Building Marketing Expertise Through Practical Education
GrowthLab was founded to address the gap between traditional marketing education and the practical skills needed in today's digital landscape.
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Our Story and Mission
GrowthLab emerged from a simple observation made by working marketing professionals in Helsinki during late 2023. While traditional educational institutions offered marketing programs, there was a significant disconnect between academic theory and the practical skills demanded by employers and clients in the digital marketing field.
Our founders recognized that marketing professionals needed more than theoretical knowledge. They needed hands-on experience with industry tools, exposure to real campaign challenges, and guidance from practitioners currently working in the field. This realization led to the creation of GrowthLab as an alternative educational approach focused on practical application.
Since opening our doors in September 2023, we have focused exclusively on three core areas of digital marketing: foundational strategy, social media management, and performance marketing. Rather than attempting to cover every marketing topic superficially, we chose to develop deep expertise in these specific disciplines that represent the most in-demand skills in the Finnish and European marketing job markets.
Our mission centers on bridging the skills gap in digital marketing education. We provide comprehensive training programs that combine conceptual understanding with practical implementation. Every course includes project work on real marketing scenarios, exposure to professional tools and platforms, and instruction from individuals who actively work in marketing roles.
Located in central Helsinki at Yrjönkatu 11, our facility provides students with a professional learning environment equipped with the technology and resources necessary for effective marketing education. We maintain small class sizes, typically capping enrollment at 18 students per course, to ensure personalized instruction and meaningful interaction between students and instructors.
GrowthLab operates on the principle that effective marketing education must evolve alongside the industry it serves. Our curriculum undergoes regular review and updates to reflect current platform algorithms, emerging tools, and changing consumer behaviors. This commitment to staying current ensures that students learn skills that remain relevant and valuable in their professional careers.
Our Educational Methodology
Project-Based Learning
Our courses emphasize hands-on project work that mirrors real marketing challenges. Students develop campaigns, analyze performance data, and make strategic adjustments based on results. This approach builds problem-solving skills and decision-making capabilities that translate directly to professional work environments. Each project requires students to justify their strategic choices, implement tactics, and evaluate outcomes using industry-standard metrics.
Industry Tool Proficiency
Professional marketing requires proficiency with specialized platforms and analytical tools. Our curriculum incorporates extensive training on tools that marketing professionals use daily, including advertising platforms, analytics systems, content management interfaces, and social media scheduling software. Students gain practical experience navigating these systems and interpreting their data outputs, building confidence for workplace application.
Practitioner-Led Instruction
All GrowthLab instructors maintain active roles in marketing positions while teaching. This dual engagement ensures that course content reflects current industry practices rather than outdated methodologies. Instructors share recent experiences, discuss emerging trends they observe in their work, and provide insights into how marketing strategies perform in real business contexts. This connection to active practice enriches classroom discussions and keeps curriculum relevant.
Data-Informed Decision Making
Modern marketing relies heavily on data analysis and performance measurement. Our methodology emphasizes developing analytical skills alongside creative and strategic capabilities. Students learn to interpret metrics, identify meaningful patterns in performance data, and make evidence-based recommendations for campaign optimization. This analytical foundation helps students justify their marketing decisions and demonstrate value in professional settings.
Our Team
GrowthLab's instructors bring diverse marketing backgrounds and active industry experience to every course. Each team member maintains professional marketing roles while contributing to our educational mission.
Leevi Mäkinen
Founder & Lead Instructor
Leevi founded GrowthLab after spending eight years in digital marketing roles across Helsinki agencies and in-house positions. He specializes in performance marketing and analytics, currently managing paid media campaigns for Nordic e-commerce brands while leading our performance marketing course.
Aino Laine
Digital Strategy Instructor
Aino teaches our foundations course while maintaining her role as digital marketing strategist for a Helsinki-based consultancy. With seven years in integrated marketing planning, she guides students through strategic framework development, audience research, and campaign architecture.
Our Values and Expertise
Professional Standards
GrowthLab maintains high standards for both course content and instructional quality. We regularly evaluate our curriculum against industry requirements and update materials to reflect current best practices. Our commitment to professional standards ensures that students receive education that prepares them for real-world marketing roles.
Practical Application
Every element of our courses connects to practical application. We prioritize teaching skills that students can implement immediately in their work or personal projects. This focus on applicability distinguishes our programs from theoretical approaches and accelerates the transition from learning to doing.
Continuous Learning
Digital marketing evolves continuously as platforms update algorithms, new tools emerge, and consumer behaviors shift. We emphasize developing learning capabilities alongside specific skills, preparing students to adapt and grow throughout their careers rather than relying solely on static knowledge.
Evidence-Based Methods
Our teaching methodology relies on demonstrated effectiveness rather than marketing trends or unproven tactics. We emphasize strategies and techniques supported by performance data and industry research, helping students develop discernment about which approaches merit their time and resources.
Collaborative Environment
Small class sizes enable meaningful collaboration between students and with instructors. This collaborative atmosphere facilitates knowledge sharing, peer feedback, and networking relationships that extend beyond course completion. Many of our graduates maintain professional connections formed during their time at GrowthLab.
Ethical Marketing
We emphasize ethical approaches to marketing that respect consumer privacy, maintain transparency, and prioritize authentic communication. Our courses address the responsible use of data, honest representation of products and services, and the importance of building trust with audiences through marketing activities.
Interested in Our Approach?
Learn more about our course offerings and find the program that matches your professional development goals.