
Finland
Greater Helsinki
Helsinki Metropolitan Area delivers the kind of innovation the world needs. We believe in trust-based and radically multidisciplinary collaboration that drives purpose-based growth. Innovation is driven by the well-being of empowered people.



Highlights
Finland may have a population of just 5.5 million, but the country has a proven ability to turn out global startup success stories from Nokia and Rovio to Wolt and KONE. Some 4,000 startups are currently located in the country, and the Helsinki Metropolitan Area is the beating heart of its startup scene. Slush, a student-run tech conference, brings international and domestic entrepreneurs and investors to Helsinki every November. Junction started out here as a single hackathon, but has developed into a series of tech events around the world. The Otaniemi-Keilaniemi area in Espoo is an innovation hub — home to startups, corporations, and R&D institutions including Aalto University and the Technological Research Centre of Finland VTT. In recent years, several domestic venture capital funds with more than €100 million ($109 million) in assets have emerged in Finland. Longtime players in the local investment scene have also successfully marketed the nation to global investors. Finnish companies received €929 million (around $1 billion) in private investment in the first half of 2021, an all-time high. The average investment in Helsinki area startups is now $408,000 at seed stage and $2.7 million at Series. A. Many Helsinki area accelerators and incubators, including Nordea Startup Accelerator and Kiuas, invest in early-stage startups. Government start-up grants offer new entrepreneurs around €700 ($763) per month for 12 months while they get their businesses off the ground. With its track record of producing unicorns, Finland also now has serial entrepreneurs who are reinvesting the money they made from successful exits in the country’s ecosystem.
Ecosystem by the numbers
Amount ($B)
Count (#)
Exits
(2017-2021)Sub-Sector Strengths
Digital Health
AI, Big Data & Analytics
Gaming
Reasons to move your startup to Greater Helsinki
Quality of Life
Access to Talent
Finland’s educational system is consistently ranked among the best in the world, and the Helsinki area consistently ranks in the European top 10 for productivity and global competitiveness. The Global Talent Competitiveness Index 2021 from INSEAD ranked Finland seventh among 134 countries globally, citing the workforce’s strong technical skills among other strengths. Aalto University rose 15 places in the QS World University Rankings from 2020 to 2021 and now ranks 63rd worldwide in research impact. The Otaniemi-Keilaniemi area is home to 800 companies and R&D actors, including Aalto University and the VTT Technological Research Centre of Finland.
Ease of Doing Business
Finland's corporate tax rate of 20% is among the lowest in the EU and the lowest among the Nordic countries. Finland is also offering new tax deductions for companies operating in the country. Business Finland provides low-interest loans and grants to innovative companies with global growth potential, as well as funding for R&D work carried out by companies, research organizations, and the public sector. The Aalto Entrepreneurship Society has helped nurture startup success stories such as Wolt and accelerator Kiuas.
Startup Community
Startup Genome Members
City of Vantaa
Vantaa is an innovative city of sustainable growth and was elected as the rising innovative city in Europe in 2021. As the international airport city, Vantaa is a logistics hub with innovative mobility solutions. Aviapolis, the second largest business area in Finland, is also an innovative future airport city, combining residential area, business opportunities and the airport. To enhance the dialogue between the city, businesses and higher education institutions, Vantaa operates within business ecosystems. The purpose of these Key Business Clusters is to create connections between companies of all sizes, from startups to industry leaders. The aim is to create new business opportunities by sharing knowledge, new ideas and innovations.
Key Ecosystem Players
Startup Genome
Partners
Featured Articles from
Local Ambassadors
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