A top-tier hybrid accelerator in Finland, with over 27 years of experience nurturing thriving startups. It combines its own innovative programs with strategic partnerships to support cutting-edge, sustainable deep-tech startups driven by pioneering research. Joining Aalto Startup Center grants access to top-notch training, exclusive events, and a carefully curated network of investors—all aimed at helping founders succeed and grow. Programs under Aalto Startup Center include ESA BIC Finland, Research-to-Business (R2B), Business Generator, Urban Tech Helsinki, Aalto Digital Creatives, Seeds of Bravery, and D2XCEL.

ESA BIC Finland aims to support entrepreneurs and startups financially, technically to reveal their space potential. We focus on ideas proposing new space solutions and technologies.

Urban Tech Helsinki is an incubator for clean and sustainable urban solutions. We help early-stage startups that focus on solving the challenges of modern cities.

Aalto Digital Creatives supports students, researchers, and practitioners in creative industries on their path towards entrepreneurship by running a pre-incubator program.

The Business Generator accelerator focuses on sustainable, research-based, and innovative tech startups. Business Generator is the core program of Aalto Startup Center.

The Research to Business pre-incubator program is for Aalto University originated research projects that aim to commercialize research ideas. These are the future deep-tech startups to watch out for.

Seeds of Bravery’s mission is to foster diversity, promote the deep tech industry and stimulate hundreds of UA-based innovations benefiting end-users in Europe, Ukraine and beyond.

D2XCEL is a pan-European scaling program bringing an industry network of investors, public and private lead customers, and innovation hubs to support deep tech and digital ventures.

• Location: A Grid (Otakaari 5, 02150 Espoo, Finland)

Navigating entrepreneurship as a multi-faceted socio economic phenomenon through education and research. 

Our research is pronouncedly multi-disciplinary, applying theories and methods from, psychology, sociology, economics, geography, history and philosophy to diverse entrepreneurial phenomena. Much of our research is applied, with relevance for public policy. 

Our education embraces experiential learning methods, establishes strong networks with local and international entrepreneurial ecosystem partners, and encourages a strong experimentative and entrepreneurial approach within our students.

• Location: Runeberginkatu 14-16, 00100 Helsinki, Finland

Prepares students for high-growth entrepreneurship through top-notch education and practical activities. AVP also supports Aalto University's schools and other universities in incorporating entrepreneurship into their courses.

AVP helps the Aalto community in creating a sustainable future through entrepreneurship by solving problems related to Sustainable Development Goals.

• Location: Viima (Puumiehenkuja 5, 02150 Espoo / PL 14300, 00076 AALTO)

An interdisciplinary product design and learning hub uniting students, teachers, researchers, and industry. ADF aims to build a new kind of passion-based learning culture for Aalto University.

• Location: Viima (Puumiehenkuja 5, 02150 Espoo / PL 14300, 00076 AALTO)

A Grid, at the heart of Aalto University Campus, is one of Europe’s top startup hubs. Valued by startups and partners, A Grid connects startups and founders to the university's resources, talented students, and cutting-edge research and infrastructure. A Grid is the stable for future unicorns.

• Location: Otakaari 5, 02150 Espoo, Finland

Serves widely researchers and Aalto community in developing inventions and in implementing commercialization activities. Aalto University Innovation Services manages intellectual property (IP) protection in collaboration with the researchers and executes technology transfers with versatile industrial companies – from startups to international corporations.

• Location: A Grid (Otakaari 5, 02150 Espoo, Finland)

Aalto EIT Services is a dedicated team that provides support and resources to enhance collaboration and innovation within the EIT ecosystem at Aalto University.

A spin-off from Aaltoes, Slush annually hosts the world’s leading startup event bringing together a curated crowd of European startups, world-class investors, and tech journalists. Slush stands by relevance over scale, bringing tangible value, and sharing actionable company-building advice. No fluff.

• Location: Malminkatu 16 00100 Helsinki

MIMIR is a movement aimed at making the Nordics leaders in research commercialization, driven by students. It seeks to address complex challenges with science-based solutions, harnessing the enthusiasm of a younger generation eager to create impactful change and build a robust commercialization infrastructure.

Accelerating Finnish Artificial Intelligence.

Aalto AI is a student-driven initiative focusing on artificial intelligence and its applications. It organizes events, workshops, and collaborative projects to advance AI research and innovation within the student community.

• Location: 

Startup Sauna is the world’s leading student-led entrepreneurship hub. Startup SaunaIt hosts key organizations such as Junction, DASH, Aaltoes, KIUAS, Silta, and Ignite. 

• Location: Viima (Puumiehenkuja 5A, 02150, Espoo)

Aaltoes is one of Europe’s largest student-run entrepreneurship societies, dedicated to fostering a vibrant startup ecosystem through events, programs, and networking opportunities. It plays a crucial role in launching significant projects and initiatives.

Ignite: Ignite is a 10-week accelerator where first-time founders find their first customers and 
launch their businesses

Strive :Strive recruitment portal is designed for young talented people who are looking to make an impact and get a boost to their career.

Betoni: Betoni offers a week-long bootcamp for early-stage founders. Betoni helps founders validate their hypotheses, ensuring they truly understand the problems they aim to solve. By accelerating the learning process and fostering confidence, Betoni empowers early-stage founders to forge their path to success confidently.

Wednesday: Wednesday is a student-driven community that empowers, inspires, and unites women who are interested or involved in entrepreneurship. we create opportunities to learn and get inspired by amplifying the voices of entrepreneurial-minded women, organizing community events, excursions, and get-togethers.

• Location: Startup Sauna/ Viima (Puumiehenkuja 5A, 02150, Espoo)

Junction is recognized as the world's most respected hackathon, spanning various countries and culminating in a final event in Finland where over 1500 designers, hackers, and developers from around the globe gather. Known for fostering creativity, teamwork, and rapid prototyping in a dynamic environment, Junction holds a prestigious position in the hackathon community worldwide.

• Location: Startup Sauna/ Viima (Puumiehenkuja 5A, 02150, Espoo)

Kiuas is the leading startup accelerator in Finland with the vision to enable early-stage startup founders to successfully build companies that change the world for the better. This goal is achieved by providing founders with world-class support and resources to facilitate their growth.

• Location: Startup Sauna/ Viima (Puumiehenkuja 5A, 02150, Espoo)

DASH Hackathon is Europe's premier event for applying design thinking to solve real-world business problems through multidisciplinary teamwork.

• Location: Startup Sauna/ Viima (Puumiehenkuja 5A, 02150, Espoo)

SILTA is a program that takes top founders from Finland to the SF Bay Area for three months to immerse them into the vibrant, lively culture of the SF Bay Area. The purpose of SILTA is to enable the founders to develop their company and vision in the can-do environment of Silicon Valley.

• Location: Startup Sauna/ Viima (Puumiehenkuja 5A, 02150, Espoo)