University-based Start-ups Caught Visitors’ Attention at SHIFT Business Festival
The University of Turku promoted its strategy on Entrepreneurial University with its promising start-ups at the SHIFT Business Festival. Four start-ups presented their products and were happy to meet potential business partners.
Sanna Honkala (left) and Susanna Mustajärvi promoting new online coaching by Family First.
The multi- and interdisciplinary SHIFT Business Festival gathered around 2,000 business-minded people to the Turku Castle on 31 May and 1 June 2017 to participate e.g. in seminars and presentations. The goal of SHIFT was to encourage all festival attendants to share insights on the future of business and collaboration.
During the 2-day SHIFT Business Festival, the University of Turku promoted its strategy on Entrepreneurial University by presenting most of its promising start-ups and providing opportunities for discussing University-business collaboration and entrepreneurial education. Programme Managers Kerttu Autio and Tiina Ruohisto at TSE exe, Turku School of Economics, and Senior Research Fellow Maria Höyssä, FFRC, were some of the hosts representing the University of Turku at Round Tables discussions.
The festival visitors are about to taste worm cookies by Entis.
The University of Turku based start-ups immediately caught the visitors’ attention: the bug enthusiasts at Entis, Comptek Solutions Ltd. specialised in III-V compound semiconductor quantum surface engineering, Family First Ltd. providing online couching for balancing family and work-life, and Choose Your Future with a mobile application helping immigrants to integrate into new cities.
– SHIFT was the first event where we demoed our service outside the University and we received enthusiastic feedback about the idea and the service itself. Many people remembered having difficulties when moving due to work or studies and thought that this kind of an app would have been a great help when starting life in the new city, says Susanna Lahtinen, CEO at Choose Your Future.
Katerina Panina (left) and Susanna Lahtinen from Choose Your Future demonstrate their immigration integration service.
Also Family First, who opened their web store during the festival, felt they reached their goals during the festival:
– Our services are for companies, so being in a business event like this gave us a great chance to market our new online training and helped us raise awareness. We had great meetings with potential collaboration partners and we are already planning the next step, says Susanna Mustajärvi, CEO at Family First.
Collaboration Manager Mikko Pohjola (left) and Entrepreneurship Programme Manager Kirsi Peura (back row, middle) with the four University start-ups.
Festival visitors gathered in front of the booths of the University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University.
Johnny Dahl from Comptek Solutions setting a new record on the speed game.
Visit the homepages of four University of Turku based start-ups:
>> https://www.comptek-solutions.com/
>> https://chooseyourfuture.fi/
Text and photos: Maija Kokkonen