In the summer of 2026 Effekt funded four ventures: Annie Advisor, WorkPilots, ODDfest, and Startup Refugees.
Learn about the projects in this concise three-question Q&A, where the recipients of impact funding share: 1) who they are, 2) how they are improving society, and 3) their initial reactions to the funding decision.
A Three-Question Q&A for Projects That Build a Better Society – Annie Advisor
1) Who are you?
Annie Advisor is an edtech startup that helps prevent students from dropping out and promotes student well-being.
The Annie support bot we’ve developed reaches out to students through their own messaging channels, such as text messages or WhatsApp, making it as easy as possible to ask for help.
Annie Advisor is built on strong Finnish expertise, technology, and artificial intelligence—but above all, we are a social innovation. Our product development is based on scientific research into both help-seeking behavior and human-machine interaction.
2) How do you improve society?
Annie reaches out to students where they are and connects them with the right kind of help before their problems pile up.
The use of Annie has reduced dropout rates at our partner institutions by as much as 25%. During our six years of operation, we have reached more than 140,000 students.
We want to make applying for support so easy that no student has to put their studies on hold unnecessarily. Annie lowers the barrier for students to ask for help, guides them to the right kind of support, and monitors the implementation of that support.
3) What are your initial thoughts on the funding decision?
A surreal yet grateful feeling—and a strong sense that we have allies joining us on our journey. With Effekt, it’s really clear that we’re on the same side of the table and striving for the same impact: fewer students dropping out.
Annie Advisor has achieved an extraordinary amount in a short period of time. Read Annie Advisor's story.