The first-ever Turku Startup Prize competition, held in Turku on 16-17 September 2026, crowned SisuSemi and Sealevä as its winners. A total of 148 companies from 21 countries applied to participate. As the winner of the main competition, SisuSemi will advance to the Startup World Cup Finals in San Francisco this November, where it will compete for a $1 million prize
SisuSemi and Sealevä have won the inaugural Turku Startup Prize competition. The competition featured two categories, with top prizes of €10,000 and €25,000. One category was aimed at early-stage startups, while the other was designed for more established companies seeking international growth.
In its very first year, the Turku Startup Prize was accepted as an official regional qualifying event for the Startup World Cup. As a result, SisuSemi will advance to the global competition’s finals in San Francisco in November 2026.
A spinout from the University of Turku, SisuSemi develops technology for the semiconductor industry that cleans and optimizes chip surfaces at the atomic level. Its solution aims to improve microchip performance, quality, and manufacturing efficiency in the rapidly growing semiconductor market. SisuSemi was represented in the competition by CEO Erkki Seppäläinen and CTO Zahra Jahanshah Rad. The victory marks an important step toward attracting investment from beyond the Nordic countries.
– We knew this would be a tough competition, so winning feels fantastic. Reaching San Francisco is an incredible opportunity, as our customers are located abroad. If we want to be taken seriously in the semiconductor industry, we need to secure funding from outside the Nordic region. San Francisco and Silicon Valley offer exactly the kind of connections we want to build, says Seppäläinen.
Sealevä is a startup originating from Aalto University that develops sustainable, circular economy-based materials from side streams of seaweed production and other marine-based raw materials. The company aims to replace fossil-based plastics with seaweed-based alternatives in applications such as fashion, interior design, and consumer products. The company was represented in the competition by co-founders Mohamed Elamir and Ani Järvimäki. Xuefei Shi serves as Sealevä’s CEO.
– This victory is the result of our entire team’s work. It was already the fifth competition we participated in this year, and now we won, receiving our biggest prize so far. Recognition like this reinforces our belief that the work we are doing matters. At the same time, it gives us the motivation to keep going, says Elamir.
– During the two days of the competition in Turku, we met an incredible number of interesting people, and winning the competition will certainly open even more conversations. I believe the connections we made here will carry far into the future. We love Turku, adds Järvimäki.
The Turku Startup Prize attracted 148 applicants from 21 countries and six continents. Of the applicants, 98 were startups and 50 were more established growth companies, with 17 finalists ultimately competing in Turku. Their solutions reflected the strengths of the Turku region, including artificial intelligence, health sciences, security, creative industries, the clean transition, and the blue economy and maritime industry.
– The fact that the Turku Startup Prize was accepted as a qualifying event for the Startup World Cup is also a major achievement for Turku. It gives our winner a direct pathway to one of the world’s largest startup competitions and places Turku firmly on the international startup map. A huge thank you to our team for making all of this happen so successfully in its very first year, says Jussi Pyysalo, founder of Turku Startup Hub.
Turku gains valuable insights from the international startup ecosystem
The inaugural competition demonstrated that Turku is attracting international growth companies, investors, and innovators from around the world. Applications were received from 21 countries, and the overall quality of entries was exceptionally high.
– Our goal was to create a competition that provides startups in the Turku region with an internationally competitive environment, increases Turku’s global visibility, and attracts promising growth companies to the region. Equally important was our aim to gather insights into the kinds of active startups that currently exist in Finland and around the world. We succeeded in this already in our first year. Receiving 148 applications from 21 countries gives us a unique view of today’s startup landscape, says Pyysalo.
The Eir Accelerator programme, coordinated by Business Turku and focused on innovations in women’s health, has also attracted significant international interest. In its launch year, 2026, the programme received more than 300 applications from startups across 53 countries.
