Pulp & Beyond 2026 Start-up Competition won by Woamy

The start-up competition looked for the most promising and potential growth companies in the forest bioeconomy field. The Pulp & Beyond Award is given to a Finnish company that has developed an innovation that produces a positive image for the forest bioeconomy industry and from which an internationally significant product or service can be developed. At its best, the solution also opens up new perspectives in the forest bioeconomy sector. The winner is granted a 5 000 euros Pulp & Beyond Award funded by the Finnish Fair Foundation.

The competition jury praised the pitch delivered by Woamy’s CEO, Susanna Partanen, highlighting its clear narrative and easy‑to‑follow structure. Woamy’s innovation received high recognition for its focused business case, transparent solution, and consistent presentation of key performance indicators that provide a strong foundation for future growth.

Woamy addresses the growing need to replace plastic foams—which are hard to recycle and a major source of microplastic pollution—by offering a high‑performance, fully recyclable biofoam made from cellulose fibers. Produced locally from widely available forest‑based raw materials, Woamy’s solution strengthens supply‑chain resilience while meeting both sustainability and performance demands.

In her speech following the award ceremony, Susanna Partanen of Woamy thanked the competition jury for the recognition and emphasized that we are all on the same mission to make a difference. She noted that creating meaningful impact requires strong and broad collaboration across the ecosystem.

Three companies in the final

The finalists of the start-up competition 2026 included Green Factory AI, LignEasy, and Woamy. LignEasy has developed a membrane filtration–based process to extract lignin directly from kraft black liquor, while Green Factory AI offers an AI‑native production intelligence software for the process industry.

The competition was organized by Messukeskus in cooperation with The Finnish Forest Products Engineers’ Association. The jury of the start-up competition consisted of Atte Virtanen (Vice President, Biomaterial Processing and Products, VTT), Jenny Müller-Wahlman (Director, Group R&D, Stora Enso), Reetta Strengell (Director, Global Product & Technology Development, Kemira), Antti Lindqvist (Managing Director, Finnish Forest Products Engineers’ Association) and Anssi Rajala (Business Manager, Messukeskus)

The start-up competition was now arranged for the fifth time. The previous competition, held in 2024, was won by Aisti Corporation, which had developed a patented ultra-low density fire-retardant foam material, suitable for production of board-like products for many different applications such as acoustic tiles, thermal insulation products, windshield panels and package cushions.