the software business for a couple of full decades, worked a lot in the States, and lived in London. I had already sold my own company and switched to being an excavator operator on my own cottage construction. But then I heard about something crazy enough. Kelluu was looking for a CEO, and I couldn't refuse this opportunity. It's such a unique thing, especially coming from Northern Karelia of all places!"
What is required of someone at Kelluu?
"I believe that when doing something groundbreaking, you need people who are determined enough. I've always been extremely interested in new technologies and their utilization, and that probably connects the entire Kelluu team now and in the future."
