Helsinki Education Hub – flywheel for EdTech Start-Ups
Helsinki Education Hub (HEH) aims to be a global model for sharing and enhancing possibilities in education and learning technology. This is achieved by connecting and facilitating international education and learning start-up and innovator community ́s expertise, talent and networks. HEH ́s operating model is unique both nationally and international.
The guiding principal behind Helsinki Education Hub is to bring EdTech innovators, start-ups, investors, incubator, accelerator, learners, teachers, pedagogical experts, researchers, corporations and public organizations together under one roof physically and virtually. By connecting education and learning innovators on a goal-oriented and systematical manner, new business and growth entrepreneurship is enhanced for creating new services and products. HEH is financed by the City of Helsinki Innovation Fund for the years 2021-23, after which further funding is applied for 2024-25. Helsinki Education Hub is a unique model and an example of tight collaboration of two big city units: Economic Development Unit and Education Division.
Opportunities for EdTech start-ups
One of HEH’s main goals is to promote EdTech entrepreneurship and new business. Other main objectives of the project are the development and internationalization of a learning experimental platform as well as the development and expansion of cooperation and networking models for learning and training technology actors.
Helsinki Education Hub consists of several functions supporting each other in a multifunctional flexible office space, furnished for innovation and collaboration. HEH offers EdTech start-ups target-oriented deal flow services in different stages of the start-up ́s lifecycle from idea phase into internationalization phase. The services cover workshops, events, trainings, information sharing, networking and connections into investors, accelerators, researchers and corporations. EdTech Incubator Helsinki provides practical incubator program for 10 early-stage teams and companies twice a year. HEH is located on the premises of Aalto University Töölö, Runeberginkatu 14-16, with smooth connections from the city center.
HEH also provides great opportunities for co-creating solutions with the best teachers and learners in the world. The testbed activities provide opportunities for testing in various phases of product development and for localizing EdTech solutions in the Finnish and European markets. HEH collaborates with the leading domestic and foreign universities for increasing research related to educational technologies and innovations. Learners and educators are welcome to visit the HEH and take part in the activities.
A unique EdTech co-creation process
Finland is one of the leading countries in education and learning. Finnish teachers are highly qualified and learners play crucial role in learning process. Helsinki has well-developed entrepreneurship and start-up ecosystem with open and trustful mindset. Helsinki ́s EdTech community is diverse and well developed. City of Helsinki has nominated own leads for most prominent verticals and EdTech is one of them. Helsinki ́s role as a Finland ́s largest education provider allows new experiments and extensive co-operation. City of Helsinki enables development and testing of smart innovations in Helsinki’s primary schools, upper secondary schools, and other learning environments.
At the moment HEH’s partners are Edtech Finland, Education Finland, xEDu, University of Helsinki, Aalto University, Haaga-Helia UAS, Laurea UAS, Metropolia UAS, Helsinki XR Center, Microsoft Finland, HP Finland, Google Finland, Martela, Isku, Framery, Amazon AWS, Soprano Group, HundrED and Helsinki Education Week.
Stay tuned!
Helsinki Education Hub ́s website and social media accounts are launched in the beginning of September.
For EdTech start-up collaboration, you can contact:
Mia-Stiina Heikkala
Lead Advisor for EdTech, Start-Up ́s & Project Lead for Helsinki Education Hub, The City of Helsinki
+358 40 776 5336
This article was written by Mia-Stiina Heikkala for EdTech Finland ́s News.
Some more information in an earlier article by The City of Helsinki here.