The European Space Agency (ESA) Business Incubator is looking for promising Finnish startups
Through the ESA BIC Finland program coordinated by Aalto University Startup Center, the European Space Agency ESA supports space-related startups in their early stages. You don’t have to design satellites to get involved – for example, food supply in extreme conditions is just as important.
ESA BIC Finland, the European Space Agency’s business incubator in Finland, organizes two application rounds in Finland each year, where early-stage startups can apply to join ESA’s business incubator program. The requirements are a space-related business, being under five years old and being located in Finland. The Aalto Startup Center in Otaniemi, Espoo, coordinates ESA BIC Finland’s operations, the University of Vaasa is involved as a partner, and city cooperation is carried out in Tampere and Turku in addition to Helsinki and Espoo.
“The space connection required by our startups can be, for example, a business based on satellite data, cultivation methods suitable for space conditions, or materials that work in extreme cold. We want to encourage companies to consider their potential from a space perspective and help them turn innovative ideas into successful businesses,” says Kaisa Ahonen, Project Manager at ESA BIC Finland.
Companies that pass the application process will receive versatile support from the incubator – for example, coaching related to business financing, communications, marketing, and team building, as well as technical assistance from partner companies. Participants will also become part of the international community of Aalto Startup Center and its Finnish partners, as well as ESA BIC. ESA and Business Finland will jointly fund the startups selected for the program with a maximum of EUR 90,000 during the year-long program.
Of the new companies selected in autumn 2024, NorthBase, the first private builder of satellite ground stations in the Nordic countries, will next seek international growth.
“Lapland’s northern location and Finland’s excellent telecommunications connections offer secure and carbon-neutral services to satellite operators worldwide. We expect the ESA BIC network to help us achieve this goal,” says Tommi Rasila, CEO of NorthBase.
Another of the startups selected to participate is KOKO Forest from Helsinki, which is developing new processes for forest health monitoring using high-resolution satellite images.
“Being part of the Earth observation ecosystem of ESA BIC and its partners is important to us. We will be able to serve our forestry customers even better,” says Samuli Junttila, Principal Scientist at KOKO Forest.
Previous companies that have participated in the program include Solar Foods, which developed a solution for food production in space and Mars-like conditions, Kuva Space, which provides hyperspectral satellite services, and Collective Crunch, which applies artificial intelligence and remote sensing to forestry.
“Participating in the ESA BIC program connected us to the ESA ecosystem and helped us find additional funding opportunities. In addition to the financial benefits, the program connected us to a technology community that helps us better understand which services are essential for us and plan our operations going forward. The remote sensing expertise of the ESA BIC ecosystem is impressive, and the people are very helpful,” says Rolf Schmitz, CEO and co-founder of Collective Crunch.
The new application period for the ESA BIC program has now started and will run until February 23, 2025. For the first time, applicants are also required to consider sustainability in their plans.
For more information:
Kaisa Ahonen
Project Manager, ESA BIC Finland
050 3503573
[email protected]
Source: Cision News
