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Urban Tech Helsinki New Open Call! – OCTOBER NEWSLETTER

Call opens for startups to apply for spring 2025 batch

We are proud to announce that Urban Tech Helsinki’s call for new startups is open until December 1st, 2024.

One of the major focus areas for the spring 2025 batch is Built Environment ranging from energy and mobility solutions linked to buildings, as well as urban development. Urban Tech Helsinki will be involved in a process to link startups to city, construction, and infrastructure developers to lower the barrier for them to buy from startups and SMEs. If you are looking to make our built environment more sustainable, circular, and livable, it is worthwhile to join the incubator.

Startups in other focus areas are, naturally, welcome as well, and even if they might not identify themselves as built environment startups, they most likely are.

What’s in it for startups?

  • A lively community of like-minded people wanting to solve the sustainability challenges in an urban environment, in Helsinki’s capital region and beyond.
  • The in-depth business development program, starting with an 8-week onboarding period onsite twice a week and full support from our Aalto University Startup Center Business Generator program and coaches, for up to 12 months.
  • Piloting, testing, and development opportunities with top-notch partners such as Testbed Helsinki, the University of Helsinki, Metropolia UAS, and Forum Virium Helsinki.

The application period for our next call is open now until December 1st on our website.

Help with the call!

We would appreciate your support in spreading the news of our open call.

Here are some suggestions on how you can do that:

  • Post our content, for example, the first news piece in this newsletter, to your social media channels and newsletter.
  • Repost content posted on Urban Tech Helsinki’s LinkedIn. There will be new content several times a week.
  • Reach out to relevant actors (incubators, educational institutions, organizations) in your network.

We are happy to provide you with material if you would like to share it with your network. Labiba (labiba.abdul@aalto.fi) will be sharing this material shortly.

Registration on the webpage.

Please tag us in your posts.


Wins, piloting, and cooperation – news from Urban Tech Helsinki startups

ScanwAi is expanding to Asia. It’s launching a pilot in Thailand and heading to Goa, India. The connection to India was made through a peer Urban Tech Helsinki startup, Cero Hero. Just a prime example of how the ecosystem supports one another! Additionally, ScanwAi is continuing a pilot in Estonia and heading to the Smart City Expo, Barcelona from 5th-7th November.

Finland’s most popular app for helping and volunteering, Commu, is launching a partnership with Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. This collaboration is part of the Lisbon City Council’s social innovation project, to which Commu provides a digital platform for residents to request and offer help in neighborhoods. The pilot is part of Lisbon City Council’s social innovation program. The competition is organized by Urban Tech Helsinki partner Unicorn Factory Lisboa.

Our serial competition winner Ekotekt has been at it again. They have won two more awards within the last month. They were the Construction and Design category winner of the EXPO REAL (Messe München) IMPACT Awards 2024 and the Construction Category award at the prestigious Clean Future Accelerator in Lisbon, organized by Unicorn Factory Lisboa!

Many Urban Tech Helsinki startups are attending Slush, so have a look out for them and book a meeting through the Matchmaking platform if you’d like to discuss e.g. investing in sustainable impact businesses. Check out our current portfolio here.


Open House during Slush

Urban Tech Helsinki is having an Open House during Slush. Our team will be at the office in Maria 01’s Urban3 from 9.30 to 11.30 on the 19th of November.

Welcome to have a chat about what Urban Tech Helsinki is and what we offer!

Come pop into our office to meet the team and ask questions about our startups, our program, and the open call for the spring 2025 batch. We are hosting an Open House during the Slush week to discuss what we can offer to startups, stakeholders, corporations, and investors alike.

Also, if you are attending Slush, please come by the Aalto booth and ask for Ari or Eetu to have a chat with us.