He worked several years as Manager of Innovation Policy at Finnish Forest Industries Federations.

Dr. Tahvanainen is an expert in assessing the competitiveness and investibility of emerging industries and analyzes the role of technology in economic renewal, and the capabilities of firms to capture value and determines the appropriate financial vehicles for their growth. He helps executives in generating co-creative foresight for their endeavors in user-driven innovation and business renewal.

At Stanford University, he has co-authored the Playbook for Strategic Foresight and Innovation, a set of practical ideation tools inspired by DARPA.

Dr. Tahvanainen wields a Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering and Management with a focus on International Strategy as well as an M.Sc. in Technology Management from Aalto University.