Thomas Thijssen
Offering virtual language cafés to anyone, anywhere in the world with the aim of creating a safe and fun language learning environment where participants are encouraged to speak and make language mistakes
Articulatte
An online concept for a social gathering with a focus on language learning, combining the casual atmosphere of a café with online convenience.
About
Hi! My name is Thomas and I kind of love languages, like a lot. I grew up in a bilingual family, with Swedish and Dutch being the spoken languages at home. My interest for new languages was not a given at first, with me being a bit scared of making mistakes when learning a new language. But through school, hobbies and the army I realized that learning new languages can be very fun as long as you dare to discuss with others and make mistakes. Before Articulatte I worked at an NGO called the Language Ambassadors for over three years (that's a whopping tenth of my whole life), where I got to inspire and motivate students to learn new languages by showing them the benefits of languages and the possibilities they bring. During my time there I also hosted language cafés for over one year. This ultimately gave me the idea of creating Articulatte, a place for anyone interested in bettering their language skills to find other like-minded people to do so with.
Experience
Eu Research Funding Administrator
Technical University Of Munich · Munich, Bavaria, Germany
April 2025 – February 2026
Board Member
Ivoprog · Helsinki, Uusimaa, Finland
September 2024 – Present
Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer
Articulatte · Helsinki, Uusimaa, Finland
June 2024 – Present
Board Member
KieliläHettilääT Ry, SpråKambassadöRerna Rf · Helsinki, Uusimaa, Finland
April 2024 – March 2026
Lecturer
Svecasa · Helsinki, Uusimaa, Finland
March 2024 – June 2024
Accounts Payable - Summer Trainee
Neste · Espoo, Uusimaa, Finland
May 2023 – August 2023
Finance Manager & Project Coordinator
KieliläHettilääT Ry, SpråKambassadöRerna Rf · Helsinki, Uusimaa, Finland
September 2022 – February 2024
Project Coordinator
KieliläHettilääT Ry, SpråKambassadöRerna Rf · Helsinki, Uusimaa, Finland
August 2020 – August 2022
Factory Worker
Hilding Anders International Ab · NäRpes, Ostrobothnia, Finland
July 2020 – August 2020
Second Lieutenant
Puolustusvoimat - FöRsvarsmakten - Finnish Defence Forces
July 2018 – June 2019
File Clerk
Oy Kristinamedi Ab · Kristinestad, Ostrobothnia, Finland
June 2016 – August 2017
Tourist Guide
Kristinestad – Kristiinankaupunki – City Of Kristinestad · Kristinestad, Ostrobothnia, Finland, NäRpes, Ostrobothnia, Finland, Helsinki, Uusimaa, Finland, Espoo, Uusimaa, Finland, Munich, Bavaria, Germany
June 2014 – July 2015
Education
Hanken Business Lab
February 2024 – May 2024
Hanken Business Lab Pre-Incubation Program