Finnish Talents Honored in the First-Ever National MatchXR Awards – Winners Include Industry pioneer Mika Luimula, Doublepoint and Helsinki XR Center

Mika Luimula, Santeri Saarinen and Ohto Pentikäinen

The first-ever MatchXR Awards were presented at the evening gala of the MatchXR 2025 event in three categories: Solution of the Year, Collaborator of the Year, and XR Hall of Fame.

The first inductee into Finland’s XR Hall of Fame was, fittingly, Mika Luimula, who has had a long career as a pioneer in the field. He works as the head of Education and Research in ICT, Industrial Management, Software Production, and Interactive Technologies at Turku University of Applied Sciences.

Among the distinguished nominees who reached the finals in the Hall of Fame category were Urho Konttori who is known as the founder of Varjo and Distance Technologies., as well as Jörgen Geerds, a long-time influencer in the field and developer of the first fully spherical 360-degree video rig.

The winner of the Solution of the Year category was Doublepoint Oy’s WowMouse. The award was received by Ohto Pentikäinen. WowMouse has already received international recognition, having earned a special mention on TIME Magazine’s “Best Inventions of 2025” list. WowMouse turns an Apple Watch into a hands-free controller, allowing users to control a computer cursor by moving their hand. More information: https://www.doublepoint.com/product

Among several high-caliber nominees, other finalists in the Solution of the Year category included Virtual Dawn and Distance Technologies Oy’s Holographic Display.

With the Collaborator of the Year category, the organizers aimed to highlight the importance and impact of collaboration in a relatively young industry. From an impressive group of nominees, the jury selected the Helsinki XR Center as the winner. Other finalists included Laura Olin from Younite AI and the Ouluverse project.

The jury consisted of both international and Finnish industry experts: Jani Jokitalo, Lead Specialist, Business Finland; Valerie Riffaud Cangelosi, New Market Development Manager, Epson Europe; Michael Barngrover, Managing Director, XR4Europe; Krista Jäntti, Business Advisor, Aalto Creatives.

Organized by DIMECC Oy, Business Finland , and Metaverse Finland Ecosystem, the MatchXR Awards were presented in Helsinki for the first time. The awards ceremony was held during the evening program of the MatchXR event held earlier on Tuesday, 18 November 2025, at Metropolia’s Arabia campus.

Solution of the year

WowMouse, Doublepoint Oy 

Collaborator of the Year

Helsinki XR Center

XR Hall of Fame

Mika Luimula