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Ilkka Paananen Foundation

Ilkka Paananen Foundation exists to increase the social and mental well-being of children, youth, and families. Our foundation was founded in 2015 by Ilkka Paananen, the co-founder & CEO of global game company Supercell. We’ve backed tens of initiatives ensuring equal opportunities for a fulfilling life for all, regardless of background.

As a partner of the Illusian Founder Office, we want technological innovations to benefit the many rather than the few. By bridging the gap between the tech sector and non-profits, we’ve developed, for instance, a groundbreaking impact measurement platform, an AI-powered youth mental health helpline, and games teaching kids valuable social skills.

we back:

Innovative ideas shaping the world with tech. Ambitious, globally scalable solutions. Measurable change. Preventive efforts that treat the root cause, not just the symptoms.

Three programs for social and mental wellbeing

We back ambitious initiatives that break barriers for children, youth, and families at risk of social exclusion.

1. Community: Projects that improve social well-being for at-risk children, youth, and their families, fostering a stronger sense of belonging to increase resilience. This program operates locally in Finland.

2. Mental health: Projects that improve the mental wellbeing of school-aged children and youth. The program is global.

3. Scalable tech: Technology-driven resources that improve mental health or enhance community belonging among at-risk children and youth. A global program.

Are you building something like this? Send us a note: foundation (at) illusian.org.

  • €0M committed to increasing social inclusion during the next 20 years
  • 0+ initiatives backed
  • 0 countries reached
  • 0k individuals reached annually
  • 0K individuals annually whose well-being changed for the better as a result

Turning data into purpose

We’re obsessed with finding out what kinds of ideas, technologies, and teams can make the most positive impact. We aim to thoroughly understand our projects’ effectiveness and continuously develop them based on data.

One of our most significant initiatives, Melvio by We Foundation, is a platform for impact measurement. The goal is that in the future, all organizations working with social inclusion can verify their activities’ positive impact and reach.

We measure our impact through four lenses

  • Reach

    Making sure our help reaches at-risk people who benefit from our support the most.

  • Engagement

    Examining how deep and influential the collaboration with the project’s target group is.

  • Change in well-being

    Measuring how the activities actually affect its target group’s social and mental well-being.

  • Societal change

    Tracking the broader change on a societal level to help us create sustainable impact models instead of band-aid solutions.

Scalable change, tech-positive ideas

We believe non-profits can operate with the same efficiency and scalability as for-profit companies. Our role is to support the most promising ideas that use tech for good.

For example, we’re collaborating on Project 5/5 with Sekasin-chat, a national mental health service for young people. We’re developing an AI-powered chat to improve access to mental health services without replacing human interaction or therapy. 

Another initiative we’ve launched is Wondershop, a project that fosters social inclusion through gaming. As engaging as any commercial hit, their games help children and youth build critical life skills like problem-solving, teamwork, and emotional regulation.

Here for the makers

Want to build with us?

Share your ideas at foundation(at)illusian.org

The fine print

The Ilkka Paananen Foundation is led by a board of directors, ensuring we’re aligned, working towards our mission, and organizing our work effectively. The members:

Ilkka Paananen, chairperson

Sirkku Soini

Teemu Korhonen

You can download the rules of the foundation here.

Email us at foundation(at)illusian.org