Cities in Helsinki Metropolitan Area help foreign companies move to Finland – almost 50 companies have already settled

Helsinki, Espoo and Vantaa want to attract foreign start-ups to the Helsinki Metropolitan Area. This requires that entrepreneurs become interested in Finland and believe in finding success here. How can the cities convince companies to move here?

Finland wants to attract foreign talents, especially start-up entrepreneurs. New entrepreneurs can provide increased tax revenues and create new jobs. Successful start-up companies attract even more international experts, creating a virtuous cycle.

But how to make foreign companies interested in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area? Every European country is competing for these same talented people. Sleet, darkness and silent Finns may not be the best assets when competing with cities like Amsterdam.

One way is to make entering and settling in Finland easier. At the national level, the issue has been addressed by speeding up the residence permit process for promising start-ups. In the national model, Business Finland first assesses a company’s business plan, after which the Finnish Immigration Service processes the residence permit application through an accelerated procedure.

Residence permits are a good start, but they are not enough. What can cities do to make entrepreneurs pack their bags and move to Finland?

Read the whole story: Cities in Helsinki Metropolitan Area help foreign companies move to Finland – almost 50 companies have already settled – HEVi – Helsinki+Espoo+Vantaa Innovations

The City of Helsinki is part of InnoCities together with the Cities of Espoo and Vantaa. One of the cities’ aims is to develop ecosystems, which means supporting the creation of growth industries and clusters that are difficult to predict, for example. The development of ecosystems helps with reacting to changes in the operating environment.