Stories from the Programme
Aalto Creatives - Stories from the programme. Meet our alumni, and learn more about their products and the businesses they developed during the pre-incubator.
Applications open: Aalto Creatives pre-incubator autumn 2026
The next Aalto Creatives pre-incubator starts in September. Applications close on 7 September. Join the info event on 27 August to hear from alumni and meet the Aalto Creatives team.
Aalto Creatives is a free 12-week pre-incubator for creative professionals based in the Helsinki capital region of Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa, and Kauniainen. No business experience needed.
Earlier this year, the programme introduced a new mentoring component, funded by the City of Espoo. Each team is matched with a mentor based on the expertise that would benefit them most, drawing from a growing roster of specialists across creative industries, tech, and business.
Weekly sessions cover entrepreneurial mindset, service design, go-to-market strategy, funding, intellectual property, team building, branding, and pitching.
Each pre-incubation round ends in a Demo Day event where selected participants pitch on stage in front of a panel of experts. The programme walks through the art of pitching in carefully curated steps where business advisors and guest lecturers teach everything from building a pitch deck to performing on stage.
The programme is open to individuals and teams with a creative background and a business idea in one of the following fields: Architecture, AR/VR/XR, Arts, Design, Fashion, Film and Television, Gaming, Media, and Music and Sound.
Application inquiries: creatives@aalto.fi
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Aalto Creatives
Got an idea, but not sure how to build on it? Aalto Creatives is a free 12-week programme for creative professionals ready to turn their practice into a business that can genuinely scale. Grounded in Aalto University's entrepreneurial expertise and network, and surrounded by a community of peers who get it.
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