Enrollment
By January 16, 2026
Delivery mode
Onsite
January 27 - January 28, 2026
Frequency
Once a year
Location
Aalto University Töölö, Helsinki, Finland
Language
English
Scope
2 days onsite
AI, Connectivity, and the Business of Engineering
Turn engineering expertise into customer value—and business advantage
Most teams know digitalization, connected products, and AI. Fewer know how these pieces work together to create customer value and competitive power. This workshop closes that gap.
Across a sequence of stacked exercises, you’ll connect what you already know—data, automation, integration, edge logic, AI—and see how each decision shifts customer benefit and who captures the value. You’ll move from product to ecosystem thinking, learning to position your offer, set the right rules of engagement, and communicate impact in commercial terms.
You’ll craft value propositions, wire data flows, and test your stance in an ecosystem negotiation. You’ll practice speaking the language of value—so your ideas land with leadership, resonate with clients, and translate into defensible business models. Step by step, you’ll learn to show not just how your technology works, but why it wins.
Benefits
You’ll learn how technologies that often feel disconnected—data, connectivity, automation, and AI—combine into one powerful system that drives competitiveness. Through practical exercises, you’ll master the art of framing technical decisions in business terms, influencing stakeholders, and positioning your solutions for impact.
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See the Big Picture - Gain a cohesive understanding of how data, connectivity, automation, and AI interact to create measurable customer value.
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Turn Tech into Strategy - Learn practical frameworks to translate technical strengths into pricing power, differentiation, and ecosystem leverage.
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Influence and Align - Build confidence to champion your solution internally, earn buy-in from commercial teams, and align partners effectively.
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Create Defensible Value - Discover repeatable patterns that make your solutions hard to replace and easy to buy.
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Think Beyond Products - Connect technical choices to competitive positioning and value capture across ecosystems.
For
The program is a hands-on workshop designed for engineers, data specialists, and R&D professionals who want to turn technical expertise into visible customer value and strategic advantage.
The workshop is especially relevant for:
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Data engineers, analysts, developers, and R&D experts who want their work to drive customer and market outcomes
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Technical professionals seeking stronger collaboration with product, sales, and business leadership
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Teams building connected, data-driven, or AI-enabled offerings that need clear value stories and positioning
Schedule
Day 1: Fundamentals of Value and Competition
Focus
How to design products and services that business leaders will back and customers are willing to pay for—and how to communicate that value clearly.
Content
You’ll start by unpacking what “value” really means from a customer and business perspective, then link it to competition and positioning. Together, we’ll explore how traditional offerings become more compelling in a digital, connected world—and what it takes to actually capture the value you create.
Method
You’ll move through multiple rounds of hands-on exercises in pairs and small groups, interlaced with short lectures, videos, and guided reflections. Each exercise builds on the previous one, so your thinking and your value story become progressively sharper and more concrete.
Key concepts and tools include
- Identifying customer needs and jobs-to-be-done
- Crafting clear value propositions and sales arguments
- Pricing logic and basic pricing strategies
- Competitive dynamics (e.g., Porter’s Five Forces)
- Blue Ocean–style value canvases
- Partnering dynamics and negotiations
- Network and platform synergies: who captures value, and why
Day 2: Data, AI, and Advanced Value Creation
Focus
How to create and capture new value with data and AI—especially when your core business is still rooted in “traditional” products and services.
Content
You’ll examine how different types of algorithms—from rule-based systems to advanced AI—change the nature of value creation. We’ll explore when data is actually valuable, for whom, and under what conditions. You’ll work on concrete ways data and algorithms can:
- Enhance existing products and services
- Generate new layers of value for customers
- Create shared value for partners in an ecosystem
- From there, you’ll map how these choices affect revenue logic, defensibility, and your role in the value network.
Method
As on Day 1, you’ll work through iterative exercises in pairs and groups, supported by short lectures, examples, and discussions. Each round deepens your ability to link technical possibilities with robust commercial thinking.
Key concepts and tools include
- Rule-based vs. advanced algorithms: implications for value creation
- When and for whom data becomes valuable—and when it doesn’t
- Mechanisms for capturing value from data and AI
- How data and algorithms extend and differentiate traditional offerings
- Value shared with and through partners in digital ecosystems
- Business Model Canvas and advanced business model patterns
Program Fee and Registration
Program Fee
The fee for the AI, Connectivity, and the Business of Engineering program is € 1,200 (+ VAT).
Registration
Register for the program by January 16, 2026.
Program start