Slush, software and smashing stereotypes: How Enxhi Minaj found her place in Finland

Located in southeast Finland, Lappeenranta sits at the southern tip of Lake Saimaa – the country’s largest lake and the fourth largest in Europe. Seven years ago, when Enxhi arrived here to begin her master’s studies, the snowy winters and small-community feel reminded her of home.

Of course, not everything was familiar – Finnish student life brought new experiences, such as peer reviewing during courses, but in Finland, Enxhi quickly discovered a deep sense of belonging. It just felt right.

From this auspicious start, her Finnish journey has only increased its upward trajectory.

Alongside graduating from LUT University and spurring a flourishing career in IT, Enxhi has helped take Junction hackathons global and co-founded Slush’D Tirana as its CTO & operations lead, alongside Tai Tran and her sister, Bora Minaj.

All within a seven-year period, mind you.

We sat down with Enxhi in Helsinki’s Lasipalatsi Square for a conversation about Finnish working culture, what it’s like being a woman in a stereotypically male-dominated industry, and what it is exactly that Finland could learn from Albania.

During your studies you were quick to land part-time work at the Finnish software company LeadDesk. What advice would you give to others seeking a job in Finland?

Before coming here, I was lucky to have one year of work experience after my bachelor’s in software engineering. That helped me get a job quite easily when I applied.

So, my advice is to get a little bit of experience, whether by doing your own projects at home, volunteering, or taking on internships. You need that initial experience to enter the market.

In Finland, many students do internships during summer, so when they finish university, they already have practical experience – it helps a lot.

After graduation, you moved to Helsinki and continued at LeadDesk before joining BeeHealthy as a software engineer. Overall, how have you encountered the working culture here?

Working in Finland has been one of the simplest things I’ve done. Maybe because I love what I do, but also because of the people I work with – they’re so trustworthy and always willing to help.

I always wanted to do something that matters and working at BeeHealthy, making healthcare smarter and more accessible to people, gives me the motivation I need to do my job well.

It’s up to you to ask questions and seek help when needed. One thing I really appreciate is that there’s no strict hierarchy. Whether you’re the CEO or a colleague, everyone has the right to share ideas openly and transparently.

There’s also no micromanagement where I work. You’re trusted with your tasks, and that trust gives you a sense of responsibility. You want to meet their expectations and do your best. I really appreciate this kind of environment – it helps you progress.

How has it been working in IT in Finland as a woman?

When I did my bachelor’s in Albania, it was about 40 per cent women and 60 per cent men, so there were quite a few women. But during my master’s in Finland, it was just me and two other international women – everyone else was male.

When I first started working, I was the only female software developer for a while, which was surprising since in Albania there are many women in tech.

At BeeHealthy, we now have about five female developers, which is the most I’ve ever had around me – and it feels great. The rest of the software team is mostly male, but overall, across the company, it feels quite balanced.

On that topic – Finland is traditionally seen as quite an equal society. What has your experience been like?

For me it has been super easy. I came for my master’s, found a job while I was still in my first year, and it was so easy to get into the market and continue in it.

I’ve never experienced discrimination – neither because I’m international nor because I’m a woman.

What has been one of the secrets of your success?

Many times, I’ve had to just take the courage and say, “Yes, I can do that.” I put it out there that I’m interested in doing something, and then people know and give me the opportunity.

Then I get into it, figure it out, and do it – and it becomes a success.

So, I think it’s about putting yourself out there and trying to get something, even if you don’t feel 100 per cent comfortable. Taking the initiative helps push your career forward.

This approach taking really stood you in good stead with Tirana Slush’D. Tell me about that experience.

It started with Junction – a hackathon for programmers, designers and others to work on challenges for 48 hours.

I first participated in 2018 and learned so much over the three different times I attended. It was fun and educational. I remember thinking, “Why didn’t we have this when I was doing my bachelor’s in Albania?”

Then in 2023, I saw an ad: “Are you the lead to bring Junction to your country?” Lightbulb moment – I wanted to bring it to Albania for my past self. I wanna contribute to my country even if I don’t live there.

I talked to my sister, Bora, who had previous experience at Junction when she lived in Finland and friends, including Era Kurja from my LUT days, and we decided to do it. It’s a nonprofit, so it was just for the experience and to give something to the youth in Albania.

It went super well. Everyone loved it and asked us to do it again. Tai, who was Junction’s head of global expansion at the time, saw the event and said, “You guys should organise Slush.”

So, me and my sister applied to organise Slush in Tirana. Bora has strong connections in Albania, which helped a lot with partnerships, and we were grateful that Tai offered to help us found Tirana Slush’D bringing his insights and network. 

Slush is a different game. I’ve mostly worked in development, so organising an event of that scale was new. We had to figure out everything: starting from the theme, the content of the event, logistics, funding, partners, getting the startups apply, finding coaches to prepare them for pitch and shape their ideas, finding investors and the potential people who can bring the most value and more importantly having them believe on us and in the whole idea of the event. We were only three, so we were doing everything. We spent a lot of time and energy to make the whole thing come together.

