Service paths

• Number of employees < 5
• Turnover < 10.000 €
• Life cycle phase: initial stage
• Investment need: moderate

1 PROMISING STARTUP IDEA

During her studies, Stina comes up with an idea of an internationally scalable technology solution and assembles an enthusiastic team around her. Stina takes part in the activities of HUBS and Tribe Tampere. Through the entrepreneurship and innovation collaboration, she gains support and the right tools to bring the idea into reality.

Check out networks and communities to support beginning entrepreneurs in Tampere Region.

2 PUBLIC SERVICES TO SUPPORT THOSE CONCIDERING ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Stina makes an appointment at the ELY Centre. The business advisor is specialized on commercialization of innovations and the financing of growth.

As well Stina contacts Ensimetri to get to know the practical procedures for starting a new business.

Find out other additional public services in the Region.

3 DEVELOPING THE BUSINESS IDEA

Stina explores the Startup Tampere website and participates in startup events. During the initial phase, the team tests and develops the idea with Red Brick Accelerator-program, finds the first customers and builds contacts with funders.

The team tests and develops their product with testbeds supported by industry specific business and innovation ecosystems.

Exploring the relevant service providers collectively is a good idea when you want to develop your business and seek growth for your company.

4 GATHERING INITIAL FUNDING

Convinced of the solution’s potential, the team decides to establish a limited company. The initial funding is collected with help from friends, family members, first mentors and investors.

Stina books a meeting in Business Tampere funding clinic, and gets to know better services provided by TE Centre, for example Yrittäjyysbuusti (Boost for entrepreneurship).

5 DEVELOPING THE BUSINESS FURTHER

The team meets with potential customers and develops the business idea further based on their feedback. Customer may also be found at business events.

Need for office premises grows, and the company searches working space for example from Platform6 startup-house in Tampere. Working in communal space helps to further co-operation with other startups in the Region.

Stina contacts Pirkanmaa Business Mentors to get support with her business from an experienced mentor.

6 PUBLIC BUSINESS AND FUNDING SERVICES

Stina wants to speed up her company’s entry to the market. The specialists working for the ELY Centre’s development services (in Finnish) provide assistance for example in marketing and productisation.

Stina considers the ELY Centre’s development allowance (in Finnish) and Business Finland’s Tempo financing.

Business Finland grants Stina funding for the planning of international growth, on the condition that she can secure the self-financing portion.

To find skilled workforce Stina looks for help from Tampere City Employment and Growth services (in Finnish).

A comprehensive collection of the relevant business services can be found on this page.

7 PRIVATE EQUITY FUNDING

Some self-financing is required to gain public funding, so Stina sends her information to the private angel investors of the FiBAN network. She is invited to FiBAN’s monthly Pitch Finland event to pitch her idea to the FiBAN network angel investors. Stina also sends a presentation of the company and some basic information to the early-stage private equity funds.  The search for private funding is successful. Business Finland grants Stina funding for the planning of international growth.

8 INTERNATIONALIZATION

Stina applies for Pirkanmaan Kasvupolku (in Finnish) business sparring activities. and for Business Finlands Young and Innovative Company funding program.

Read more about Business Finland’s funding for internationalization.

9 INTERNATIONAL GROWTH

The hard work is rewarded! Stina’s startup grows into an international company and seeks partnership with a large company. Rapid Tampere program furthers collaboration between large companies and startups in the Tampere Region.

• Number of employees 10-30
• Turnover €5 million
• Line of business: SME machine shop
• Investment need: moderate

1 DESIRE TO REINVENT THE BUSINESS OPERATIONS

Frank is the owner of a family business that has gone through a generational change. He wants to usher his company into the digital age and develop new services for his customers.

If you would like to develop your business operations, see what business services are available to entrepreneurs

2 IDEA OF DIGITAL SERVICE

Frank takes part in an event that presents the opportunities provided by 3D technology. He gets an idea of how to utilise technology in his own business.

If you would like to development your business operations, products or services, you can explore the options here.

3 CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT AT DEMOLA

Frank contacts Demola. The university students involved develop a new-concept prototype for Frank, which can be used to digitalise machine shop processes.

Read more about the work environments and networks that bolster the development of products, services and marketing.

4 R&D PROJECT AND FUNDING

After the successful Demola project, Frank initiates the actual R&D project with VTT. He applies for funding for the project with Business Finland.

Read more about parties that provide funding and related advice to businesses.

5 RECRUITMENT AND EMPLOYMENT RELATIONSHIPS

With the help of TE Services, Frank hires a new recruit to lead the R&D project. He checks the local collective agreement with the occupational safety inspector of the Regional State Administrative Agency

If your company is in need of labour, explore the relevant service providers.

6 EMPLOYEE DEVELOPMENT

Frank sends his new employee to the TAKK training for a special degree in product development, which is provided through an apprenticeship.

