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Smart city

Enter the future of sustainable smart cities

Take a moment and picture a city where autonomous vehicles can drive seamlessly in traffic. An ecosystem where 5G will soon ensure faultless connectivity. A business environment where a stable smart grid and the smooth transmission of data is guaranteed.

Espoo's innovation ecosystem already uses the building blocks of future smart cities. Here, big companies come together with world-class startups, students, and researchers to build the future of sustainable smart cities — and you're welcome to join us!

Espoo’s smart city strengths 

Energy

  • Smart grids
  • Renewable energy
  • Smart buildings
  • Energy storage

Mobility

  • Shared mobility
  • Autonomous vehicle
  • Electric mobility
  • Maas — Mobility as a service

5G and IoT

  • Built environment
  • Architecture and living environments
  • Wood construction and new materials

Why should you do smart city business in Espoo? 

The essential Finnish smart city players are here. And the smart city infrastructure is in place for your business.

Finland’s 5G network is developed at the HQ of Nokia while one of Europe’s biggest non-commercial 5G networks is open in Aalto University's campus. VTT Technical Research Center of Finland creates new business and speeds up R&D&I through partnering. 

Smart Otaniemi, Finland’s official smart energy business and research network is located in Espoo. So are Fortum and Neste, Finland’s leading energy companies, and global players like the Japanese automotive giant DENSO.

Meanwhile, the City of Espoo is building the district of Kera to be an international smart city showcase. Kera will offer advanced circular economy, IoT, and mobility solutions that are enabled by a 5G urban network developed by the local Nokia. 

Espoo is also rolling out self-driving public bus services that use a unique all-weather autonomous bus GACHA, designed by the local startup Sensible 4 and Muji, the Japanese lifestyle retailer. 

We invite you to join the smart city development in Espoo's innovation ecosystem!

We help you to find the right smart city business and investment opportunities

Enter Espoo helps you to get easy access to Espoo’s and Finland’s smart city ecosystems. We help you to find the right business opportunities, technologies and startups, get involved with Smart Otaniemi, and connect with local corporations and smart city players throughout Finland. 

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Facts & figures

It’s the law! No driver needed — autonomous driving is allowed in Finland, and the whole road network is an open AV testbed.  
 

Did you know? Nokia, one of the leading 5G technology providers, is headquartered in Espoo.

Big numbers: 99,99% — Finland’s smart grids​ have the lowest transmission losses in the world.

Find the best startups in Finland

Discover intelligence on Espoo-based and Finnish startups on the Dealroom platform.

What does sustainability mean in smart cities?

The transformation towards sustainable and responsible societies require that we redesign our cities. A smart, sustainable city is an integrated network rather than a set of individual parts. A smart city strives to improve the quality of life by combining technological and social innovations.

ICT and other digital solutions improve the efficiency of sectors such as energy, mobility, and waste management. A well-functioning smart city requires a reliable infrastructure capable of supporting a high volume of ICT-based applications and services.

 

Hero image: Enter Espoo

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