Blue Wings: “Genuine buzz, real opportunities”

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The largest inland city of the Nordic countries centrally located Tampere offers a vibrant environment for aspiring new businesses.

- There's a genuine buzz in the high tech sector in the Tampere region, and it offers real opportunities for new business", ventures Mr Petri Nykänen, in charge of business development and investment promotion in the Tampere Region Economic Development Agency Tredea.

Mr Nykänen lays down compelling figures to back the case for Tampere. The population of the city is expected to grow 20 per cent by 2030. Tampere attracts ample development investments from both public and private sector, second only to the Finnish capital Helsinki.

The city is home to three internationally competitive university-level institutions. One in five people in Tampere is a student, which directly reflects on the availability of highly skilled work force.

- Due to Microsoft's recent changes in their mobile phone business, there are now intact teams of high-level professionals available, capable of developing products and services for example in automotive industry, entertainment industry, industrial automation, wearables, and health technology.

Latest erea of re-invention creates the buzz

The entrepreneurs in Tampere region testify to Nykänen's views on the growing number of opportunities in Tampere region.

- The atmosphere is very positive for startups. There is a lot of collaboration between the network of companies, which is mostly due to the legacy of Nokia. The region has a very significant industrial history, the first GSM phone call was made in Tampere, says Risto Kivipuro from Piceasoft.

Also Teppo Hemiä, CEO of Wirepas, praises Tampere region

- The Tampere startup scene is still quite young, and in that sense it is easy to stand out. The location of Tampere is excellent for companies aspiring for internationalization; from Tampere-Pirkkala airport you can get anywhere in the world, and even Helsinki-Vantaa is oly 90 minutes aways, he says.

Tampere grows and innovates

According to Veli-Pekka Vatula, Manager, Ideation & Innovation and Site Manager for Intel Tampere, there is a very positive environment for startups.

- The region has a positive determination to grow and innovate, and the environment is very diverse.

Mariina Hallikainen from Colossal Order points out the development of Tampere region.

- As the news of the Tampere startup scene spreads, also recruiting a skilled work force from abroad becomes much easier. There is actually nothing missing from Tampere, and everything is located in a very compact area, she says.

Feel free to contact the Tampere Region Economic Development Agency with any questions you may have: www.tredea.fi/en/tredea/personnel/investments-and-talents/

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The article was originally published on Finnair's inflight magazine Blue Wings:
http://issuu.com/headofficefinland/docs/blue_wings_09_2015_issuu/c/scqhy9h