Behind Johku are founders who have worked together since the early 2000s, research into the innovation processes of European SMEs, and the hands-on work of tourism entrepreneurs in Repovesi. Johku grew out of these starting points.
From innovation research to Johku
Aptual Commerce Oy was founded in 2016 to develop Johku. The background was research into the innovation processes of European SMEs, in which the people who build Johku took part as a research partner. The research brought to light a need for a system in which a business owner could sell different kinds of products and services from one place. That idea became one of Johku's starting points.
The first merchants in Repovesi
Johku's first merchants came from tourism in the Repovesi area. Sami and his wife had founded Repovalkea Oy in 2010. Its wilderness cabins in Repovesi National Park and its accommodation business at the Verla World Heritage Site are still Johku's real-world test environment. New ways of working and new features can be tried there in a real tourism business before they are rolled out more widely.
The customer's decision journey
From the start, Johku has been built around the customer's whole journey: from first contact to the purchase decision, the booking or order, the service itself and the continuing customer relationship. We have kept the technical foundation as independent of any single product type as possible, so that the same system can be used to sell different kinds of services and to develop the business in new directions.
In late 2025, we focused on tourism
In late 2025, we decided to focus the Johku brand on tourism and the experience economy. Tourism had already become a central sector among the businesses using Johku, so the decision made visible where we want to direct product development, expertise and resources.