Klopal: On A Mission to Grow Startup Ecosystem in Southwest Finland

Turku is the third largest city in Finland. Located at the mouth of the Aura river in the southwestern corner of Finland, Turku has become renowned for its tech and startup centre. The Turku Science Park hosts over 300 companies operating in the fields of biotech and ICT, as well as several universities that work closely with the business sector. Turku has diverse startup ecosystem and is already home to dozens of organizations and companies, such as Boost Turku, that offer startup services. In addition, Turku is home to The Shift, one of the largest annual startup events in Finland.

Klopal Startup Studio has become an active player in Turku startup ecosystem. Founded in 2016, Klopal builds new high technology companies together with entrepreneur teams. The company offers software development, finance, marketing and business acumen, and networks to its portfolio companies. Klopal builds 3-4 SaaS or mobile startups a year, and also invests in them with their own resources. Typical investment is 25-75k€ in resources or cold hard cash.

Turku and Salo have a great and open atmosphere in which to do business. Thanks to the universities in the area, there is an abundance of skilled technical staff available and there is less competition for employees than in Helsinki or Stockholm, for instance. The potential has been spotted by startups, as well as by growing technology companies”, explains Klopal CEO, Sebastian Haapahovi.

Turku and Salo are home to various organizations geared towards startups, ranging from accelerators to support communities in universities. All offer expert assistance and networking possibilities to companies startups at an early stage, as well as those looking to expand into international markets.

Turku and Salo have a good amount of activities for early stage startups through Klopal, Boost and Salo IoT Campus, for example. There is not that much activity for startups that are past the seed stage and we want to fix that”, Haapahovi tells.

The company works with startups that started their journey in Turku and Salo, helping them to expand their potential further. Haapahovi plans to start building a network for more established startups with other startup influencers in Southwest Finland. The aim is to share knowledge and help startups grow faster with the support of the newly-formed regional network. To learn more about Klopal visit their website at www.klopal.com