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I’ve eaten a lot of animals in my lifetime and that’s not just in volume. The range of animals I’ve eaten run the gamut that is the food chain, clearly establishing me at the top. And yes I know it’s a whole circle of life thing, but hakuna matata. Bear, crocodile, shark, snake, buffalo, boar, moose, elk, deer, reindeer - you get the idea. I’ve eaten a range of animals and even some not so normal things like spiders, ants and other insects. Some were more delicious than others, buffalo in particular is a favorite. But there is one startup whose looking to change what we eat. But before that… Welcome to episode 13 of Fulltime HEL, the podcast about startups, entrepreneurs, freelancers and co-working spaces in Helsinki, Finland. I’m your host Gregory Pellechi. On this episode, EntoCube, casting crickets as the world’s protein source -  and all in a nice little box. But box doesn’t actually describe what EntoCube does. The name should give you some clue, but it’s best if they explain it. A shipping container full of insects tends to be the last thing anyone wants to hear about. That many bugs in an enclosed space tends to mean you’re either on an episode of Fear Factor, yes I’m referencing an old game show, or you’re in the midst of an Indiana Jones style adventure. If you’re not in either of those situations then you may just be open to hearing what the EntoCube team has to say. The team behind EntoCube have some grand ideas for their little bug in a box project. But before you know about that, you need a better idea of how the box works. So cube plus crickets equals farm, a very scalable farm that can be readily moved and fit just about anywhere. The only inputs - food and electricity. The former for the crickets, the latter to keep the cube at the right temperature for the crickets. Which is really the only downside to the EntoCube for deployment to developing countries. But it’s an aspect that the company is working to resolve. Whether it’s through solar cells or another method like reducing the energy inputs EntoCube is solving a physical problem. The more difficult problem they need to overcome is a social one. Not everyone wants to eat insects. Be it for religious, psychological, social or other reasons or sheer ick-factor, overcoming a

I wouldn’t call myself frugal or even cheap. I’m practical. I only spend my money on the things I need. Though my wife would argue otherwise since I buy the occasional videogame. My one true exception is food. It’s the one area where I’ll happily splurge to eat a good meal, or learn to cook something new. That of course means I buy good produce - I don’t say best, because that’s relative. But in buying anything, whether it’s from the grocery store or any other shop I try to find a balance between price and quality. Some purchases I’m going to have to spend more for by their very nature. A game console is going to easily be a couple hundred dollars, but what I spend on that I save in having to continually upgrade a computer over the years. For food, like most people, I buy either brands I know or I compare prices. If something is on sale, I tend to buy that, but only if it’s the brand I prefer. I don’t jump between them just because one’s cheaper today. But Finland challenges me in that regard with last minute rebates, and a new startup is hoping to do the same. But before that… Welcome to episode 12 of Fulltime HEL, the podcast about startups, entrepreneurs, freelancers and co-working spaces in Helsinki, Finland. I’m your host Gregory Pellechi. On this episode, Froodly, crowd sourcing our food before it goes bad. Meat, bread and plenty of other produce, most things really are put on sale once their sell-by-date is close. More often than not things are reduced by 30% and advertised as so with big orange stickers. This is great, if such items are in your store. Finland, like a lot of Europe, relies on smaller stores in the cities. Outside of the major metropolitan areas stores tend towards the big box styles, mimicking Walmart, Target and Tescos, though without such brand names. Here there are two Finnish conglomerates and Lidl competing in the gr

Music has a special place in humans’ lives. Other than porpoises and whales, we’re the only creatures to sing. We do more than that of course. Humans construct and play instruments, we build elaborate musical structures and more than anything else, we ascribe meaning to music. It can be sad or happy, mournful or inspiring. Music readily becomes associated with memories and that’s why it’s so easy to say a song or album is “the soundtrack of my generation.” And we are far from the first generation to make such a claim. But before that… Welcome to episode 11 of Fulltime HEL, the podcast about startups, entrepreneurs, freelancers and co-working spaces in Helsinki, Finland. I’m your host Gregory Pellechi. On this episode, Elffe. That should be music to your ears. And with my copious mentions of musics you must be wondering what Elffe does. In previous episodes, when I promised their interview I kept calling them “those plucky people looking to help and making it easier to do just that.” There is of course more to Elffe than that, but I’ll let them tell you what they do. A startup straight out of Aalto University’s Summer of Startups, Elffe is an interesting take on the gig economy. I mentioned the gig economy, also known as freelancing, because in effect that’s what Elffe is contributing to. Like Uber, TaskRabbit, eLance and a dozen other companies before it, Elffe is playing middle man. Of course, they’re doing it like their predecessors by leveraging technology to build a company that can readily scale and provide a service cheaply and effectively for the general consumer. And Elffe is doing just that, but with music. In effect, Elffe is a human resources company, which means for this young company they’re going to have a lot of challenges to over come. Technology may make their business model more viable and easier to implement, but they’re

