Who we are

In 2022, Michael Falck, Mikko Kärkkäinen, and Johanna Småros, the three co-founders of Finnish tech unicorn RELEX Solutions, together with one of RELEX's first employees, Marko Nikula, founded a new charity foundation going by the name RELEX Foundation for a Better Future.

The four founders were determined to reinvest their shared success into causes that create lasting, meaningful change, and to support work the business world alone cannot do. RELEX was kept in the Foundation's name to honor the work of past, current, and future RELEX Solutions employees. Led by CEO Outi Kuittinen, RELEX Foundation operates independently from RELEX Solutions.

We call our philosophy critical optimism. Not blind hope, but a conviction grounded in science, experience, and action. A good society within the boundaries of the planet is possible, and the people building it are already out there. Our job is to find them, back them, and stay close as the work unfolds.

We are clear-eyed about what this takes. Biodiversity and climate are deeply entangled, and neither crisis will be solved without the other. The ecological transition will not succeed if it belongs only to those already in the room. We rely on the power of science and experimentation, dare to ask difficult questions, and sit with uncomfortable answers. With our grantee partners, we strive to build long-term partnerships based on trust, sharing expertise, opening our networks, and staying close through setbacks and breakthroughs alike.

We are a small foundation with clear priorities. We don't try to be everything to everyone, but we are determined to ensure that what we do is done well, with tangible outcomes.