Read more about the educational institutes where you can gain an entrepreneur’s vocational qualification.

7 INVOLVEMENT IN AN INNOVATION PLATFORM

Frank wants to expedite the commercialisation of his innovation. He takes part in the activities of the innovation platform DIMECC, which brings together operators in production industry, digital industry and academic research. In addition to this, Frank applies for Business Finland’s Connected Intelligent Industries Finland programme, which strengthens the competitiveness of Finnish industry through innovation activities and global business opportunities.

Read about other innovation platforms.

8 ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR AWARD

Frank’s R&D project turns out to be a resounding success. Customers are excited about the new service, and Frank is granted the Entrepreneur of the Year award by the entrepreneur organisation.

Read more about the Employer of the Year competition (site in Finnish).

• Number of employees < 5
• Turnover €50,000
• Life cycle phase: initial stage
• Investment need: small

1 SPARK FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Hank has been secretly dreaming of setting up his own business for quite some time. At the same time, his current workplace is gearing up for cooperation negotiations.

2 DECISION TO ESTABLISHING A BUSINESS

Hank decides to bring his professional competence up to par at a local educational institute. This also provides him with the much-needed encouragement to set up his own business.

Follow Hank’s example and complete vocational degree in entrepreneurship. View the educational institutes that provide entrepreneur training in the Tampere Region.

3 PARTICIPATION IN ENTREPRENEUR COACHING

Hank takes part in the labour policy coaching for entrepreneurs provided by TE Services. The course strengthens his capabilities in managing the day-to-day operations of his company.

SME management and key personnel can attend training programmes lasting several months organised by the ELY Centre. The themes include growth management, financial and productivity management as well as marketing and customer relationship management. Learn more on the ELY Centre’s company development services website (site in Finnish).

4 APPOINTMENT WITH ENSIMETRI

Hank books an appointment with Ensimetri. Among other things, the business advisor helps him clarify his idea, choose the correct business type and prepare the necessary documents.

When planning your business operations, the Yritystulkki (Business interpreter) service is an invaluable tool. It provides the calculations needed in the early stages of a business, along with the necessary calculation tools, advice on business types and pricing, and a business glossary.

5 MY ENTREPRISE FINLAND FOLDER

Hank opens a free-of-charge My Enterprise Finland folder for his company. This easy-to-use online service compiles into one location the services and information that are most important to a business into one location.

6 APPLYING FOR A STARTUP GRANT

The startup grant provided by the TE Office helps Hank launch his business operations. He also applies for a small loan for new entrepreneurs with Finnvera.

Read more about funding and financial guidance.

7 NOTIFICATION TO THE TRADE REGISTER

Hank receives a notification by post that his company has been entered in the Trade Register. In the same context, he has also been issued with a business ID, which is needed for the commencement of business operations.

Read more about business services and the services of Startup Tampere.

8 SERVICES AND SUPPORT FOR AN ENTREPRENEUR

Hank realises that it is not wise for an entrepreneur to do everything himself. He arranges a competitive bidding process to find reliable service providers through his own networks and recommendations from other entrepreneurs.

Find new collaboration and product development partners.

9 NETWORKING AND MARKETING

Hank becomes actively involved in the operations of entrepreneur organisations and networks. Their free trainings and events also provide him with opportunities to market his own competence.

Explore a collection of events and networking opportunities.

10 DEVELOPMENT THROUGH A STARTUP WORKSHOP

After the promising start, Hank decides to take part in the Yrittäjyysbuusti startup workshop organised by the TE Office, which provides him with sparring services that help him meet the challenges and development needs of business.

Business sparring activities and other solutions to develop products, services and processes can be found here.

• Number of employees: 10-50
• Turnover: €7-10 million
• Line of business: technology industry
• Investment need: moderate

1 AIMING FOR INTERNATIONAL GROWTH

Iris runs a successful business operating in the EU market. She wants to develop a new cleantech and service concept for the Asian market.

Read more about the networks and programmes related to internationalisation.

2 R&D PROJECT WITH VTT

Iris decides to start an R&D project targeting a new business area in collaboration with VTT.

More information on RDI operations can be found on the TAMK website.

3 APPLYING FOR FUNDING WITH BUSINESS FINLAND

Iris and VTT submit an application for Horizon 2020 funding with Business Finland to build international research and innovation cooperation.

Do you also want to internationalise your business operations? Explore the funding options for internationalisation.

4 NEW PREMISES AND NETWORKS

Iris’ operations expand. With help from Business Tampere’s business premises, sites and lots services, she finds a plot of land for new premises. Iris networks with businesses in the Kolmenkulma Cleantech area, for example, and joins the nationwide Cleantech Finland network.

