Science Startup Day 2026

What do researchers need to know when commercializing their work into a venture-backed business? How do venture capitalists evaluate spin-offs, and what are the common pitfalls researchers make when leaping into the business world? And most importantly: how do you build a successful business once you're established?

Business Finland is proud to partner with Finnish VC firms for the 7th annual Science Startup day to answer exactly to those questions. We invite researchers across Finland to join us for a day of workshops, networking with VCs and peers, and a chance to refine your pitch.

This event is for teams who want to commercialize their research (e.g. R2B teams) and spin-offs from university or research organization, as well as for investors and growth startup talents.

9:30 Coffee/tea

10:00 Welcoming words
Keynote
The Carbonaide story, Tapio Vehmas, CEO
Fireside chat with Niklas Sandler, CTO & founder, CurifyLabs
Researcher Entrepreneur Award by Kaute foundation, Tuomas Olkku

11:00 Pitching session

12:00 Lunch and networking

13:00 Workshop part I "Establishing your company"

• Financial sources for structuring a company – host Tor-Oskar Karlberg, Stephen Industries
• The VC Lens: How Deep Tech Gets Backed – host Paavo Räisänen, Maki.vc
• What health and bio investors are looking for? – hosts Alexandra Gylfe, Nordic Science Investments and Sara Kangaspeska, Innovestor Life Science  

13:45 Workshop part II "Building your company"

• Quick tips for startups – Financial planning & understanding cash flow – host Johannes Korpela, Wave Ventures
• What does a successful team look like – host Rene Kromhof, Cloudberry VC
• IPR issues every startup should know – host Folke Johansson, Papula-Nevinpat Oy

14:25 Workshop part III "Preparing to scale"

• Valuation of a spin-out: what to expect and why – host Lauri Reuter, Nordic Foodtech VC
• Funding capital intensive innovation – host Iiro Tiilikainen, Taaleri Bioindustry
• Contracts that decide your future  – hosts Arto Lindfors and Heli Gummerus, Fondia

15:00 Networking and snacks

16:00 Closing

Welcome!

Science Startup Day is organized by Business Finland and Health 360 Finland Program together with Voima Ventures, Butterfly Ventures, Nordic Food Tech VC, Maki.vc, Innovestor Life Science, Nordic Science Investments, Nordic Ninja VC, Stephen Industries, Wave Ventures, Cloudberry VC, Taaleri Bioindustry, VTT Launchpad, Aalto Startup Center and Kaute foundation.