Discussions focused on start-up collaboration and the role of businesses in fostering new innovations.

The Ambassador of the Netherlands to Finland, Simon van der Burg, visited the Lapland Startup Hub in Rovaniemi on 14 September to learn more about the emerging start-up scene and ecosystem being developed in Lapland.

During the visit, discussions centred on the still nascent start-up culture in Lapland, ways to support its growth, and the role of the Lapland Startup Hub in nurturing scalable, growth-oriented business ideas. The Hub’s operations have been developed on the basis of research, benchmarking of other start-up ecosystems, pilot initiatives, and extensive stakeholder collaboration.

Ambassador van der Burg highlighted examples from the Netherlands, where hackathons organised in connection with start-up incubators bring together students and teams to solve real business and technology challenges presented by medium-sized and large companies from the region. He encouraged the Lapland Startup Hub to involve local businesses from the very beginning when planning events and hackathons.

The discussions also emphasised the importance of international start-up networks. More than 100 Dutch start-ups with 200 participants will be attending Slush in Helsinki this November. Participants from Lapland University of Applied Sciences will also be taking part, creating an opportunity to continue the dialogue initiated during the visit through practical networking and collaboration.

According to Markus Pellikka, an expert at Lapland University of Applied Sciences, international connections and the involvement of regional businesses are essential elements in the next phase of Lapland’s start-up culture. He stressed that a start-up ecosystem cannot be built in isolation or by a single organisation alone.

– We want to invite businesses, students, higher education institutions, developers and international partners to build this together through discussion, experimentation and the exploration of new opportunities. And why not occasionally around a campfire? This thinking aligns well with the Lapland InnoCamp hackathon currently being planned for January, Pellikka says.

The Lapland Startup Hub will continue developing the regional start-up ecosystem with the aim of bringing together Lapland’s expertise, genuine business development challenges, new innovations and international networks more closely than ever before.

The Startup Polku project, launched in early September, focuses on identifying early-stage business ideas and supporting their development into viable and profitable businesses. Activities are being developed in cooperation with recognised regional stakeholders. In addition to Lapland University of Applied Sciences, the project’s key partners include the University of Lapland and Digipolis Kemi. The project is funded by the European Union.

Pictured at the Hub’s premises on the Rovaniemi campus are Hannu Gylden, Director of Sustainability at Lapland University of Applied Sciences, Markus Pellikka, Ambassador Simon van der Burg, and Jarno Valkeapää, Project Manager of the Startup Polku project. Photo: Mari Putaansuu