The story of Coubonga and Juha Miettinen from the DREAM 2025 event
In October 2025, Lahti turned into a hub of innovation as StartHub’s DREAM 2025 event brought together startups, students, investors, and entrepreneurs from across Finland. At the heart of the event were the pitches — but also the encounters. One such encounter led to a concrete result: Oulu-based startup entrepreneur Aapi Sotaniemi and angel investor Juha Miettinen had a conversation during the event’s afterparty, which culminated in an investment in a company called Coubonga.
From a dating app idea to the renewal of the coupon service
Coubonga is an app developed by four founders that brings the traditional coupon world into the modern era. Behind the company is Aapi Sotaniemi, who has eight years of experience in entrepreneurship and a desire to develop digital solutions for both consumers and businesses.
The idea was born from a humorous conversation among the founders, combining the familiar “swiping” feature of dating apps with the world of paper coupons. From this emerged Coubonga: a gamified, addictive, and visually modern app that offers companies an effective platform for acquiring new customers and strengthening existing relationships. “We wanted to develop something that matches today’s mobile behavior and brings added value to both consumers and companies,” Sotaniemi summarizes.
A new beginning for a familiar connection – DREAM created space for a meaningful discussion
Coubonga participated in the DREAM 2025 event as one of the finalist teams, and Sotaniemi describes the event as exceptionally successful: “The atmosphere was excellent, and everything was well organized. No stiffness, just relaxed and professional encounters. It was easy to talk and make connections.”
One of those conversations led to a significant result. Sotaniemi first met Juha Miettinen earlier in the year at an event organized by FiBAN, Finnish Business Angels Network. The connection faded for a while until they met again at DREAM. “Juha came right up to say hi and ask how things were going. We talked more at the event’s afterparty, and the shared idea came alive again,” Aapi says, offering advice to next year’s Dream participants: “It’s always worth staying around after the official program. And thanks to Dream’s schedule, there was space and time for conversations. That was – as you can see – extremely important.”
Practical experience and trust in the team made the difference
Miettinen had gotten to know the Coubonga app not only as an investor but also as a consumer. “I’ve used the app myself several times and noticed that my kids and their friends have also taken it up. That says a lot – Coubonga works, and for different age groups too. When there was a strong team and already a credible group of investors, my own investment decision was confirmed,” Miettinen summarizes.
Miettinen emphasizes that for an angel investor, it is often easier to get involved when there are already well-known players on board – as in this case, the venture capital company Innovestor. This way, the due diligence – the mapping of business risks and opportunities – had already been done professionally.
The investment enabled a growth leap and new horizons ahead
In addition to Innovestor, this funding round includes eight business angels, with Miettinen’s investment being the latest ticket. So far, the round has raised around €275,000 for Coubonga, with a total goal of between €325,000 and €350,000. The funding has already allowed the company to hire its own IT team and expand its sales organization to four people.
“At the moment, we’re focusing especially on app development and sales. Our goal is to carry out the first international pilot in Estonia next spring, after which we’ll focus on expansion,” Sotaniemi says when asked about plans.
Concreteness and community at the heart of DREAM
Both Aapi and Juha highlight the significance of DREAM not only as an investment platform but also as a community event. “Here, angel investors aren’t just judges – they’re genuinely interested and ready to invest. DREAM is compact but strong in content. In my opinion, it’s the best startup event outside of Slush that I’ve attended,” Miettinen says.
Sotaniemi, for his part, emphasizes the importance of being active and standing out. “Startup entrepreneurship requires courage, continuous communication, and the will to be remembered. DREAM offered us a platform where all of this was possible.”
The story of Coubonga and Miettinen is an example of how even a single encounter can open the door to growth and collaboration. It is exactly what we want the DREAM event to make possible: meetings that lead to concrete results.