Mon, 14 Apr 2025

Mon, 14 Apr 2025 Finland's bid to win Europe's start-up crown

Helsinki wants to become a top European start-up hub, but can it challenge London and Stockholm?

* Maria 01, a co-working and event space for entrepreneurs and investors, is expanding with a new campus that will become Europe's largest start-up campus.
* The existing facilities house around 240 start-ups across six buildings, which used to be the city's first hospital founded in the 19th Century.
* The hub has already supported companies developing innovative health technologies, AI, cybersecurity, gaming, and defence tech start-ups.
* Maria 01 is a not-for-profit organisation partly funded by the city of Helsinki, which has invested over €6m since its launch in 2016.
* The new campus will add 50,000 sqm floor area and feature an accelerator programme to support high-growth start-ups.
* Finland's start-up ecosystem ranked 7th best in western Europe and 14th globally by Startup Blink, a global index mapping more than 100 countries.
* Finland aims to push its ranking higher with the government investing €112m in start-ups last year, an increase of 30% compared to the previous year.
* The country is trying to attract more global talent by offering start-up permits and soft-landing support packages for international founders.
* However, data suggests Finland still has a long way to go to catch up with neighbouring Sweden, which ranks second in Europe after the UK and top in the EU.
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