Thinking about starting a business in Finland? Here’s the support you can get in the Helsinki region

This post has been written by Dušica Božović, who is working as a career coach at Metropolia University of Applied Sciences.

Thinking about starting a business?

I just had a client for career coaching at SIMHE Metropolia. They were interested in entrepreneurship and curious about what kind of support is available when developing a business idea in Helsinki Region. I put together a list of resources for them - and figured it might be helpful to share here as well, in case others are on the same journey.

Here are some useful services, programs, and resources for aspiring entrepreneurs in Finland:

Business Incubators & Accelerators
Metropolia University of Applied Sciences (Metropolia ammattikorkeakoulu) incubator Turbiini
City of Helsinki’s incubators and accelerators
... and many more...

Business advisory & support
Business Helsinki: free advice and events

“Guide for Starting a Business” (updated 2025, English PDF)

Employment services
Browse services in Service Manual
Labour Market Trainings (työvoimakoulutus)

Open university & entrepreneurship courses
Find entrepreneurship-related university courses (some are free!)

Self-employment while unemployed – what you need to know
Kela info on how entrepreneurship affects unemployment benefits
TE-services: Different ways to be self-employed as a jobseeker

One key point:
When you start your business, TE-office gives you 4 months to test the idea. During that time, you can keep receiving unemployment benefits (you must report your income). After 4 months, they assess whether your business is full-time or part-time. If it’s part-time and you’re still job seeking, you may continue to get benefits. More info above in the Kela link.