Five steps to beco­ming a star­tup ent­repre­neur!

Are you har­bou­ring a tech busi­ness idea but not qui­te rea­dy to take the leap into ent­repre­neurs­hip? The path to star­tup success can be daun­ting, but in Oulu we have a place that can pro­vi­de you with the tools, sup­port, and ins­pi­ra­tion you need to make your ent­repre­neu­rial dreams a rea­li­ty. Welco­me to Star­tup Sta­tion at Hal­li­tus­ka­tu 36A, a one-stop des­ti­na­tion for aspi­ring star­tup ent­repre­neurs!

1) Meet the com­mu­ni­ty

At Star­tup Sta­tion we belie­ve that the first step towards ent­repre­neurs­hip is to immer­se your­self in all-things-ent­repre­neurs­hip and dive into the com­mu­ni­ty. Eve­ry Thurs­day 8:30–9:30 we host Star­tup Sta­tion Mor­ning Cof­fee. This weekly ses­sion is the per­fect oppor­tu­ni­ty to discuss a wide ran­ge of ent­repre­neurs­hip topics and have infor­mal con­ver­sa­tions with like-min­ded indi­vi­duals. Whet­her you are serious about star­ting your own busi­ness or just playing around with an idea in your mind — you can find ins­pi­ra­tion, ideas and valuable insights from our ses­sions.

Find our mor­ning cof­fees at Business­Asema Calen­dar: businessasema.com/tapahtumat

2) Get ins­pi­red

Some­ti­mes all it takes to take the leap into busi­ness is to have a test round! Techs­tart Star­tup Wee­kend is a great place for you to expe­rience an ent­repre­neurs­hip jour­ney in a wee­kend. In 54 hours, you’ll learn how to take any idea from a concept to rea­li­ty with the help of expert works­hops, men­tors, and Techs­tars faci­li­ta­tor. Form your team on Fri­day, vali­da­te your idea on Satur­day and pitch it to the panel of jud­ges on Sun­day — over an action pac­ked three days you’ll get an ener­gizing lear­ning expe­rience and may­be even build that busi­ness!

Learn more about Techs­tars Star­tup Wee­kend Oulu and join the next one at: www.startupweekendoulu.com

3) Find a co-foun­der

If you have a star­tup idea, one of the most cri­tical aspects of star­ting a success­ful busi­ness is fin­ding the right team­ma­tes with diver­se backgrounds. Whe­re do you find tho­se? If you are loo­king to meet new people out of your own social circle, we invi­te you to a varie­ty of events hos­ted at Star­tup Sta­tion. From events orga­nized by OuluES to Slush Oulu Com­mu­ni­ty Side Event we bring people of a diver­se background in one place offe­ring a great oppor­tu­ni­ty for networ­king and col­la­bo­ra­tion.

Find Star­tup Sta­tion events Business­Asema Calen­dar: businessasema.com/tapahtumat

In addi­tion, at Star­tup Sta­tion you can find a “Match­ma­king Wall” which allows foun­ders with ideas to con­nect with poten­tial team mem­bers eager to join a star­tup ven­tu­re. Just fill in your infor­ma­tion on the card and stick it onto the wall!

4) Vali­da­te your busi­ness idea

Star­tup Sta­tion is home base to the “Star­tup Express” a 14-week pre-incu­ba­tor pro­gram desig­ned to equip aspi­ring ent­repre­neurs with the skills, con­fi­dence, and con­tacts nee­ded to bring their star­tup ideas to life. This pro­gram offers works­hops con­duc­ted by experts, 1‑on‑1 men­to­ring, and peer lear­ning, all aimed at vali­da­ting and refi­ning your busi­ness concept. Join us on this jour­ney and let Star­tup Express gui­de you in tur­ning your ent­repre­neu­rial dream into a conc­re­te rea­li­ty!

Two star­tups being born in our Star­tup Express pro­gram right at this moment are:

• Jonos IO — a plat­form assis­ting busi­nes­ses in moder­nizing ser­vice by enabling cus­to­mers to order drinks through our app, bypas­sing queues for table or coun­ter deli­ve­ry.
• Sca­le­port AI — an agency specia­li­sing in deve­lo­ping cus­tom-built cus­to­mer sup­port AI Assis­tants for eCom­merce brands, as well as crea­ting mar­ke­ting mate­rials and SEO articles.

Read more about Star­tup Express Pre-incu­ba­tor pro­gram here: oulu.com/en/startup-express-pre-incubator/

5) Get a Space for Your Team to Work

For ear­ly-sta­ge star­tup teams, secu­ring a works­pace is often a chal­len­ge. Star­tup Sta­tion offers an oppor­tu­ni­ty for selec­ted teams, to get access to Star­tup Sta­tion space for six months. You can make use of our co-wor­king space, loun­ge area, and mee­ting rooms, ensu­ring you have a pro­duc­ti­ve envi­ron­ment to fos­ter your star­tup’s growth. Whet­her you have a busi­ness ID (Y‑tunnus) regis­te­red or not, if your team has mini­mal reve­nue, you are welco­me to apply for this oppor­tu­ni­ty.

Reach more about Star­tup Sta­tion: oulu.com/en/startup-station

Star­tup Sta­tion is more than just a phy­sical space; it’s a com­mu­ni­ty that fos­ters inno­va­tion, pro­vi­des networ­king oppor­tu­ni­ties, and offers prac­tical resources. Whet­her you need ins­pi­ra­tion, part­ners or a works­pace, Star­tup Sta­tion has your back. Take the leap and let Star­tup Sta­tion be your safe­ty net!

Vie­ra Karam
Star­tup Pro­gram Mana­ger