Helsinki’s Maria 01, the largest startup campus in Finland, said its startups raised 348 million euros in funding in 2020, growing 102% from 2019.
In 2020, 49% of the funding raised came from active domestic startup members, 38% from startups with a non-Finnish headquarters, and 13% from former startup members. Collectively, Maria 01 startup members went through 32 funding rounds in 2020, a 28% increase from 2019.
“2020 brought a lot of uncertainty and challenges to many in the startup ecosystem. However, the year was also filled with silver linings, like the growing numbers in startup funding and recruiting. It has been amazing to see how the startup scene has shown a steady resilience, the ability to innovate and pivot to a new era of growth,” said Ville Simola, CEO of Maria 01.
While many of the world’s startup hubs and co-working spaces closed down due to the pandemic, Maria 01 stayed strong thanks to its solid not-for-profit business model and community-first focus. As a result, Maria 01 received 18% more membership applications than in 2019. Despite the coronavirus pandemic, startups at Maria 01 created 240 new jobs – an 80% increase from the previous year.
“Our vision is to become the largest and most impactful startup campus in Europe by 2026. The way forward to drive a new narrative around impact and startups as forces to lift economies is to bring these numbers to the spotlight and show the world how startup communities thrive,” said Simola.
