Silicon Valley, Baby

At Kalle Freese's high school graduation, two types of espresso were served: Brazilian and El Salvadorian. Soon after, the ambitious coffee-lover becomes an accomplished barista who not only wins the national Finnish barista championship twice but also places top 10 worldwide. But these titles are not enough for Freese who has his sights set on more far reaching goals. If he wants to become "the Elon Musk of coffee", then he must leave for Silicon Valley to pitch his vision for a high-end instant coffee.

He informs his girlfriend, Erika Haavisto, of his plans to move to San Francisco to pursue his entrepreneurial dreams. Having just finished her degree in Sweden, she thinks his journey has the makings of a great story and starts filming.

Freese's startup Sudden Coffee seeks to manufacture instant coffee that is sold in small test tube like vessels. The crux of his idea is to create delicious instant coffee with a robust flavor that appeals to the millennial market. His further goal with Sudden Coffee is to globally revolutionize the coffee industry. Angel investors are drawn into the buzz, but the funding round is just a prelude to the difficulties to come. The film captures the byzantine startup-industrial complex in full; from the founding of the company to raising millions of dollars to the continually intense struggles of balancing a work and home life.

Haavisto's intimate documentary portrays ambition, extreme competition, and the toll they take on a person and their loved ones.

FILMMAKER'S STATEMENT: "I want people to understand the reality of the entrepreneur and their family. And also if there is somebody watching the film who wants to become a startup founder, maybe they realize and accept that this is the reality and understand that, 'This is what I wanna go for' or they understand that, 'Okay, maybe this is not my thing. It doesn't seem as I thought it would be.' So I want to create more understanding for the entrepreneur and the family.

I want to create more understanding for people who are highly ambitious and working in their career and willing to be successful and also the family supporting them."

- Erika Haavisto

Preview link available upon request. Contact support@videoproject for more information

Documentary Film - Silicon Valley, Baby - Video Project

A Film by Erika Haavisto

58 minutes

Scene Selection • Closed Captioned

Grades 11 - Adult

Item #: SVB-1196

A Finnish fillmaker documents her partner's struggles and successes as they move to San Francisco to pursue his entrepreneurial dreams of instant coffee

Starting at $89

Licensing Options

K-12 Classrooms, Public Libraries: DVD - $89 K-12 Classrooms, Public Libraries: DVD + Digital File - $139 Colleges, Institutions & Community Screenings: DVD - $345 Colleges: DVD with Digital Site License - $495 K-12 School District pricing available. Please inquire at [email protected]

Reviews and Festivals

"Captures the challenges in starting a new business and the stress it imposes on personal relationships"

— Video Librarian

"Kalle's admission at how hard it is to build a successful company is real and refreshing...Partnered with overwork and doubt, the film does an excellent job of bringing the question of burnout and mental health of entrepreneurs sharply into focus...This film would be a great addition to an entrepreneurship event or workshop. As an honest, raw look at the startup world, Silicon Valley, Baby is recommended for both academic audiences and the general public."

— Educational Media Reviews Online

"A sensitive look at the struggles and sacrifices of bringing a start-up to life. Wannabe entrepreneurs take note."

— Booklist

"An unpolished portrait of the startup reality in Silicon Valley: the heaven & the hell."

— Antti Merilehto, Chief Growth Officer at Houston Analytics

"Young Kalle Freese travels to Silicon Valley with a world-revolutionizing coffee product, his reputation and investors' millions. on the other end is love, health and happiness. Director Erika Haavisto shares an intimate story based in San Francisco - what happens when you got to succeed no matter what"

— Jyri Engestöm, Investor at Yes VC

"The roughness and rollercoaster of startup life is difficult to describe, especially for people who have not visited the city. 'Silicon Valley, Baby' is an authentic portrait of how it is to run your startup"

— Daniel Rahman, Founder and CEO of Integrify

"Offers a glimpse into the precarious reality of start-up entrepreneurship. It raises questions about the connection of work addiction and mental health, and what can happen to a highly driven person if they lose interest in their work. It also portrays the life of a person who stands by the entrepreneur's side, offering love and support along the way."

— Juuso Mäntykivi, Humak

"Four Stars. Erika Haavisto's documentary follows the first world conquest of coffee entrepreneur Kalle Freese in Silicon Valley...In addition to the corporate patterns, the intimate documentary reveals a lot about the entrepreneur's private life as well as his mood movements...In the documentary, moments of happiness and despair are rhythmically intersecting. In the noise of marketing events, a smile is sensitive. At home, silence speaks."

— Pirjo-Liisa Niinimäki, Laensi-Guomi

"Silicon Valley, Baby is an intimate documentary...It starts as a description of the startup buzz, but gradually the long social between Freese and Haavisto gets more and more attention. Or really what another person's complete dedication to their work does to a relationship...The peeks are high and the drops are deep in both the startup world and the love life of the couple in their thirties."

— Tuomo Yrttiaho, Ilta-Sanomat

"It's the story of a man who sees beauty in doing things efficiently...As the documentary progresses, exhaustion, disappointment, and fear emerge alongside the passion...While the film Silicon Valley, Baby tells the story of a Finnish couple, it also depicts an American society where the only value is money."

— Onnimanni Liukkonen, Seura

"Follows Finish barista champion, Kalle Freese, on a journey of conquering the startup world in Silicon Valley with the specialty instant coffee they named Sudden Coffee...Very intimate and personal."

— European Coffee Trip

WINNER

Nordic International Film Festival, Honorable Mention

OFFICIAL SELECTION

Helsinki Docpoint Film Festival

NYC Independent Film Festival

Doc Edge Film Festival

Nordic International Film Festival

Silicon Valley International Film Festival

AIRED ON

YLE, Finnish Broadcasting Company

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