The greatest changes start from the tiniest systemic fractures, and SÄRÖ/FRACTURE is a pre-incubator for all of us who want to change society and its institutions for the better and investigate just how great of an impact even the smallest of ideas can have. Impactful solutions and projects come in many shapes and sizes, and we’re here to educate and empower would-be changemakers in how to turn ideas into reality.
With help from experts in sustainable entrepreneurship & social impact, you’ll learn how to take your skills and ideas into practice and develop them into something meaningful and valuable for society.
The City Centre-based SÄRÖ/FRACTURE programme will offer nearly two months of lectures and workshops covering the tools and know-how required to create sustainable business ideas with a societal element responsibly and effectively. Featuring speakers and mentors from Helsinki Incubators, Helsinki Think Company, YYO (The Centre of Expertise for Social Enterprises), and other organisations, the programme hopes that by the end of it, you’ll have learned valuable entrepreneurial skills, formed a plan for taking your idea onwards, and be ready to take the next step in your journey.
Will you continue onwards to our TREMOR incubator or other support programmes to turn your idea into a business? Use the skills you learned during SÄRÖ/FRACTURE to work on another idea? Or continue elsewhere as a valuable and talented team member in another organisation? Whatever you end up choosing to do after participating, we hope you’ll do it feeling emboldened and with a greater readiness to go out and have an impact than you did before taking part.
The pre-incubator is produced by the University of Helsinki with support from Helsinki Think Company & YYO and is powered by the City of Helsinki. If you’re already interested and want to stay up to date on all developments, sign up for the wait list below!
SÄRÖ/FRACTURE will be held both in-person and in English at least twice a week from September 30th to November 25th at various locations at the University of Helsinki's City Centre campus.
During those two months, the programme will primarily feature expert-led lectures and workshops on a number of subjects, including lean canvas business modelling, social enterprises, funding models, and more. You'll also get to connect with your fellow participants to give and receive valuable peer support, all to help you get all the skills and know-how you'll need to turn your idea into an impactful solution to do good in whatever field or area you're hoping to be active in.
At the end of the programme on November 25th, you'll have the chance of taking part in the programme's final showcase in Think Corner, presenting your idea and solution on stage to the world.
A more in-depth summary of the programme's schedule can be found at the link below!
If you can't participate in the programme but are still interested in its contents, we invite you to attend the programme's open sessions. All of these events are free of charge and are open to anyone, and take place at the Think Lounge located on the 2nd floor of Think Corner (Yliopistonkatu 4). To attend, just register here, please.
You can read the descriptions for the events here.
Applications for the 2022 SÄRÖ/FRACTURE progamme are now closed. However, you can still attend the programme's open sessions! Further information about the next application period for SÄRÖ/FRACTURE will be revealed in Summer 2023
We welcome applications from any idea-stage individuals or teams both from the University of Helsinki and the broader Helsinki community wanting to learn the skills needed to transform their idea into something impactful. Students, researchers, staff, alumni, and enthusiastic citizens are all equally welcome to join and come create the change they want to see.
Still interested in participating in SÄRÖ/FRACTURE or one of our other programmes in the future? Please send us an open application at the link below and our team will be in touch in due time.
Mari has already been the lead at the Helsinki Think Company for two innovation programmes for developing solutions in sustainable societies and well-being, Hack for Society and 4UNI. A social scientist, she is interested in how social sciences and the humanities can be used to create impactful innovations, and strongly believes that those in those fields have a lot of creative, critical, and valuable know-how that the ecosystem needs, and that the best solutions come from multidisciplinary teams.