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A student-led entrepreneurship community, courses and events, top-tier accelerators, and hundreds of startups – in just 15 years, Aalto University’s entrepreneurship ecosystem has grown into a remarkable success story. 

This autumn, the story takes a new turn with the launch of the Aalto Founder School, a growth entrepreneurship programme for students. 

‘Aalto offers numerous paths and opportunities into entrepreneurship, and an entrepreneurial mindset runs through the entire university. Founder School complements these by focusing on the practical skills needed to start and steer a growth company,’ says Professor of Entrepreneurship Maija Renko. 

The programme combines a public lecture series by successful entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship courses open to all Aalto students, and a tailored coaching track for the most promising participants. 

Entrepreneurship is taught using the latest research in each field, combined with hands-on student projects. Students can even compile a full minor from the courses. 

Successful companies have been founded throughout history without any formal training – so why teach it? 

‘The entrepreneurial path is easier when you’ve mastered the essential skills from the very start,’ Renko says. 

‘Product development and management, combined with market entry are the most critical stages. We also encourage and support students to think about growth from the outset, to build companies with the potential to create jobs and succeed in international markets.’ 

A shared goal: 100 times 100 

Internationally competitive companies are vital to the future of Finland’s economy – and its welfare state. 

Entrepreneurship minor studies are open to all Aalto students. Each year, around ten of the most promising students are selected for the coaching programme, where they receive personal mentoring,  specialist training, and opportunities to network with successful entrepreneurs and venture capitalists. 

‘Now that the biggest wave of startup hype has settled down, it’s time to build lasting structures and really push this forward,’ Suomalainen says. 

Deep tech and transferable skills 

Unicorns – billion-euro growth companies–from Aalto are already building quantum computers, radar satellites and more. 

So which fields will produce the growth companies of the future? 

‘We don’t know – but we can speculate,’ Suomalainen laughs. 

‘I guess we’ll see success stories in areas where AI enables completely new ways of doing things. Finland has traditionally been strong in deep tech, so big breakthroughs could also come from the bioeconomy and health technology.’ 

Not every participant will found a growth company, but they may well end up working for one, Renko believes. 

‘Students want to work in exciting companies that offer opportunities for career growth and advancement.’ 

At Aalto Founder School, Renko hopes every student will take away at least three lessons. The first is a flexible mindset: the ability to listen to feedback from customers and investors, learn from it, and adjust one’s course accordingly. The second is knowing when to let go of projects that don't work out, without dwelling on the negatives â€“ you don’t have to abandon entrepreneurship just because one idea didn’t fly. The third is understanding that there are many right ways to do things. 

‘This can be a challenging thought, especially for engineer-entrepreneurs. Building a business is often more about art and emotion than engineering logic. That’s the perspective we want to highlight in Founder School through teaching, hands-on work, and the stories of entrepreneurs.’ 

And even for those who don’t go on to become growth entrepreneurs, the skills learned will be useful for life, Suomalainen points out. 

‘Taking responsibility, working well with people and solving problems – these are transferable skills that are valuable in any workplace and in life in general. Of course, Aalto Founder School’s primary mission is to encourage and support growth entrepreneurship, but we believe our students will be ready for any challenge.’