Finding a future in foresight – how a Turkish researcher built a new life in Finland

For Tolga Karayel, Finland had already proven its potential. A five-month Erasmus exchange in 2011 planted the seed. Then, after nearly seven years working in Turkish local municipality, he returned to Turku to pursue a Master’s in Futures Studies – drawn by the University of Turku’s academic reputation and the city’s support for students and entrepreneurs alike.

His research soon focused on futures studies and foresight – using tools like horizon scanning, roadmapping and scenario planning to help societies and businesses navigate uncertainty – and led naturally into his doctoral studies at the Finland Futures Research Centre (FFRC) at the University of Turku.

Alongside academia, Karayel’s passion for sustainability found expression in entrepreneurship: co-founding a circular economy startup, Preloved Coffee, aimed at repurposing Finland’s abundant spent coffee grounds into valuable new materials.

We sat down with him to explore his academic path, entrepreneurial ventures, and the meaning of building a future – both personal and professional – in Finland.

Well, let’s start from the beginning. How did you come to find Finland in 2011?
At the time, I was a bachelor’s student studying International Relations in Türkiye. We had the opportunity to participate in the Erasmus exchange programme, and the options included places like Poland, some German cities, and the Netherlands.

Then, quite suddenly, one of my professors, Tanju Tosun, suggested Finland. Thanks to that suggestion, I applied, got in, and spent five months in Finland for the Erasmus programme. That was the beginning of my Finnish journey.

What were your first impressions?
Cold. Cold!

Imagine a student who had lived all his life on the southern coast of Türkiye, where snow is basically non-existent. I arrived in the last week of August 2011, and soon after, this big, white stuff started falling from the sky – snow. And it wasn’t light. It was heavy.

But frankly, I prefer winter over summer. So, in a way, I felt like, OK, this might be a good place for me. I actually liked it.

Returning for a new challenge – why Turku felt like home

After this experience, you returned to Türkiye for the best part of a decade. How did your journey eventually lead you back to Finland?
I think everyone eventually faces this moment of asking themselves – what is my comfort zone?

After graduating with my bachelor’s, I worked for nearly seven years in a local municipality in various roles. But eventually I felt it was time for more – to see what else I was capable of. That’s when I decided I needed to challenge myself again and continue my studies abroad.

Interestingly, I was initially aiming for Germany. I applied to nine or ten German universities. But I also applied to the University of Turku’s Master’s programme in Futures Studies. I got accepted to four German universities – but then the practical challenges began.

In Germany, you need to open a blocked account, pay in a large sum of money, and then there’s housing, which is another issue.

Then, out of nowhere, I received an acceptance letter from the University of Turku, with a 100 per cent scholarship. I thought – thank you, Germany, but this is a sign.

I already had good memories of Finland, from the people to the systems, the social welfare. And yes, I know for some people the long winters and very bright summers might be off-putting, but those were actually things I enjoyed. So, I took the offer and cancelled my Germany plans.

Everything just went smoothly. I got my housing within six weeks. My residence permit was approved by the seventh day. There was nothing pushing me away from starting this new life. And that’s how I ended up in Finland again, in 2021.

What was the integration process like once you arrived here?
Especially in the university and academic environments, I found people to be very inclusive and supportive.

If I ever had a problem or question, even if someone didn’t know the answer, they would point me toward someone who did. It’s that environment of trust that I often advise newcomers here to lean into. Be open, share your challenges or successes – because here, solutions usually follow openness.

I started looking for part-time work as soon as I arrived. Within two weeks, I got my first gig-job. After that job, others followed. And by my second year of study, I became a research assistant – which really aligned with my background in local government. That research focused on smart cities and digital twins – which was also the topic of my Master’s thesis.

From there, I entered academia more deeply – publishing, working on various projects, and that eventually led to my PhD.

Finding trust and opportunity – the start of Preloved Coffee

What stood out about Finnish academia?
Well, I didn’t experience postgraduate study in Türkiye, so I can’t compare directly. But what struck me here was the openness of Finnish academia to novel ideas.

