Keywords: startups

SparkUp provides a path by its services: first, there are different kinds of acceleration-programmes, to make teams and ideas better (for example Boost Turkus Summer Startup Journey for university student teams). Then when you are starting a business, SparkUp staff will help you from scratch and provides you with advice in every step. There will be over 200 events in SparkUp every year and those events speed up your business, networking and helps to prepare and meet investors. Every year there will be 3 editions of the accelerator programme (for example student teams, research teams etc.) and for every edition, there will be pre-stage workshops, mentorsessions, business model canvas-workshop etc. The winning team from every edition will be awarded with an office at the Spark Up Community space. There will be 9 offices in SparkUp, free for the winning teams, and there will also be a strong link between SparkUp and Turku Technology Properties reformed Office Hotel (a co-working space) which is in the same building as the SparkUp community space. The idea is to form a lively and entrepreneur-minded community not just for the SparkUp community space, but for the whole Turku Science Park area. Thats why Turku Science Park and Turku Technology Properties has done a lot of collaboration to make our SparkUp dream come true.

SparkUp is a startup community space from idea to teaming up and to start a business. SparkUp is not just a space, every day there are professionals to help teams, startups and companies. And it is not just for the startups: there are also services for companies which seek to grow or has a hunger for international sales. There will be over 200 events in SparkUp every year and those events speed up local startups and companies business, networking and helps to prepare and meet investors. SparkUp has been built in strong connection with universities and local companies and the main mission is to find great teams and help companies to overcome the death valley. The decision on SparkUp was made when the City of Turku, Turku Science Park Ltd, University of Turku, Åbo Akademi University, Turku University of Applied Sciences, Turku Region Development Centre, Business service centre Potkuri, and Turku Technology Properties Group agreed on concentrating new kind of business development activities based on innovation, communality and enthusiastic attitude into a tight start-up community in the Turku Science Park area. Other partners in the co-operation are the student-driven start-up community Boost Turku ry and Creve, an incubator for the creative sector run by HUMAK University of Applied Sciences. Turku Science Park Ltds services for start-up companies will form a part of the services offered by the new community that will start operations in autumn 2015, although SparkUp events are running already. A versatile range of services will help with questions related to product development, strategy, starting of marketing and sales, and strengthening of human resources. In the future, Turku Science Park Ltds networks can also be accessed through SparkUp!

SparkUp combines universities, startups, people from creative business area and already running companies. It is an open space which is full of actions and easy to access. It provides everything for everyone and one of the main missions is to find great teams and help companies overcome the death valley. Turku Science Park Ltds services for start-up companies will form a part of the services offered by the new community that will start operations in the near future. A versatile range of services will help with questions related to product development, strategy, starting of marketing and sales, and strengthening of human resources.

SparkUp will speed up the start-up activities in the Turku Science Park area and promote the commercialisation of the innovations created there. It will focus on generating new business ideas and start-up companies, and supporting their operating prerequisites, growth and internationalisation. SparkUp was first just a dream about open and innovative space, which will combine ideas and teams from different fields. It was also a hope, that there would be something which would connect different professionals who were already making an effort for startups and companies. Lots of good work was done, but the idea in SparkUp is that you can do it better, faster, bigger and in cooperation. The promise in SparkUp is in the year 2021 make 210 new companies, 1 000 new jobs in the area, 13 000 000 city tax profit and get over 50 000 000 external funding. SparkUp is the crucial link between politics, universities and companies and it will boost up the Turku Science Park area new kind of business development activities based on innovation, communality and enthusiastic attitude into a tight start-up community in the Turku Science Park area. As a Science Park, our dream is to be more than just walls. We want to build a strong community, which will help the whole area. SparkUp is our way to start this journey.

Scientists, students, university staff, startups, the small and the big companies, wider community of accelerators and incubators in the area. Institutes based in the area include the University of Turku, Åbo Akademi University, Turku University of Applied Sciences, Diaconia University of Applied Sciences and over 300 other organisations and companies which employ a total of more than 17,500 people. There are over 25,000 students and over 400 professors in the universities. Some 200 doctors graduate from the local universities annually. Turku University Hospital is also located in the Turku Science Park area.

Turku Science Park