In two short weeks my schedule has changed - again. Getting into a rhythm with just about anything at this point seems difficult. Sleep, exercise, time with the wife - they all occur at very irregular times throughout the day and even week. Much of my life has been in dispute, but that should be about to change. But before that… Welcome to episode 10 of Fulltime HEL, the podcast about startups, entrepreneurs, freelancers and co-working spaces in Helsinki, Finland. I’m your host Gregory Pellechi. On this episode, me. Or more correctly, my thoughts on how consistency counts with regards to everything. In the previous episode I promised Elffe and don’t worry I still plan on airing their episode, but for now I thought an update about the podcast, blog, my projects and me is appropriate. Especially since this is Episode 10 - the episode at which most podcasts die. It’s time to go a little more in-depth on me and what I hope the future holds. At the same time I say that, I feel cursed. Anytime I speak of something I’m going to do - it inevitably doesn’t happen. Jobs, plans, projects, trips - whatever it is, it doesn’t come to fruition. I know it’s an irrational fear to avoid mentioning such things but I’d really rathe be known as a person who speaks the truth. Not one who makes bombastic plans and never follows through. I need something to show before I talk about it. Which is part of my problem. Other than this podcast I don’t have much that I’m producing, aside from a weekly or now it seems semi-weekly post. And even that is suffering of late for Return to HEL, the blog I run with my wife. School, or more correctly my integration program, has kept me busy just about every day, all day. On top of that I had the gym and rugby to keep me sane and healthy. Those were elements of my day I couldn’t compromise on. Especially if I was at home all day or sitting in class, I needed to move. Rugby came to an end in October though, but will return in November with twice weekly games of touch. With all that, I also had to look for work - doing so is a full-time job in itself with little in the way of satisfaction in the day-to-day minutae. Oh wow, I’ve sent in another job application… oh wait, I never heard anything about it. Thankfully that has come to an end, because I have a job. I’m now working for a company, remotely, as their communications specialist. In essence my job is to pro

There are a lot of startups out in the world whose purpose is to increase productivity in one form or another. Some like Swipe To Meet, which I showcased on episode 6, aim to reduce the number of emails we send just to organize a meeting, others like Wolt are about saving time finding food. Few startups actually aim to improve our sleep. Okay, maybe not improve our sleep directly, but enable parents to get a better night sleep. Welcome to episode 9 of Fulltime HEL, the podcast about startups, entrepreneurs, freelancers and co-working spaces in Helsinki, Finland. I’m your host Gregory Pellechi. On this episode, Leeluu Labs and their nightlight that's a toy. Or is it a toy that's a nightlight. And no I'm not talking about Glo Worm for all those children of the 80s. That as you can imagine sounds like the something from the future, from science fiction. But think about it, we already have the clapper, we have doors that open automatically for us. We even have cars that park themselves, so why not a nightlight that responds to our touch, and not with some simple switch. According to Arthur C. Clarke, the author of 2001: A Space Odyssey and Childhood’s End, any significantly advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. And for a kid what could be more magic than a toy that responds to you. But it isn’t magic. And it’s not a simple switch or pressure pad like you may find in a Tickle-Me-Elmo. Or any number of stuffed animals that respond to a pressed paw. Smart textiles, rather than placing the wires and other electronics beneath the fabric of the nightlight, are the wires and the chips. There isn’t a separate sensor, it is the sensor. But you’re probably wondering, like I was, why with such awesome technology would you build a toy. There it is, something comforting, a simple problem with a simple solution. In effect by producing Leeluu nightlight with a smart fabric Heini, Emmi and the rest of the team at Leeluu Labs have a working proof of concept, that smart fabrics are possible and are feasible to produce on a mass scale. Starting small, with a nightlight is a great idea. It’s an immediate problem that can be remedied and has a large consumer base to market to. Really, what parent wouldn’t buy one to at least try and get a full night’s sleep? I’m sure when I was a child, given the chance my parents would have readily picked one up. Kids are crazy intuitive. The tactile nature by which they pick up new skil