Past Events — International Founders Finland (IFF)

Sep 2026

Legal 101 for International Founders

Date: 21.09.2026 · 16:30–19:00

Place: Business Vantaa, Elannontie 3, Vantaa

Partner: Business Vantaa · Sisu Factory Global Growth · Invest in Vantaa · Nestlé

Attendance: 12 founders

Choosing the wrong business entity — or leaving gaps in an NDA, MOU, LOI, or SHA — can cost a founder their company. That's what 12 international founders tackled at Legal 101, hosted at Business Vantaa on 21 September with partners Sisu Factory Global Growth, Invest in Vantaa, and Nestlé. Attorney-at-law Nora Haapala, a 15-year corporate law veteran from Rödl Attorneys, walked through choosing between a cooperative, association, Ltd, or light entrepreneur, then unpacked must-have clauses — remedies, indemnity, governing law, share forfeiture — that protect founders in binding agreements. She also flagged EUIPO SME Fund vouchers covering IP scans, trademarks, patents, and plant varieties, and answered every question raised. Founders left with clear, actionable answers for their business.

Clear, actionable legal answers for every founder10 photos

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Aug 2026

Pitch Deck Playground: Learn, Practice and Connect

Date: 21.08.2026 · 16:30–19:00

Place: Business Vantaa, Elannontie 3, Vantaa

Partner: Business Vantaa · Sisu Factory Global Growth · Invest in Vantaa

Attendance: 30 founders and coaches

A full house at Business Vantaa Hub. It was great to see so many founders step forward to test their startup pitches, share ideas, and learn from each other. The strongest takeaway was clear: participants felt this was a genuinely safe and supportive space to practice pitching, and everyone expressed wanting to keep developing their pitch even further.

Safe, supportive space to practice pitching50 photos

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Jun 2026

Stop Building. Start Validating. — A high-velocity validation workshop

Date: 10.06.2026 · 17:00–19:00

Place: Maria 01, Helsinki

Partner: Paramartha Sajjana Narendradhipa · Startup Blueprint

Attendance: 20 founders

At Maria 01 we tackled the most expensive mistake in the founder journey: building a product before validating real market demand. 20 global founders opened laptops and got to work. Key takeaways: time is currency for international founders building local roots in Finland; action beats planning — live-test a structured business case immediately; and community kills loneliness — surrounded by growth-minded peers, execution velocity triples.

Early feedback: weeks of validation work saved9 photos

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May 2026

Guide to Public Funding 2026 for Growth & Innovation + Founder Networking

Date: 25.05.2026 · 16:00–18:00

Place: Business Finland Office, Porkkalankatu 1, Helsinki

Partner: Business Finland

Attendance: 51 checked-in guests

An evening built around the two things international founders need most: funding clarity and real connections. Business Finland funding opportunities for growth and innovation in 2026, Team Finland services for startups, and speed matchmaking rounds to find co-founders, collaborators and partners. Speakers: Hannaliisa Johnson, Tuomas Harju and Kari Inberg.

91% would recommend and attend future events30 photos

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Apr 2026