There’s no rigid path – if you’ve got a new perspective or an original idea, you’re encouraged to explore it. When I was doing research on digital twins and smart cities, it was the perfect time – cities were eager to digitalise services, and I had the chance to test ideas in a very real, very integrated system.

Finland is great for that – everything is connected and systematic. It’s a perfect testbed for ideas, whether in research or business.

Speaking of which, how did your journey with Preloved Coffee begin?
It all began with trust.

As entrepreneurs, we often hesitate to share our ideas. There’s this fear someone might steal it or beat you to it. But then I found Boost Turku – a startup hub offering training, mentoring, and networking. They were hosting something called Startup Journey – an eight-week bootcamp – and I decided to just go for it.

That’s where I first publicly shared my idea, broke down that trust barrier, and met my co-founders. And that’s how Preloved Coffee was born.

We’re focused on upcycling spent coffee grounds. It’s an abundant resource – Finland consumes over 60 million kilograms of coffee annually. Right now, most of that goes to bio waste. But it has so much potential to be transformed into valuable new materials.

Sounds like a logical approach.

Well, it's not exactly completely original. There are already businesses and startups doing similar things globally. But when I came across the Boost Turku event, I thought – OK, this is something, so why aren’t we doing it in Finland? It's already tested and scalable elsewhere.

Being an entrepreneur isn’t always about inventing something brand new – it’s about having the drive and finding your niche. If you’ve got the spirit for it, just say your idea out loud, build a passionate team, and see where it takes you.

As we started working with different research institutions and collaborators, we realised that we actually had something unique to offer – something not yet present in the market. And this is where the Finnish innovation ecosystem plays a key role. It’s deeply integrated with the startup scene, and it’s incredibly supportive.

You can pitch your idea, and people will come to you. After one event, people from different organisations came up and said, “Hey, we know someone who could help you,” or “Here’s where you could apply for support.” I didn’t have to chase them. They just came forward, which is quite unique.

Turning coffee waste into a sustainable future

Has the journey so far gone as you expected?
Right now, we’re in the minimum viable product phase, and we’ve piloted our solution with two research universities in Finland – Turku AMK and Metropolia University of Applied Sciences.

The broader challenge we face is that the global and local startup scene is heavily skewed towards AI and SaaS (software as a service), digital services which are easy to scale globally with minimal infrastructure. But we’re in the downstream part of the circular economy, which is more traditional and takes longer to scale.

Circular economy ventures often rely on physical materials, logistics and local partnerships – making growth more complex but deeply rooted.

Preloved Coffee is built on the belief that all wasted used coffee grounds should be upcycled into valuable materials. It’s not always easy to convince investors of this, as they often prefer short-term returns, which are more common in digital sectors.

But we’re seeing positive momentum from broader trends – EU regulations pushing bans on plastics, new waste management targets for 2035 and 2050. As pressure mounts on the sector, people will start looking around and remember, “Oh, there’s Preloved Coffee – they’ve already built the system.”

What are the bioproducts you can create from used coffee grounds?
We’ve already produced three key products:

The first is coffee oil – this can be used in cosmetics or the chemical industry, in personal care products like shampoos, or even broken down further into micronutrients.

Secondly, bio-composites. We produce bio-based granules that can be used to make almost anything instead of plastic or wood-based, from everyday items to furniture.

Thirdly, we produce cellulose. We extract fibre that can be used as an alternative in packaging and the paper industry. It’s a substitute for wood-based fibres.

And with Finland’s extremely high coffee consumption – about 11–12 kg per capita – there’s an enormous amount of untapped feedstock.

Shaping the future through research and foresight

In addition to this, you have commenced your doctorate studies at the Finland Futures Research Centre (FFRC). What is your focus?
At the Finland Futures Research Centre, we study change. Whether it’s climate change, demographic shifts, or geopolitical tensions – we analyse how these megatrends shape society and businesses.

