From Self-Doubt to Confidence: Taking the First Step Toward Making Tech More Inclusive

“I was going through a rough patch with my health and had lost a lot of motivation in my studies,” says Social Business Academy participant Emmi Tuomisto (24) from Lahti, Finland. “One of the biggest reasons was that I didn’t really see people like me, young women, in tech roles and it made me question whether I belonged in the field at all.”

In February 2025, Emmi started her journey at Social Business Academy, a training program designed to empower young people from Latvia and Finland to explore social entrepreneurship as a way to create real impact.

“I am studying Business IT and I have always been into tech and creative work, but joining Social Business Academy was the first time I saw how those could be combined with making a difference,” Emmi explains.

While she had previously taken entrepreneurship courses, social entrepreneurship had never really clicked with her—”I only realised afterwards that one of the courses I took was actually about social entrepreneurship. At the time, I didn’t fully connect it with my interests or goals.” 

Emmi wishes to make the tech industry more inclusive – especially for women. “When I heard about the Social Business Academy, it felt like something that aligned with what I believe in. I wanted to challenge myself, get out of my comfort zone, and do something that actually matters.

That feeling of being alone or unsure if I had a future in tech was something I really wanted to tackle through my social business idea.

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She says being part of the Social Business Academy was exciting and inspiring, but also a little scary at times – in a good way. “I met amazing people and really pushed myself, especially during the final pitch in Estonia. Standing in front of that audience, I was super nervous and didn’t speak exactly how I had planned, but I’m proud I showed up and tried. That was a big personal milestone for me, and it made me want to keep growing.”

I never thought I would end up pitching a business idea in another country. But thanks to Social Business Academy, that’s exactly what happened!

More than anything, the program helped Emmi trust in herself. “The program helped me believe in my ideas more and reminded me that I don’t have to be perfect or have everything figured out to start. It really challenged me, but also gave me a safe space to explore social entrepreneurship and all the different ways to work around it without needing to jump into the deep end and start a real business right away. It made me think that maybe this is something I could do later on. Even just seeing my own progress in confidence and motivation has meant a lot.”

Looking back at the experience, Emmi reflects: “I’m still really thankful for everything I learned during the program. It gave me a lot to carry forward.”

🤝 The project is implemented by Reach for Change Latvia, Radošās Idejas, Juvenia, and Lahden Diakonialaitos.

This activity was supported as part of “Social Entrepreneurship for Youth Empowerment in Finland and Latvia”, an Interreg Central Baltic Programme 2021-2027 project co-funded by the European Union (SocEntYouth ID CB0100057). The activity is financially supported by the Society Integration Foundation from Latvian state budget funds allocated by the Ministry of Culture.