5 PARTICIPATING IN INNOVATIVE PROCUREMENT BY THE CITY

Iris surveys the markets for the new solution and offers it to the City of Tampere as a pilot project. The pilot carried out in an urban environment is an important reference for the international markets.

Read more about development projects and programmes.

6 ENTREPRISE EUROPE NETWORK

Iris looks for a pilot target abroad. She decides to take advantage of the services offered by the Enterprise Europe network, which provides companies with advice and services on EU matters and for finding international partners.

Read more about the Enterprise Europe network and other networks.

7 FUNDING ROUND FROM A VENTURE CAPITAL FIRM

Iris seeks fresh capital from Finnish Industry Investment Ltd, a state-owned investment company that invests in promising Finnish businesses in the growth and internationalisation phases.

More information on investors and crowdfunding.

8 INTERNATIONAL NIB LOAN

Iris’ company is granted a competitive loan from the Nordic Investment Bank. This enables her to expand the company’s operations to Asia.

More information on funding for expansion abroad.

• Number of employees: 30
• Turnover: €5-15 million
• Life cycle phase: established
• Investment need: moderate

1 PROGRESS FROM SUPPLIER TO SERVICE PARTNER

Mark’s company has been manufacturing lifting equipment for a decade. He now wants to expand his operations to providing support, maintenance and auxiliary services for lifting equipment.

Would you like to change the course of your business operations? Explore the paths for developing products, services or processes.

2 STARTING POINTS FOR SERVICE BUSINESS

Mark contacts the ELY Centre’s business development services (site in Finnish) which support SMEs with regard to growth and reinvention.

In this context, it is also a good idea to take advantage of the competence development services provided by the educational institutes and other parties in the region.

3 ASSEMBLING THE TEAM AND DESIGNING THE SERVICE CONCEPT

Mark looks for a suitable expert to lead and develop the service business and take charge of the team. After the successful recruitment effort, the team takes part in the service design training provided by Pirkanmaan Yrittäjät regional entrepreneur organisation and proceeds to compile a customer-oriented service offering.

More information on recruitment and the proper channels for reaching local experts.

4 FINANCING GROWTH

Mark contacts Business Tampere’s free financial counselling service to find the most suitable funding alternative and gets the opportunity to plan growth funding with Finnvera and negotiate concrete funding options.

Read more about financial counselling services and funding opportunities.

5 EMPLOYEE TRAINING

Staff training on selling services begins. Mark orders a customised training package from Tredu.

If you would like to develop the expertise of your personnel, more information on the training available in the region can be found here.

6 BUILDING A SERVICE NETWORK

Together with his team, Mark assembles a support and maintenance network. The Tampere region features a variety of networks and communities that can help you find the right partners.

Mark also begins using the business event calendar maintained by Business Tampere, so that he can keep an eye on events that may help him expand the company’s network.

7 DIGITAL SERVICES FOR MARKETING AND SALES

Through Business Tampere’s networking and business information services, Mark finds a partner to help him create a service portal for the subcontractor network. In order to ensure a distinctive and appealing service concept, Mark enlists the help of a communications agency, which also assumes responsibility for marketing design and the utilisation of digital tools in communications.

If you are looking for partners for your company, explore the businesses in the Tampere region (site in Finnish).

• Number of employees: 8
• Turnover: < €1-2 million
• Line of business: health technology
• Investment need: moderate

1 AN IDEA RELATED TO PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

Irma runs a health technology company. A customer company’s problem gave her an idea for the further development of her products and services.

Read more about the development of products, services and processes.

2 INVOLVEMENT IN AN INNOVATION PLATFORM

Irma joins the HealthHUB community for her field, which provides an excellent platform for joint development in a multidisciplinary environment.

Learn about innovations platforms in other fields.

3 RESEARCH AND INNOVATION COOPERATION

The problem that Irma’s customer company had leads to a research project in the health technology industry. Irma gains access to research results that bolster her product development ideas. The BioMediTech innovation platform for medicine fine-tunes the research data by means of a prototype. The product innovation turns out to be a solution for more extensive problems and even has potential for international markets.

Read more on cooperation with research institutions in other fields.

4 RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT FUNDING

Irma contacts Business Finland to find out her funding options for developing the innovation further, preparing a market survey and securing the intellectual property rights. It appears that her company is eligible for an Innovation Voucher or even Into funding.

Read about Business Finland’s funding services for SMEs.

Find other funding opportunities to boost your business.

5 GROWTH PLAN

Irma wishes to prepare a growth plan for her company with the help of a third-party expert. Business Tampere suggests that she contact the Kasvubuusti service provided by the ELY Centre, and the Kasvuagentti (Growth agent) service included in the business service network does the trick.

If you are aiming for growth and/or internationalisation, parties that may be able to help can be found here.

