Apply for Helsinki Education Hub Incubation Program (Finland)

This means, that they are looking for teams, that are creating digital solutions for solving challenges in the education sector in Finland – but also internationally.

One of the main issues in Edtech today is, for example, the lack of evidence. Does a solution improve learning outcomes and how? Their program responds to that need by bringing together learning scientists, practitioner level educators, business development experts and entrepreneurs in one innovation program – the HEH Edtech Incubator.

They have designed a program that support the growth of Edtech entrepreneurs through the following means:

• They support you in building a solution based on learning science and research; develop a research-based solution
• You will build your Minimum Viable Product by using our Edtech specific product development program; build your solution faster
• You will test and co-develop the product in the Helsinki Edtech Testbed and/or through other innovation networks; co-develop and validate your solution with users.

Benefits

• The program will support Edtech entrepreneurs in the following:
  • You will be able to embed learning science into the solution; make it research-based.
  • You will get practitioner level feedback for the solution; co-develop with educators
  • You will go through a 7 week long Lean LaunchPad (A product development program, based on research, from Stanford University, US) phase; from prototype to MVP
  • You will have the possibility to access the Helsinki Edtech Testbed program, depending on if you are a registered company (y-tunnus/company-ID) and the solution you are building; test your solution.
  • You will have access to other Faculty of Educational Sciences led education innovation networks.
  • Once you have done those, they will connect you to Edtech specific accelerators and investors in Europe and the US; build and test in Finland and enter international markets.

Program Specifications

• An innovation program that takes you through 12 weeks of Edtech specific training:
  • They will support you in building the “engine room”. That is when you develop a pedagogically solid solution. You will also go through the basics of startup metrics and financial aspects of running a company, get a hint on how to tell your story (pitch), and meet with educators, that will mentor you in the pedagogical aspects of your solution.
  • You will go through a Lean LaunchPad product development phase. This is when you start the product development journey: Build it, strengthen it and validate that you are doing the right things.
  • During the program they will focus on your story as a company. What are you doing and why? How do you tell that to the rest of the world? What makes you different? Why should you get funded – and how do you get funded? To practice, you will get to attend the InvestED event, which is the Edtech track at Slush 2025.
  • After graduating from the program, you will be introduced to EU and US based Edtech Accelerators (if you so wish).

Duration

• The HEH Edtech incubator is a 12 week long innovation program for early stage Edtech startups. The program starts in late Early-September 2025 and ends in Early-December 2025.

Eligibility Criteria

• They are looking for teams that:
  • Are research-based University teams (researchers and/or students), from University of Helsinki, or other higher educational institutions, that have a plan to register the company (y-tunnus/company-ID) soon after, when they have completed the innovation program. These are teams that receive R2B (Research to Business) funding from Business Finland and University-based teams with an idea, that is close to a prototype solution.
  • Have registered their Edtech startup already, but have not developed a full MVP (Minimum Viable Product) yet.
  • International early stage Edtect startups that are willing to register (not HQ) their company in Finland before the start of the program.

For more information, visit University of Helsinki.