The University of Helsinki is the most diverse academic institution in Finland, offering high-quality teaching based on research. Seeing entrepreneurship as a career path for an increasing number of students, the University of Helsinki is adding an entrepreneurship course to its course selection.
The University of Helsinki will boost the HELSEED student startup programme by allocating €1.5 million from its investment assets to an endowment fund supporting the programme. The fund will be used to make early-stage investments in interesting startups identified through the programme.
At the same time, an entrepreneurship course based on the HELSEED programme will become part of the educational offerings of the Open University. The HELSEED course is aimed at promoting students’ interest in and knowledge of entrepreneurship. The course involves the developing a business plan and, for some of the participants, presenting it orally and conducting investment negotiations. The academic teacher of the course is Docent Anders Ekholm, the University’s chief investment officer.
“We believe that more and more of our students will become entrepreneurs, at least at some point in their careers. This is why we want to offer all students the opportunity to familiarise themselves with entrepreneurship,” says Rector Sari Lindblom of the University of Helsinki.
New capital ensures the implementation and development of the programme
In spring 2021, the University of Helsinki Funds received €50,000 as initial capital for the HELSEED endowment fund from the Tradeka Foundation. This initial capital was invested in promising startups identified through the HELSEED programme in 2020.
Now, the University of Helsinki is transferring €1.5 million to the endowment fund from its investment assets to support the programme. The new capital will ensure the programme's implementation and enable significant efforts to develop it further.
