Shaping next gen cultural institutions, businesses, and brands

Poem is a strategy, growth, and innovation partner for culture-first institutions, businesses, and brands. With a systems approach and deep human insights, we help you with:

Next Gen Experiences

We innovate cultural worlds, experiences, and products that connect people across digital, physical, and hybrid spaces. By integrating cultural insights, strategy, and design, we deepen engagement, attract new audiences, and expand your cultural impact.

Venice Biennale of Architecture: Hyperwater exhibit concept and storytelling.

Evolved Growth

We uncover opportunities, open new markets, and design business and funding models rooted in foresight and deep insights. Our approach drives sustainable financial growth, unlocks new revenue streams, and builds long-term resilience.

New Turku Music Hall Fuuga: Business model and service offering, innovation and validation.

Advanced Transformation

We craft insightful, transformative strategies, visions, and missions that unlock potential and guide organizations through change. Our strategies are designed for adaptability, action, and lasting societal and planetary impact—always co-created with you.

Iittala: Design strategy and human-centric portfolio model.

ABOUT

Our systems approach to strategy, growth, and innovation is grounded in deep human insights, sharp cultural analysis, and intelligent market foresight, combined with cutting-edge strategic and systemic design methods.

Our Edge

System-shifting strategy, growth, and innovation work is inherently integrative. We draw on leading methodologies from strategic design, social sciences, complexity science, strategic foresight, business strategy, and organizational transformation. Our team of strategists, researchers, and designers works in collaboration with a diverse network of experts.

Our Story

The name Poem reflects both the art of poetry and the act of poiesis—bringing something entirely new into existence. Founded in 2011 as a strategy and research consultancy in New York, we have spent over a decade shaping the future of culture and commerce. Now based in Helsinki, we continue to work globally, redefining what cultural institutions and enterprises can become.

WORK

Operating across the cultural, art, technology, media, and design sectors, our key clients and projects include:

Aalto University — Archinfo — Ateneum Art Museum — City of Helsinki — City of Turku — Craft Museum of Finland — Design Forum Finland — Design Museum — EMMA Espoo Museum of Modern Art — European Commission — Europeana — Finna — Finnish Cultural Institute in New York — Finnish Heritage Agency — Finnish National Gallery — Finnish Museum of Photography — HAM Helsinki Art Museum — Helsinki Biennial — Helsinki City Museum — Helsinki Metropolitan Area Libraries — House of Visual Arts — Iittala — Lahti City Museums — Maritime Centre Vellamo — Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma — Museum of Finnish Architecture — Museum of History and the Future — Sitra — Slush — Suunto — Turku Music Hall Fuuga — University of the Arts Helsinki — Yle, the Finnish Broadcasting Company.

  • HAM HELSINKI ART MUSEUM / Evolved Growth & Business Model Design

    Creating the business model and financial analysis to prepare HAM Helsinki Art Museum to expand and move into a new location.

  • HELSINKI BIENNIAL / Evolved Growth & Fundraising Model

    Developing the partnership and fundraising model and materials for Helsinki Biennial, the most important contemporary art biennial in the Nordics.

Item 1 of 19

OFFERING

  • Strategy

    Adaptive strategies, bold missions, and clear goals that equip organizations to shape the future.

    | Strategic foresight
    | Strategy journeys
    | Vision formulation
    | Goal setting
    | Organizational design

  • Growth

    Growth opportunities, new markets, and business models to create meaningful value and revenue.

    | Market analysis
    | Opportunity identification
    | Business model design
    | Investment thesis
    | Fundraising development

  • Innovation

    Clear directions for experiences, products, services, and systems with transformative power.

    | Cultural analysis
    | Cultural worlding
    | Service systems
    | Product portfolios
    | Exhibition concepts

Worlding model

Worlding is a digital-native method to creative engagement and cultural production. It creates interactive, cross-platform experiences that blend digital and physical media, helping organizations build deeper connections and unlock new revenue.

We offer tailored worlding projects, from entry-level workshops to comprehensive transformations, through strategy, curation, business development, and hands-on support.

READ MORE

PUBLICATIONS

Circular Design Guidebook

Circular Design Guidebook (2025) brings together diverse design disciplines to help businesses integrate circular economy principles into their strategy and operations.

This practical guide provides models, frameworks, actionable instructions, and real-world examples for designing truly sustainable and regenerative solutions—one product, service, and business model at a time.

Written by Ville Tikka for Design Forum Finland, the guide is designed for leaders, product and service developers, and design professionals looking to understand and apply the fundamentals of circular design.

The New Wave of Design

The New Wave of Finnish Design brings the story of Finnish design into the 21st century, showcasing the latest in contemporary Finnish design.

The book explores what design means today and how it can create value and significance in a changing world. It highlights ten diverse examples of the new wave: from products and digital services to AI-driven platforms, brand experiences that foster communities, business models that advance social good, and dynamic organizational cultures.

CONTACT

Ville Tikka
Strategy Lead
Phone +358 4068 40656
Email ville@poem.company

Poem is lead by Ville Tikka. He advices the leadership, strategy, and creative teams in diverse sectors, including art organizations, tech companies, progressive museums, lifestyle brands, concert halls, and NGOs.

Prior to founding Poem, he gained extensive experience in tech sector in New York and Helsinki, leading strategy, innovation, and research projects alongside global business, design, and brand teams on five continents.

Ville is a thought leader who has written books on circular and contemporary design. His expertise extends to curating and designing exhibitions, as well as pioneering explorations in AI and web3 world-building.

He holds an MA in Psychology and Media Studies from the University of Turku.

get in touch

get in touch