Pathways — Pre-Incubator

Joining the programme is easy — your product or service idea doesn't have to be polished; in fact, you might not even need one initially. You can apply with just a problem you'd like help in creating a solution to, or research you're interested in finding practical applications for. 

What the Heck Is Entrepreneurship? 

At its core, entrepreneurship is about turning ideas, problems, and curiosity into real-world solutions. Pathways is designed to give you the space, structure, and support to explore and develop ideas in a practical, low-threshold environment. Through lectures, workshops, coaching, and peer collaboration, you’ll build entrepreneurial skills, test assumptions, and move your idea forward; whether you're just exploring or ready to take concrete steps toward building something of your own.

While the programme includes mandatory lectures and workshops, how deeply you engage beyond the core requirements is up to you. Whether you want to explore entrepreneurship thoughtfully alongside your studies or fully immerse yourself in developing your idea, Pathways provides the framework and community to support your project.  

Regardless of your starting point, you'll be part of the same Pathways community, gaining access to peer support, collaboration opportunities, and co-working spaces the programme is known for.

Come With An Open Mind

Based on research and our practical experience, startup ideas change quickly. A startup idea can evolve rapidly, undergoing as much change in a year as we mammals have gone through in the last 10 million years. Therefore, we are expecting to "kill" several ideas during the programme, come up with plenty of new ones, and see the evolution of the most promising ones into something that is truly viable in real-life situations. We are also expecting participants in the programme to actively work with one another and form new teams that have the capabilities of developing their ideas both during the programme and after. This is why it's important to remember that the idea you finish Pathways with may end up being very, very different to the one you'll be initially applying with.

Still, when applying, we encourage you to start with the idea that is closest to what you're passionate about or interested in right now.

Pathways will feature 2-3 lectures and workshops a week, depending on the track you choose, delving into the essentials of idea development, from big global trends to business plan creation, communications, teamwork (regardless of if you apply alone or as a team), and receiving feedback. Additionally, you'll have access to business coaches for insights, discussions, and answers, along with a multidisciplinary community of like-minded individuals to provide you with plenty of peer-support.

The call for Pathways is now open, with the programme kicking off on 21 March. If you're interested, read on more in this page about the application criteria and leave us an application by clicking the link below!

At the end of Pathways, depending on which track you choose, you'll have completed several tasks and learned plenty of new skills, which will help you to choose which direction to continue your journey. By completing the Pathways programme, you'll have...

And of course, regardless of the track you choose, for those that make plenty of progress during the programme and are enthusiastic about continuing onwards to further develop their solution or business onwards, we recommend exploring our 4-month, mentor-driven incubator . With its thematic tracks around Deep Tech & AI, Nature & Sustainability, and Social Impact offering specialised, in-depth support and guidance, Journeys is a great place to keep up the momentum you'll build during Pathways and really turn that idea into a real business.

The call for Pathways 5 is now open! If you're interested in applying, read on for the application criteria, and send us an application!

Although we recommend applying with a team of at least two to make sure you get the most out of the programme's workshops, we welcome applications from both individuals and teams, regardless of their affiliation with the University of Helsinki. Students, PhD researchers, post-docs, staff, alumni, and enthusiastic citizens are all equally welcome to apply and come create the change they want to see.

As the programme is aimed at early-stage teams and individuals, the only requirement for applying is to have one of the following:

• A problem you want to create a solution to
• An early-stage business idea that you're looking to develop further
• Research you're looking to explore practical, entrepreneurial applications for
• Passion that you want to turn into a career
• An idea of what your goals are, how much time you're ready to commit, and whether you want to be an Explorer or a Builder

To apply, please fill in the application linked below and be sure to include a document or video introducing your idea or problem. We recommend trying to define the problem that you are aiming to solve, what your solution (if you have one) is, and who it is for. The document can either be:

• A text document no longer than one page
• A presentation with up to five slides
• A short, max. 3 minute video

You can use the to help structure your application and describe your idea. You don’t need to cover every part of the NABC framework, but it’s a helpful starting point when writing about your idea.

You will be applying to the programme with one idea, but keep in mind that it can change during the programme. We are also expecting people to join up and become team members, which means jumping to another idea, and to see ideas being dropped during the programme if and when they prove to be unfeasible. We encourage an open mindset and the capability to not just develop an idea, but to change it completely if necessary.

Note! Please keep in mind before applying that the programme is held in-person, and that attendance is required for successful completion of the programme.

Once we've received your application, we'll review it and invite you for an interview. You'll be notified in due time if you've been selected to take part in Pathways.

Pathways is organised by the University of Helsinki entrepreneurship services, the Helsinki Incubators, with support from experts and entrepreneurs who are passionate about supporting new founders & entrepreneurially curious minds. The organisers and experts have years of practical experience in entrepreneurship, their own special skills, and non-profit associations which foster cooperations, opportunity creations, and personal development for their members. 

Helsinki Incubators also has a wide network in the startup and innovation space, and we will be able to connect you with specific advisors who can help you to find answers to the questions which may arise during the programme. Our motto is “The more effort you put in to develop your idea, the more support we can give”. Nothing is more gratifying than seeing participants succeeding in their career as an entrepreneur or expert!

For bachelor's or master's degree students:

Participating in the programme can be registered in Sisu under the course code PHD-312 for a total of 5 ECTS. Please request a certificate of attendance upon the completion of the incubator programme, and contact for the registration of the credits.

Students must then co-ordinate with their degree programme to include these credits into their degree. It is advised to check with the degree programme beforehand if the credits can be included into the degree, and under what section.

The Entrepreneurship & Innovation Services does not guarantee that credits can be included in all degrees.

For Doctoral Researchers:

Participating in a pre-incubator programme can be included in your transferable skills studies under the course code PHD-312 for a total of 5 ECTS. Please request a certificate of attendance upon completion of the pre-incubator programme, and contact  for credits registration.