The article brings together a current overview of what is happening around startups in the Turku region right now.
Over the past six months, Turku Startup Hub has been established in the Turku region, alongside the launch of new early-stage funds and accelerator programmes. Their shared goal is to speed up the commercialisation of research-based innovations and support the international growth of startup companies. A dense cluster of startups and research activity is taking shape on the campus area of Turku’s higher education institutions.
The conditions for startup growth are being strengthened in the Turku region in a determined and systematic manner. The City of Turku has made a strategic decision to invest in the long-term development of the startup ecosystem and, earlier this year, launched, among other initiatives, a €23 million growth fund. The fund aims to attract international venture capital to the region and connect local startups with broader networks and global markets.
The Turku Startup Hub network, founded by Business Turku earlier this year, serves as a practical tool for supporting growth. Through the Hub, startups receive growth mentoring, support for commercialising research, connections to investors—such as through the FiBAN angel investor network—opportunities for international networking, and valuable peer support from fellow entrepreneurs. Various accelerator programmes further strengthen startups’ readiness for international expansion.
The goal is to increase the number of startup companies in the region from the current 110 to 250 by the end of the decade.
– Our ambition is that by 2030, Turku will be known as the city where companies are created from research faster than anywhere else in Finland, says Jussi Pyysalo, Turku Startup Hub Founder.
The Turku region is strongly positioning itself as a growth hub for the blue economy
One of the growing focus areas of the Turku region’s startup ecosystem is the blue economy, where business and innovation are aimed at improving the state of marine and aquatic environments. The growth of startups in the sector is supported by A’Pelago, the leading blue economy ecosystem in the Baltic Sea region, as well as the Redstone Blue Fund I, a venture capital fund established in Turku.
This year, 19 startups from eight different countries are taking part in A’Pelago’s Nordic Blue Accelerator programme.
The Redstone Blue Fund is the Turku region’s first international venture capital fund and also the first fund in the Baltic Sea region dedicated exclusively to the blue economy.
The fund’s investment activities are scheduled to begin later this year.
Both A’Pelago and the Redstone Blue Fund are located at the Blue Economy Centre in the Astra building of Åbo Akademi.
The heart of startup growth is emerging on the university campus
The physical centre of the growing startup community is taking shape on the university campus area in Turku. In autumn 2026, Axelia, located on Piispankatu, will become an innovation hub for Turku Startup Hub, deep tech companies and Novia University of Applied Sciences’ entrepreneurship education. The aim is to lower the threshold for collaboration and speed up the journey from ideas to international business.
In Axelia’s immediate vicinity operate the Blue Economy Centre, the University of Turku, Åbo Akademi and the University of Turku’s entrepreneurship space Konttori. The Turku Science Park area is also home to Turku University of Applied Sciences, the student‑driven startup community Boost, and early‑stage investor Monttu Ventures.
– All the key players supporting startup growth are located within a very small radius. This enables natural interaction and supports the creation and scaling of innovations. At Astra, our doors are always open for sparring as well, says Tuomo Veivo from the Redstone Blue Fund.
Growth is already visible in the experiences of startups
The annual startup survey conducted in the Turku region provides an up‑to‑date picture of the development of the local ecosystem. Results from 2025 show that startup entrepreneurs’ satisfaction with the operating environment has increased and their commitment to the Turku region has strengthened. Of the startups responding to the survey, 62% consider the region a very good or good place to run a business, and 88% plan to continue operating in the area—an increase of 11 percentage points compared to the previous year.
Recent investments are expected to become even more visible in upcoming surveys and to translate into strong growth in startup activity.
– If we succeed in activating research‑driven ideas, bringing international funding to Turku and supporting companies systematically through the scaling phase, the next billion‑dollar growth company could emerge from Turku already during this decade, estimates Jussi Pyysalo, Head of Turku Startup Hub.
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