We strengthen the entrepreneurial skills of students and researchers in their chosen fields. Everyone at the university deserves easily accessible conditions to experiment, learn, fail, and repeat. By supporting academic entrepreneurship and multidisciplinary teamwork, we offer individuals opportunities for development, growth, and finding their own path.
Free of charge and open to all members of the university community, Helsinki Incubators' programmes' aim to help an individual or group develop their business idea further and map out their working life skills. The programmes are thematic, i.e. they provide participating groups with support tailored around a topic, such as the circular economy, so that the idea becomes viable.
Pre-incubator programmes provide a low-threshold opportunity for people at the beginning of their entrepreneurial path to learn the basics of entrepreneurship over a two-month period. The programmes provide an in-depth exploration of the different dimensions of the programme's topic from an entrepreneurial perspective and the opportunity to develop your own budding idea with the help of the lessons learned and support provided. The purpose of the incubator programmes is to give you the basic knowledge you need to find the next steps in developing your idea.
Incubator programmes offer in-depth support when you already have a business idea or solution crystallised and are ready to take the next step towards becoming an entrepreneur. Through these programmes, you will receive mentoring from carefully selected national and international mentors, as well as help with launching products or services, applying for funding and getting your idea off the ground. Incubator programmes last between 6 and 12 months.
The Helsinki Think Company offers both students and researchers support and tools for early-stage entrepreneurship, growing as an expert, and creating social impact. The activities consist of low barrier of entry events, mentoring, workshops, and sparring for entrepreneurs. In addition, the Helsinki Think Company offers free co-working spaces on all four campuses of the University of Helsinki for working on your own ideas and projects. Think Company serves entrepreneurs, students, graduates, researchers, freelancers, startups and artists from all fields and backgrounds.
HELSEED is an entrepreneurship programme exclusively for students that welcomes both students with a fresh business idea and student-led start-up teams that are further along in their development. The programme includes workshops on different aspects of entrepreneurship. The University of Helsinki funds will make early-stage investments of €10 000-50 000 in the most interesting start-ups. The programme can be used to earn credits.