Returning for a second edition after a successful first round, Pathways is a 2-month early-stage interdisciplinary entrepreneurship programme within the Helsinki Incubators. Specifically designed for University of Helsinki students, researchers, staff, and alumni, Pathways helps participants explore diverse career paths. The programme is also open to individuals from the Helsinki metropolitan area, fostering meaningful and inspiring connections across various fields and backgrounds.
Unlike other Helsinki Incubators’ pre-incubators, Pathways does not limit its scope to one specific theme, such as AI or sustainability, but instead is designed to cater to a broad range of topics and approaches and to build collaborative bridges between thinkers and doers from all walks of life. The goal of the pre-incubator is to demystify entrepreneurship as a route worth taking and to offer the basics needed to embark on the journey, through accessible and hands-on guidance.
You may apply to Pathways with a ready idea up your sleeve, but you are also welcome to do so without one. Have you noticed a problem you’d want to develop a solution for? Perhaps you’re conducting a research project and want to know if your findings can be worked into something tangible? The only thing needed in Pathways is an open mind and an eagerness to explore paths that, with their twists and turns, may still be unfamiliar to you. You may apply on your own, although we recommend grabbing a friend to join with you to share ideas and the workload of tasks with.
Following the framework of Helsinki Incubators’ other pre-incubators, Pathways will consist of workshops held 1-2 times a week. You will first learn how to clearly define the problem you’re addressing before moving on to ideating, validating, and refining a solution and a business plan around it. By the end of the two months, you’ll have acquired a toolkit of skills needed to succeed in your entrepreneurial project or in working life more broadly. An experienced team of experts and guest speakers will ensure that your solution receives tailored support, and an unparalleled community of peers will be by your side every step of the way.
The call for applications to Pathways is open until 22 September 2024, and the programme will run from 5 October to 3 December 2024, at various locations at the University of Helsinki's City Centre campus and other central locations. For more information about the pre-incubator, see the programme webpage. You may alternatively directly contact project lead Santeri Tuovila through santeri.tuovila[at]helsinki.fi or through LinkedIn.
If you’re curious to hear more about the Pathways pre-incubator, we invite you to join an open info session held 10 September at 17:00 in the Helsinki Incubators event space (Porthania building, Yliopistonkatu 3). This will be an opportunity for you to meet the programme lead, who will be happy to address any of your questions or concerns regarding applying and participating in the programme. Read more and register beforehand through here!
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 when the next calls open.