Enter Espoo, Finland — the city of deep tech and innovation
Welcome to Espoo, the city of deep tech and innovation. Espoo submits the fourth most patent applications among all cities in Europe and offers collaboration and business opportunities to international companies and investors in Europe's leading hubs for quantum tech RDI, defence and dual-use deep tech, green transition, and more.
- Kvanttinova Hub: quantum & microelectronics RDI
- Defence Tech Hub: defence and dual-use deep tech community
- Green Line: green chemistry, circular economy, and cleantech ecosystem
Innovation driver of Finland
Espoo is where Finland's most valuable corporations are located. As are Finland's two most important sustainable innovation players — Aalto University and VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland. Slush, the leading startup event in the world, and most of Finland's unicorns were born here. So was the whole Finnish startup miracle.
No wonder international companies and investors come to Espoo to find out what's next in innovation. And it's so easy to do so. Espoo is part of the Helsinki capital region — only thirty minutes away from Helsinki Airport and 10 minutes by metro from the centre of Helsinki.
A leading quantum RDI hub
Kvanttinova is Finland’s leading ecosystem for microelectronics, quantum technology, and photonics. The new Kvanttinova Hub will serve as an industry-driven piloting and development facility for microelectronics and quantum technology. Expected to be completed in 2028, the Hub will be built next to Micronova, currently one of the largest cleanroom facilities for R&D in the Nordics.
Find out more
Kvanttinova website"We see ourselves very much as an ecosystem enabler. And I think one of the big success stories here in Finland is that we placed our quantum computers here in Espoo with VTT. And this has attracted even more ecosystem players." Jan Goetz, CEO, IQM Quantum Computers.
Top stories from Espoo
The source of Finnish deep tech and home of startups
Want to tap into Finland's treasure chest of technology innovation? You've come to the right place!
Unicorns such as ICEYE, HMD Global, and Supercell came from here — as do about a hundred startups every year.
VTT is one of Europe's leading research institutions with a strong track record of commercialising research to business. VTT is also the main source of Finnish deep technology — in an ecosystem that specialises in deep tech startups.
Aalto University is Finland’s #1 university for technology, business, art and design. It was also from Aalto that the Finnish startup ecosystem emerged in the late 00s. Thanks to the Aalto students, Espoo is now the driving force of the Finnish startup scene.
Discover Espoo's startup ecosystem
"Enter Espoo made it easy to reach Finnish startup companies." Masami Sumiyoshi, Manager, Hitachi Vantara
Find technologies and startups, invest in or get access to Espoo’s innovation ecosystem
Enter Espoo matches international corporations and investors with the right startups, technologies, and investment opportunities in Espoo’s innovation ecosystem. We guide you through the leading innovation hub in the Nordics.
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Go to servicesFinland’s biggest companies joined by international innovation players
Next door to Finland’s hottest startup hubs, you can find many of the most valuable Finnish companies. Fortum and Neste pave the way in clean energy while KONE builds a foundation for even smarter cities. And don’t forget that Nokia is still here. The former mobile phone king is now a leading global 5G developer.
International innovation organisations like the European Space Agency's (ESA) Business Incubation Centre in Finland and the European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT) in Finland are located in Espoo.
They are joined by many official Finnish innovation players, such as Finnish Center of Artificial Intelligence (FCAI), FinnCERES (lignocellulose and materials bioeconomy), Smart Otaniemi (smart energy), and Synbio Powerhouse (synthetic biology).
Naturally, the strengths of Espoo's innovation ecosystem are recognised internationally, and Espoo has the rankings to prove it:
- The most sustainable city in Europe (2016, 2017).
- The most intelligent community in the world (2018).
- Finalist in the European Capital of Innovation Awards (2019, 2020, 2022).
"In Espoo, everything is very open when creating innovation. The place is driven by passion — not just money." Neri Friedlaender, Innovation & Partnerships Manager, Daimler AG
A city of quality living and talent
Espoo is Finland’s second-largest city — with a quality of living that’s second to none. Espoo residents are the healthiest and among the happiest in Finland. The city’s living environment is family-friendly, green space is in abundance, and the living costs are decent.
Espoo is an international city of talent:
- The highest density of international talent and the highest education level of all Finnish cities.
- 47.5% of residents over 15 years old have completed higher education.
- The city is home to over 155 nationalities.
- Residents can get high-quality public services in English.
Espoo has it all — welcome to Espoo’s innovation ecosystem!