Last week, Euclid Network’s (EN’s) Policy Lead Toby Gazeley had the pleasure of attending a conference in Helsinki organised by MIMIR, the European Commission and the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM). Participants from all around Europe and the Mediterranean gathered in Helsinki to listen to each other’s experiences of supporting youth (social) entrepreneurship and in particular to learn about the Finnish experience of building their ecosystem.
‘The worst thing you can do is become an entrepreneur’ – a quote from 2008 from a university professor which appears to have stuck in the mind of young people who are actively engaged in youth entrepreneurship.
Over three days, speakers from different institutions, social enterprises, universities and accelerators took the stage (made out of sauna benches of course) alongside entrepreneurs. This included hearing from the European Training Foundation, the Young Professional Network, Inklusiv, IECD and MIMIR themselves. This is of course not to forget the interventions by the Deputy Director General of DG EMPL Stefan Olsson, UfM Secretary General Nasser Kamel, the Finnish Minister of Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen and Finnish Member of Parliament Nasima Razmyar.
As well as the opportunity to listen to many interesting panels, MIMIR organised visits to see the ecosystem in real life. This started with a visit to Puistokatu 4, ‘A Space for Science and Hope’. This was a beautiful old house located in the park in Helsinki which is now a hub for researchers in Finland working on science and positive impact. This was followed by a short boat ride to Espoo to visit Aalto University, the university at the heart of the Finnish entrepreneurship ecosystem. There they visited the ‘start-up sauna’ (much less warm than any other Finnish sauna), where the entrepreneurship programme, start-up sauna and accelerator programme were introduced. Around the university a vibrant ecosystem of social enterprise support has developed, demonstrating the benefits of clustering and agglomeration in cultivating a dynamic localised ecosystem for supporting entrepreneurs.
As well as witnessing the current state of development of the ecosystem in Finland, the history as to how it has developed was showcased. After the financial crash and the days of Nokia prestige, entrepreneurship began to boom – and with young people at its core. Events such as Slush and Junction emerged, bringing venture capital to Helsinki and creating buzz around the Finnish ecosystem. For anyone interested in the way to engage young people in entrepreneurship and flagship events, a closer look at Slush is definitely worth your time.
This was a fantastic opportunity to see the Finnish youth entrepreneurship ecosystem first hand and to learn about the work going on to support youth (social) entrepreneurship in the Mediterranean region. None of this would have been possible without the work of MIMIR, nor the funding of the European Commission. The Youth Entrepreneurship Policy Academy is also responsible for introducing EN into these conversations and this event so this is a testament also to the impact of the OECD and European Commission and the implementation of the Social Economy Action Plan.
While interest and a positive image of entrepreneurship may be something relatively new in Finland, the pace at which the ecosystem has developed and the way in which young people have been empowered to take the lead is something everyone should take note of.
A quote which sticks in our mind, ‘young people are people too’.
