With a hectic yet fruitful Slush week now behind us, it’s time to reflect on everything that the internationally applauded startup convention had to offer (and to look through all our new LinkedIn connections!). On top of our annual “Hotdogs, Startups & Beers” Day 0 side event, the Helsinki Incubators were well represented at Messukeskus itself, with our own stand as part of the University of Helsinki’s exhibition area. Over the two days, thinkers and doers from all corners of academia showcased their science-based solutions, proving that innovation holds power not only in building a future to be proud of, but also in finding commercial success.
Two of our alumni, Alaa Bankherouf and Lisa Theman, said that the Incubators’ booth felt like a cozy home-base to return to between darting from one networking session to the next, saying that “it feels like home” with us. Another alum, Julian Honkasalo, felt this too, saying that the Incubators now feels like a big family to him. He’s especially ecstatic about all the fellow social impact players he met at Slush: “It’s great that social entrepreneurs have entered the scene and are here to stay,” Honkasalo said proudly.
Our own Day 0 “Hotdogs, Startups & Beers” event, on the other hand, brought together a crowd of over 250 people, consisting of investors, ecosystem partners, international guests, alumni, and startup teams. The evening offered a chance to celebrate all the hard work of this year’s incubator and pre-incubator participants, as well as catch up on the news of our alumni. With a scrumptious Hodarifillari hot dog in one hand and a CoolHead Brewery pint in another, guests were welcomed to listen to three-minute pitches from selected teams and to share the joys of pitching practice in an air of jovial peer comradery.
"The night was incredibly inspiring,” commented event organiser and communications coordinator Lis Vila Rosas afterwards. “I was overjoyed to see so many members of our ecosystem coming together. We’ve worked tirelessly to make our incubators feel like home, and witnessing our community grow never ceases to be profoundly rewarding!”
The event also acted as a “book launch” of sorts, as guests were able to browse through our Helsinki Incubators First Years’ Report, a review reflecting on our first three years of operation. Within its binds, we shed light on the many ecosystem partners and supporters we’ve had the honour of working with through the years, while also centring the success stories of our teams, the raison d’etre behind everything we do.
With these words from the report provided by team leader Irina Blomqvist, we’ll soon enter 2025 with optimistic and grateful hearts: “Looking forward, we envision an even more vibrant community of participants and alumni actively supporting one another, building deeper connections both in Finland and globally, expanding support offerings across every stage of the entrepreneurial journey, and becoming a premier destination for those seeking to engage with the region’s most inspiring innovators – all with the aim of empowering our remarkable community to demonstrate that, with the power of knowledge, we can create positive impact worldwide.”
Visit our offices in Porthania to check out more insights from the report yourself, or lend it from our little startup library!
The University of Helsinki's entrepreneurship programmes, the Helsinki Incubators, provides support and opportunities for bold thinkers in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area interested to take their ideas and turning them into impactful ventures. Interested in taking part in our pre-incubators and incubators? Subscribe to our newsletter for updates on our open calls.