The Most Startup Friendly Company in Finland
In 2024-2025 we have been active in the analysis of startup companies.
For any startup-related cooperation, do get in touch.
Previous Award Competition
results are available here:
“This competition has been a good tool for us to analyze and develop our own startup activities.”
Erik Kolehmainen, VP, Corporate Venturing at Metsä Spring, participated with a winning team twice.
“We believe in open innovation. Continuous collaboration with startups has really proven its power for us. This competition has been a great way to make all those successes and learnings visible both internally and externally.”
Kaisa Suutari, Director of Innovation Services at Stora Enso, a previous winning team member.
“The competition is a great way to meet the community and promote opportunities for start-ups and corporations, not only a ceremony with award certificates and flowers.”
Mikko Mattila, Senior Co-Innovation Manager at KONE, runner-up team.
“The competition provides us an outsider’s view to challenge our startup activities, and a forum to discuss startup-collaboration with like-minded peer companies.”
Ville Hoppu, Partnership Manager at Konecranes, outstanding contributor.
Step 1: Sign up
Let us know if your corporation has active interest, plans or activities together with startups.
Share the story of your successes and ambition with us.
Step 2: Submit your contribution
In the previous Competitions, we have been looking for evidence of significant corporate-startup cooperation.
If you have been active with
startups, show us!
Step 3: Evaluation and winners
In the previous competitions, the jury evaluated the participating companies’ submissions and interviewed the chosen finalists.
Featured Events and Topics
Startup Friendliness
The annual Most Startup Friendly Company in Finland Award aims to create broader recognition for the exceptional achievements of large corporations in Finland, regarding their collaborations with startup companies and thereby improving competitiveness and innovation.
There is great potential in evolving and fair cooperation models between large corporations and startups.
Competition
During 2018-2021, we have evaluated the competitors (large corporations) based on many metrics. For example Ecosystem Collaboration, Startup Collaboration, Internal Startup Actions, Sustainability and Pandemic Response.
In 2022, we opened a new chapter by dividing the competition into two categories: one for global/international corporations and one for more locally focused large companies. The aim was to enable participation by smaller (though still large) companies, than in the previous years of the competition.
This new kind of evaluation in the 2022 competition round focused on near term qualitiative and quantitative improvements in startup cooperation by the company, instead of e.g. sheer number of deals. This gives an opportunity for a more diverse group of participants to join the Most Startup Friendly Company competition.
Toolbox
The Corporate-Startup Toolbox is a separate (but connected) project that runs parallel to the Most Startup Friendly competition. The project was born from an open brainstorm cooperation workshop held in March 2022 with some of the competition participants.
The Toolbox is a collection of frameworks, methodologies and knowledge that help make corporate-startup cooperation smoother.