6 PRIVATE EQUITY FINANCING

Irma seeks and finds potential funders for commercialising the product and expanding her business operations through the Finnish Venture Capital Association and begins negotiations.

Read more on investors and crowdfunding.

7 IMPLEMENTING THE GROWTH PLAN

Thanks to the growth plan prepared and the partially secured funding, Irma sets out to commercialise the new product and open doors to new markets. She also gains assistance and market-specific information through Business Finland’s sparring services.

See mentoring and sparring services in the Tampere region.

Explore other services that support growth and internationalisation.

• Number of employees: 100
• Turnover: €30-60 million
• Line of business: mechanical engineering industry
• Investment need: moderate

1 EXPANDING OPERATIONS TO SERVE A NEW CUSTOMER BASE

Eric runs a company that operates in the international markets and manufactures transmission components for the marine industry. He considers the opportunities for finding new markets for his products since the demand for the specific component type provided by his company has declined in the marine industry.

If you need support with regard to internationalisation, learn more about the relevant service providers.

2 SUPPORT FOR EXISTING OPERATIONS

Eric decides to apply for the Sampo – Manufacturing from Finland programme run by Business Finland. He gains the assistance of leading experts in internationalisation for networking support and growth promotion.

Read more about Business Finland’s field-specific programmes and other internationalisation networks and programmes.

3 DEVELOPMENT SURVEY

Eric also describes the situation on the ELY Centre’s online service (in Finnish), after which he is contacted by an ELY Centre expert.

Contact information for parties providing guidance on internationalisation can be found here.

4 USING DEVELOPMENT SERVICES

Eric receives consultancy assistance in examining his situation through the ELY Centre’s business development services. Together, they decide to explore the feasibility of using the component type manufactured by Eric’s company in another field of industry.

Read more about the ELY Centre’s business development services here.

5 COMMISSIONED SURVEY

Eric commissions a survey from TUT, which indicates that corresponding components are needed in the wind power industry.

Parties that provided assistance in product development and RDI efforts can be found here.

6 UPDATING THE PRODUCTION PROCESS

Eric is a member of the digital manufacturing and engineering network DIMECC. The other member companies assist him in revamping production for a new customer segment.

Learn more about different networks and communities as well as innovation platform that can be used in various phases of business development.

7 FINDING CUSTOMERS

Eric seeks new international customers for his company with the help of Business Finland Market Opportunities service and the Subcontracting Excellence Club (S.E.C.) (site in Finnish) network of Finnish metal industry subcontractors.

Take Eric’s example and join the networking operations of businesses and entrepreneurs

8 READY FOR EXPORT

With assistance from Finnvera’s funding and expert services for export, Eric succeeds in expanding his company’s operations in the new customer segment.

If your company is in an internationalisation phase, you can check out parties that provide funding.

• Number of employees 100
• Turnover: €30-60 million
• Line of business: manufacturing of production lines for the process industry
• Investment need: moderate

1 MODERNISING AND STREAMLINING PRODUCTION PROCESSES

Danny runs an internationally operating company that manufactures production lines for the process industry. In order to improve efficiency, the production lines should be developed by means of digitalisation.

Explore the easiest routes for innovation activities.

2 SPARRING AND DEVELOPMENT IDEAS

Danny decides to take part in the Pulmaperjantai problem-solving event (site in Finnish) organised by the Tampere higher education community and take advantage of the OpenLab service provided by the community. This leads to an idea to develop the production line with a new electric control system. Read more about their research and development collaboration.

Are you aiming for growth and internationalisation through investments in RDI and digitalisation? See the contact information for the relevant parties.

3 EXPLORING FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

Danny describes the situation on Business Finland’s online service, after which he is contacted by a funding expert. Danny’s company receives research and development funding, which enables it to develop the control system with a research facility operating in the field, and test and verify the solutions to be developed with pilot customers.

Do you need funding advice for your company? Read more about service providers.

4 DEVELOPING THE PRODUCT

Danny also receives help for the development of the production line control system through the services provided by SMACC Smart Machines and Manufacturing Competence Centre.

Are you aiming to develop your products, services or processes? Read more about the opportunities here.

5 FINDING CUSTOMERS

Danny seeks new international customers for his company with the help of Business Finland Market Opportunities service and the Subcontracting Excellence Club (S.E.C.) (site in Finnish) network of Finnish production industry subcontractors.

Take Danny’s example and join the networking operations of businesses and entrepreneurs.

6 READY FOR NEW CUSTOMERS AND EXPORT

After the successful testing with pilot customers, the increase in process efficiency will boost the competitive edge of Danny’s company in both domestic and international markets. With help from Finnvera’s financing and expert services, the company can expand its operations by acquiring new customers and strengthening the existing customer relationships.

If your company is in an internationalisation phase, you can explore parties that provide funding.