We work both in academia and with businesses. On the academic side, we publish novel research across disciplines, because every domain has a future. On the business side, especially through our Futures Distillery research group, we provide foresight services – helping SMEs, startups, and large companies explore different scenarios and map out their desired future paths.

We do this in an interactive and participatory way – through workshops, trend analysis, vision building, and scenario planning. Our role is to help people and organisations understand the alternatives they have and guide them in shaping a feasible and desirable future.

And how do you see this type of foresight work influencing society more broadly, especially in Finland?
Finland has a unique and valuable approach. For example, the Finnish Parliament has a Committee for the Future – something rare globally.

It recognises the importance of long-term thinking and actively integrates research insights into policymaking. Institutions like ours, and others working in foresight, provide the knowledge base to feed into those national strategies.

This connection between academia, policy, and innovation is something Finland does remarkably well. It ensures that future-oriented thinking isn’t just a theoretical exercise – it’s part of informed, strategic decision-making.

Reflections on life in Turku – and building bridges between cultures

Have you been based in Turku the whole time since your return in 2021?
Yes, I’ve lived in Turku for three years now. It’s more like a town than a big city. It has a very horizontal structure and is well integrated with nature. One stop on the bus and you’re in a forest – another stop and you’re in the city centre.

It’s a great place for students and newcomers. That said, I’d like to experience other places in Finland too. Lapland is on my list – maybe one day I’ll spend a year in a cottage up north to really reflect and reset.

And if I had to choose another city in Finland, it would probably be Tampere – it feels like a blend of Turku’s nature and Helsinki’s urban energy.

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
I like fishing. One of the challenges here in Finland is that you need a fishing licence, and there are designated areas where you can fish. So, the first thing I need to do is familiarise myself with those administrative details. Hopefully, I’ll soon have all my equipment and be out fishing.

How about sauna?

Well, I know there’s sometimes a bit of a debate between Turkish hammam and Finnish sauna. I don’t really want to open that can of worms! [laughs]

But what I really enjoy here is having a sauna about once a week. There’s a great place I go to that’s right by a lake and you can even have a BBQ there. I find it’s a great way to unwind, clear away the stress of the week, and just relax.

And of course, it’s good for your health too – it’s probably the only time I ever sweat like that! It’s a great way to flush out your system a bit. So yes, I take advantage of it as much as I can.

But again – Turkish hammam and Finnish sauna – both are great in their own ways. In Türkiye, it’s all marble, and the atmosphere is totally different. They each have their own cultural beauty.

So... both are good?
Exactly – in Finland, it’s sauna. In Türkiye, it’s hammam. Let each stay where it belongs and be enjoyed as it should.

What advice would you give to someone thinking about moving to Finland?
The first thing to ask yourself is: why are you changing your life? What is it that’s driving this move or new adventure?

And once you have that answer, try to let go of the things that might hold you back. Don’t carry too much baggage – mentally, I mean.

Of course, I didn’t arrive here with a completely clean slate. I had experiences, expectations, and thoughts. But I also asked myself: why Finland? Yes, it’s known as one of the happiest countries in the world, and the welfare system is well-structured – but how does that connect with me?

It’s not just about starting fresh. It’s about building a two-sided relationship. I come from Turkish culture – and I feel a kind of moral debt to Türkiye. I was educated there, supported by the state.

And now, here in Finland, I’ve also been supported – my scholarship, my studies, even my work. So, I feel a similar sense of gratitude to Finnish society. That’s why my research focused specifically on the Finnish context – I wanted to give something back.

And now, I work to build bridges – between Finnish and Turkish organisations. Future studies and foresight aren’t well-known yet in Türkiye, so I try to introduce and promote that discipline there. I feel like that’s also a way of giving back to my home country.

So yes, my advice would be: whatever your reason for coming, find a way to give back. Build something that moves society forward – whether it’s in your new home or through the connections you still have to where you came from.