News from Aalto founder community
When there is no proof, the story is the evidence 鈥 a new Founder Storytelling course at Aalto University
A new course at Aalto University teaches aspiring founders how to build, adapt and deliver the story behind their venture 鈥 before the traction, revenue and track record exist.
Take your first steps as a founder 鈥 in just six weeks
A new Founder Principles course at Aalto University gives students the tools, mindset and hands-on experience to start building 鈥 with AI as a co-founder from day one.
Would you like a small piece of future design history 鈥 shimmering wood?
Coming to the Aalto University Shop this September: a limited batch of 20 unique, handmade works by Shimber, crafted entirely from wood. Each piece is finished with Shimber鈥檚 wood鈥慴ased structural colour 鈥 a material that makes the surface shimmer and come alive with the light.
Prototyping and Validation Grant: Deployable
Four Aalto master's students built a physical AI startup on a borrowed GPU, beat PhD teams at a hackathon, and received Aalto's prototyping and validation grant.
Applications open: Aalto Creatives pre-incubator autumn 2026
The next Aalto Creatives pre-incubator starts in September. Applications close on 7 September. Join the info event on 27 August to hear from alumni and meet the Aalto Creatives team.
Aalto Inventors turns one: A year of bridging research and real-world impact
Aalto Inventors marks its first anniversary, having engaged 190 researchers across six cohorts in fields including AI, quantum, and biomaterials. New cohorts are planned for the next academic year, stay tuned and join the waitlist.
鈥榃e need to get to work and set the bar high鈥
Monika Liikamaa has started at the School of Business as an Executive in Residence
Apply now: Global Engagement seed funding call 2026
The Global Engagement seed funding call supports the development of international partnerships and global mobility in research, education, innovation and entrepreneurship. Call is open until 1st of June 2026.
PORT_2026 brings Aalto students together to tackle culture, media, and climate challenges
Nearly 60 Aalto students joined the PORT_2026 Innovation Challenge, developing and pitching solutions addressing culture, media, and climate challenges.
From breakthrough to business: Finland鈥檚 Aalto University is turning world-class science into companies
Aalto University鈥檚 strategic spin-off model is turning scientific breakthroughs into scalable businesses.
Join us for Demo Day 2026 - March 4 at A Grid
On March 4th, A Grid is the place to be because Aalto Startup Center x A Grid Demo Day will be taking place.
A Bloc becomes a 鈥渓iving lab鈥 for Aalto students: Entrepreneurial Futures course and Cafetoria join forces in pop-up collaboration
A Bloc鈥檚 pop-up space turned into a hands-on learning environment when Entrepreneurial Futures course and Cafetoria co-created a pop-up.
Research reveals the economic significance of family firms in Finland
The findings show that, on average, family firms are more profitable and financially resilient than other firms 鈥 and also invest more.
What drives success in the film and audiovisual industries? New research to support growth and competitiveness
Aalto University Department of Film is leading a 鈧1.6 million Co-Innovation research project, SmartSuccessAV, funded by Business Finland. The project aims to gain new research-based knowledge on how success in the Film and AV industry is managed and how decision-making is structured as production, financing, and distribution structures change.
Aalto University to host the INNOVA Europe Summit 2026 in Espoo
Aalto University to host the INNOVA Europe Summit 2026 in Espoo, bringing together Europe鈥檚 next generation of student entrepreneurs.
Finnish AI Region Secures Second Term with Top Marks from EU
Finnish AI Region (FAIR) EDIH has been selected to continue operations for a second term with excellent ratings. European Union continuation funding enables service expansion from the beginning of 2026. Aalto University is one of 10 partners in FAIR.
Start the year with new insights 鈥 apply for FITech's spring courses!
Deepen your knowledge with courses from Finnish universities of technology, designed to meet the demands of the working life and help deepen your expertise for free.
Aalto students and researchers shape together how we age with AI at Junction hackathon 2025
The 'Aging with AI' hackathon challenge sparked a winning solution connecting generations over shared learning experiences, preserving cultural skills.
Applications for our biggest exhibition of the year are now open: Apply to Designs for a Cooler Planet by 26.1.2026!
For the autumn 2026 exhibition, we are looking for new and inspiring innovations, ideas, and experiments from all fields across Aalto University. The exhibition and its events serve as one of the most important showcases of the university鈥檚 work to the world. In 2025, the event attracted over 15,000 visitors.
Research shows that creativity is not only measurable but also a major competitive advantage 鈥 the focus now turns to leadership
Creativity enables people to view problems from new perspectives and to discover solutions that might otherwise remain unseen.
