ESPOO

Aalto Startup Center is the home of innovation

Founded in 1997, Aalto Startup Center is the home of multiple projects, ESA BIC Finland being one of them. This Aalto University department functions as the main partner for the European Space Agency Business Incubation Center in Finland, together with its partners from Turku, Vaasa and Tampere.

Aalto Startup Center is the place for trailblazing innovators at Otaniemi (Espoo, Finland), where groundbreaking tech ideas transform into global success stories. The main accelerator focuses on early-stage deeptech sustainability-driven startups. Besides this program, Aalto Startup Center hosted a multitude of programs, such as Urban Tech Helsinki, Seeds of Bravery or, most recently, ESA Phi-Lab Finland, just to name a few.

Part of the ESA BIC Finland team and startup founders from the kickoff event in June 2026

Every year, this startup hub serves around 60 companies, and the number reaches one hundred if we take into account the research-to-business projects from the university that Aalto Startup Center is also coaching. Almost a thousand companies have been through our programs since its creation, and the data speaks highly about our success because 80% of the alumni companies are still surviving, with 630M € in turnover.

Multiple times over the years, UBI Global (World Benchmark Study / World Incubation Summit) has ranked Aalto Startup Center as the world’s top 3 University Business Accelerator, for continuing to play a significant role in contributing to Finnish technological innovation with a global reach.

Once accepted to ESA BIC Finland, or any of the other programs part of Aalto Startup Center, the companies have access to business advisory services, training and workshops, office space at the heart of the Otaniemi area, tools and resources, and connections to the relevant organizations and stakeholders in the Finnish ecosystem and internationally.

The ESA BIC Finland team, located at Aalto Startup Center, consists of: Kaisa Ahonen, project manager; Natalie Gaudet, project coordinator; Marc Gavaldà, communications specialist; and the business advisory team responsible for giving guidance to the startup teams.

  • More about Aalto Startup Center HERE.