And how was it attracting investors?

It has been a bit difficult for investors to come to Albania because it is a Balkan country, and the reputation isn’t always the best.

That’s one of the reasons we wanted to bring Slush there – so they could see the potential the country has.

People and countries evolve and change, so maybe it’s time to remove those stereotypes. Albania is evolving a lot in the tech field, and the population is very young. Many are focusing on tech, and I hope that helps the country grow. Slush helped Finland evolve its startup scene, so we hope it does the same in Albania.

In Albania there is so little startup scene on the surface. So, it was just the first step to get the young people to see that there is potential, that there are opportunities to either get access to funding, to investors, to ideas, or to even help them to build successful startups and get this experience from abroad, like Finland has.

With events like Junction and Slush, we’re also trying to build a bridge between Albania and Finland. Albania benefits the most, of course, because Finland is so much more advanced in the startup scene.

What could Finland learn from Albania?

Maybe Finland can learn from Albania’s energy and drive. The ambition of young people there. They’re moving fast, trying to catch up, and that energy is inspiring. There’s real potential in young people who are so ambitious. I was super surprised – in a good way – by 18- and 19-year-olds doing so well with their own startups. When I was 18, I wasn’t thinking about startups!

What’s the tech industry like in general these days in Finland? Is there still a lot of collaboration?

Yes, especially in the IT field. There are a lot of meetups being organised. For example, BeeHealthy could host an event to share something we’ve developed or a solution we’ve found.

I’ve also been to meetups organised by companies like Wolt and Smartly. There’s a lot of knowledge-sharing and community activity.

For startups, there are tonnes of events – demo days, events by Kiuas, Aalto Startup Center, and, of course, Slush and Junction.

There are many opportunities to network, collaborate, and grow. You just need to keep your eyes open and go for it – there’s no barrier to entry.

How do you see the future of the industry?

The focus is shifting a bit, especially with AI. AI is the hot topic right now – everyone’s trying to do something with it. It’s still taking shape, and there aren’t many regulations yet, but they’re coming. Before it gets better, it might get a bit messy.

AI is not everything; I don’t think it will take our jobs away – I believe it will actually create more jobs in the long run. It’s helping us become more productive. It frees up time to do other things, but we still need to supervise it. It’s not fully trustable – someone has to guide it and check the output.

I heard someone describe large language models as “unreliable freelancers”.

Yes! Like, “Are you sure you’re not hallucinating?” It’s funny but true. Social media is full of AI posts now.

I saw a meme – our parents said they used to walk 10 km to school. We’ll say, “I did my degree without ChatGPT.”

Haha! Do you have plans to stay in Finland or are you thinking of moving elsewhere?

So far, I’ve loved living here. I have no plans at the moment to move – not even back to my home country.

I just bought a new apartment in Kalasatama, where I have lived since 2021. I was renting in this area that I really loved, and I didn’t want to move unless I found something there. Luckily, I did – and the bank agreed to loan me the money. It was a bit expensive, but I like it.

It’s so easy to get to the centre from there – I just take the metro. Everything is nearby: the gym, shopping centres, whatever I need. It’s close to my office too. In summer and winter, I can go for walks near the sea. It’s not Finland if you don’t have a bit of nature nearby, right?

What do you like to do in your free time?

I try to go to the gym 3–5 times a week. During winter, I love snowboarding, so I try to go to the slopes. I started a bit late. I don’t do tricks – but I love it.

Here in the Helsinki region, I’ve been to Serena, but I prefer going to places like Messilä or Vihti Ski Center. Last year I was in Lapland, in Levi. There are some very nice ski resorts there.

Have you travelled much around Finland?

A little bit. I’ve been to the north – Saariselkä, and so on. Our company also has offices in a few cities, but I go to Tampere quite often to work with the team face-to-face.

I love it so much here. I don’t let anyone say anything bad about Finland!

We were at a Christmas dinner once with a big group – 20 people – and they served traditional Finnish food. Someone said the food was bad, and others were like, “Don’t say that in front of Enxhi!”

Haha, I mean, I agree the food isn’t always the greatest, but I love the country and the people. Don’t say anything bad about Finland – I’ll get sad!

Have you also embraced sauna?

Of course. I wouldn't be here if I didn't love sauna.

Well, when I first heard about saunas here, it was a bit shocking to be honest. I was in a sauna full of students and everybody was just coming in naked. I had my swimming suit on because that's what I was used to. So, I was like, what? What do I do now – should I close my eyes?

But, of course, you are not looking at the other people, you just enjoy the experience.

One final question – what’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

If there’s something new that you’re afraid to try, just say yes and learn through it.

The other is from my sister: love what you do. If you love it, you’ll succeed because it won’t feel like work.

And you get paid for it too – that’s a bonus!