Massively Popular ‘90 Day Finn’ Program Commencing – Offers Opportunities for Growth and Recovery to Both the Participants and the Local Ecosystem

More than 5 300 people applied for the ’90 Day Finn’ program launched in November last year. The chance to live the life of a Finn for three months was tempting to many, and now Helsinki Business Hub, the organization behind the program, has chosen the program participants, including investors, company founders and technology talent.

“Making these choices was a tough job. Every time we met with the group of people doing the interviews, everyone said they have at least ten people that just HAVE to be included. Finally, we invited 15 applicants with their families to join the program. Emphasis was put on choosing applicants who will benefit most from this experience and whose presence in Finland is likely to add value to the Finnish ecosystem, its post-pandemic growth and economic recovery,” says Johanna Huurre, Director, Invest in at Helsinki Business Hub.

Now plans are being made for more than 30 people to arrive in Finland. The group includes 15 professionals, most of whom are coming with family members, including more than 10 children. Majority of the participants are coming from the US, but some applicants from, for example, the UK, Canada and Chile have also been invited.

Travel restrictions allowing, the ’90 Day Finn’ program will start in the beginning of March. It offers the selected participants a 90-day relocation package to Helsinki, Finland. Everything from required documentation to housing, daycare, schools and healthcare will be arranged to match the participants’ individual needs. In-person introductions to local technology hubs and business networks will help entrants get settled and up to speed.

“We will arrange a number of business and free-time oriented events to help participants experience different facets of living in Finland. The aim is to introduce them to local actors, and to create opportunities by offering both the participants and the local ecosystem a chance to build their international network,” Ms. Huurre explains.

The participants will be working from the Nordic innovation house Epicenter that hosts more than 500 member companies in Sweden, Norway and Helsinki.

“We’re extremely excited to welcome a variety of international professionals into our Epicenter ecosystem through our collaboration with Helsinki Business Hub. Our community of digital scale-ups, corporates and entrepreneurs offers a unique environment to supercharge innovation and growth with the most up-to-date ideas, know-how and digital strategies around. We also act as an entry point to other Nordic countries, where Epicenter has a large number of interesting member companies such as Volvo, Microsoft, S-Pankki and Oracle,” says Riikka Jakovuori, the Country Manager of Epicenter Helsinki.

The nature and extent of the program events will, of course, depend on how the COVID-19 situation develops in Finland. Both the participants and Helsinki Business Hub are committed to following all safety regulations.

“We will make sure this is a memorable and beneficial experience for everyone, while staying safe,” assures Ms. Huurre.

For some of the participants, coming to Finland is a long-time dream come true, while others only got the spark for Finland after seeing the ’90 Day Finn’ program. Regardless of the participants knowledge and former experience with Finland, they all feel that moving to this Northern country is likely to be a genuine win-win deal for everyone.

“I am so grateful to have been selected to become a 90-Day Finn. I have always dreamed of living in a society like Finland: a high-tech hub, an environment with good work-family balance, and a paragon of gender equality. Can’t wait to be there,” Deborah Berebichez, PhD, Physicist and TV Host tells us.

Those interested in the events and participants’ experiences, can follow the ’90 Day Finn’ program on Helsinki Business Hub’s social media channels and the campaign web pages, where new content will be posted regularly once the participants arrive. Everyone attending the program is also encouraged to share their individual experiences in their own social media accounts using the hashtag #90DayFinn.

To follow the ’90 Day Finn’ program, please visit www.90dayfinn.com and check out Helsinki Business Hub social media channels:

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