Vaisala's origins date back to the 1930s when Professor Vilho Vaisala, Vaisala's founder and long-time managing director, invented some of the operating principles of a radiosonde. The company was established in 1936 in Finland, and the first radiosondes were manufactured in the basement of a residential building in the center of Helsinki. From a modest start, the company evolved to become a world leader in many measurement fields.

Nowadays Vaisala employs approximately 1,600 people and exports 98% of its production to over 150 countries. Curiosity, the desire to meet challenges and an extraordinary ability to innovate are at Vaisala's core, both past and present.