Finnish LSI Youpret Appoints Mikko Koponen as New CEO

In an announcement on March 9, 2026, the Finnish Language Solutions Integrator (LSI) Youpret named Mikko Koponen as its new CEO, taking over from Youpret co-founder Heikki Vepsäläinen. Vepsäläinen, who previously served as both CEO and CTO, will be transitioning to full-time CTO.

Founded in 2016, the company specializes in remote interpreting offered through the Youpret app. The LSI offers interpreting from Finnish and English into 120 languages with options for “instant interpreting” through their smartphone app, as well as scheduled video remote interpreting (VRI), over-the-phone (OTP), or in-person interpreting. 

In addition to interpreting services, Youpret also offers machine translation and consulting services based on its language AI and interpreter-recruitment experience.

With an internal focus on sustainability and fairness in the workplace, the company has a stated goal, “to be the most sustainable operator in the language industry,” and achieved B Corp certification at the end of 2024. 

Headquartered in Finland, the Youpret platform launched in Estonia in January 2026 and in Iceland in September 2025. 

According to the March announcement, this change in leadership was motivated by the company’s desire to “invest in commercial growth, scaling international business operations, and technology development.”

The announcement states that the company’s board of directors specifically chose Koponen for the role because of his “commercial and technical expertise.” Before joining Youpret, Koponen was a Sales Director at the machinery manufacturer Koneosapalvelu Oy, and has a decade of previous experience in international business and software development. 

The Chairman of Youpret’s Board of Directors, Teemu Purmonen, is quoted in the announcement as saying, “the fact that he comes to Youpret from another industry is, in my opinion, an asset and brings new perspectives and operating models to the work.”

When Slator reached out for comment, Koponen said, “I have followed Youpret’s journey with interest for a long time and was already acquainted with a couple of people working within the company. Youpret has grown rapidly in recent years and is currently at an exciting stage where growth converges with international expansion and a technological transformation accelerated by AI.”

Commenting on Youpret’s near-future activity, Koponen also told Slator that the company will continue to expand while “exploring further additions to our product and service portfolio.”

Broadening his view to the interpreting sector in general, he added, “the future of the interpreting industry will likely be built even more strongly around a hybrid model that combines the professional expertise and cultural understanding of human interpreters, the speed and scalability offered by AI, customer-centric and accessible service models, [and] responsible service philosophy that advances justice, equality, diversity and inclusion.”