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New B2B startup accelerator will be launched in Oulu in autumn 2015

New B2B startup accelerator will be launched in Oulu in autumn 2015

The application period has begun for the accelerator run by Nestholma in collaboration with BusinessOulu. The accelerator is looking for innovative B2B startups but also corporations that want to learn and build new businesses with startups.

“Oulu is a unique place, because there is so much talent, many innovative companies and a long entrepreneurial and industrial tradition. We are excited for the opportunity to build new international success stories with startups and corporations in Oulu based on the Nestholma accelerator model”, says Nestholma’s CEO Topi Järvinen.

Nestholma’s three-month long accelerator model is based on three phases (Learn, Do, Pitch). During the program startups will get help in, for example, building products and services that customers actually care about and in preparing the company for growth and international opportunities. The aim is get the startup ready for additional funding by the end of the program. There will be four B2B accelerator programs during the next three years.

The application period for the first B2B accelerator program has begun. The startups will be selected in August and the program will begin in September 2015. The products can be, for example, in health and wellness, smart city and home, banking and insurance, cleantech, IoT and industrial internet or they can be various digital solutions for other industries. Startups can apply until 20.8. at www.nestholma.com/b2b-accelerator.

The accelerator takes advantage of Nestholma’s venture accelerator model that has been developed to help startups and large corporations to work together. The idea is to enable both the large and small companies to learn and find new business and partnership opportunities in collaboration. The aim is to help to in building a new type of ecosystem in Oulu where large and small companies can build international success stories together.

“It’s great to see this accelerator model to come to Oulu. The B2B collaboration will speed up the creation of new fundable innovations and businesses in Oulu. The collaboration with startups will benefit the established companies as it will help them to find new business and partnership opportunities” says the director of BusinessOulu Juha Ala-Mursula.

Central role for corporate partners – unique opportunity for startups

Nestholma’s three month accelerator program offers established companies a clear, fast and efficient model for venture and innovation activities. The program enables them to work with startup companies and guide them towards mutually beneficial strategic goals. For startups the cooperation offers a unique opportunity to learn and partner with an established company in the same field. Nestholma offers startups seed funding, connections to customers and investors in addition to daily support and tools for building customer-driven businesses.

In Finland Nestholma has built accelerators with Elisa, Yle and Eirikuva. Currently, Nestholma runs accelerator activities with EIT ICT Labs and its partner companies (for ex. British Telecom, Telecom Italia and F-Secure) around Europe.

Nestholma’s core team, Topi Järvinen, Antti Kosunen and Jari Pasanen, has extensive experience in building new products and businesses globally. Project is partly funded by ESF, European Social Fund.

More information

Nestholma: CEO Topi Järvinen, topi@nestholma.com, +358 40 754 3131, http://blog.nestholma.com
BusinessOulu: Director Juha Ala-Mursula, juha.ala-mursula@businessoulu.com, +358 40 5597 020
BusinessOulu: specialist, business development, Hannu Hiltunen, hannu.hiltunen@businessoulu.com, 044 7031 394

Nestholma in brief

Nestholma is a venture accelerator that helps large companies and startups to work together. The objective is to provide large companies a clear model and tools that help them to innovate and build new businesses faster together with startups. For startups Nestholma offers funding and the opportunity to work with and learn from a larger company that is a potential partner. www.nestholma.com