New coworking spaces are popping up quickly in the Helsinki area. In addition to workspace for permanent and sporadic needs, they offer a variety of services from coffee and printing to business support for startups. In the core of this new way of working, however, is a sense of community.
Cafés and libraries are no longer the only options for microentrepreneurs, freelancers and travelling employees of large companies looking for working space. The Helsinki region has in fact witnessed a rapid increase in coworking spaces.
Coworking has been an international trend for some time already. One of its drivers is a change in how and where we work. Digitalization frees us from a fixed office desk and allows us to work on our own couch, in a shared workspace or a different workspace every day. Work at home can get lonely, and many freelancers and microentrepreneurs – while perfectly happy to run their own business independently – yearn for a sense community.
Some coworking spaces cater to a sporadic need, renting workspace on an hourly or daily base. Some spaces are entirely free of charge. Others provide working space on a monthly rate, which depends on whether the user needs a fixed workstation or is happy to work in a shared space without a designated desk.
Coworking spaces often offer services that would be difficult for a small business to acquire independently, ranging from reception services and meeting rooms to IT support and healthcare plans. Many organize events and some operate as hubs for startup companies. But they all have one thing in common: the company of other people – a chance to exchange ideas, find collaboration partners and have fun at work.
Choose from these
A Grid is a community with 25 000 sqm and 100+ startups in the heart of Otaniemi campus. It additionally houses accelerators, such as UN Technology Innovation Lab, European Space Agency Business Incubation Centre Finland and business advisory services from Espoo Marketing.
Location: Otakaari 5, Espoo
Website: agrid.fi
Deck is a coworking space in the lively Harju neighborhood of Helsinki. It offers workspace for a monthly fee. Users also have access to meeting rooms, a kitchen and a quiet room.
Location: Aleksis Kiven katu 26, Helsinki
Website: deck.fi
Epicenter is a Digital House of Innovation that runs hands on innovation labs, helping fast growing companies accelerate their growth through space, knowledge, programs and methods.
Location: Mikonkatu 9, Helsinki
Website: epicenterhelsinki.com
Health Innovation Village at GE is the home and platform for 40 digital health startups, located in Vallila in the GE house.
Location: Kuortaneenkatu 2, Helsinki
Website: fi-fi.facebook.com/healthinnovlge
Helsinki Think Company is a communal coworking space and event venue, operating in downtown Helsinki as well as on the Viikki, Kumpula and Meilahti campuses of the University of Helsinki. Funded by the University and the City of Helsinki, it’s open to anyone, free of charge.
Location: Yliopistonkatu 4, Latokartanonkaari 3, Gustaf Hällströmin katu 2b and Haartmaninkatu 1, Helsinki
Website: thinkcompany.fi
Innovation House Finland is a co-working space and community platform for startups, entrepreneurs and corporations. It has two locations is Finland, one in Otaniemi, Espoo and another in Kallio, Helsinki.
Location: Tekniikantie 2, Espoo and Toinen Linja 14, Helsinki
Website: innovationhousefinland.fi
Maria 01 currently has 20,000 sqm of space housing 150 startups and 1,500 individuals in the old hospital buildings – it is in the works to grow into Europe’s largest startup hub with 70,000 sqm, 650+ companies and 4,000 professionals.
Location: Lapinlahdenkatu 16, Helsinki
Website: maria.io
Meeting Park offers a wide selection of meeting, training, work and office space for an hourly or monthly rate in Forum shopping center and in Sokos Hotel President. Its services include video conferencing, catering, and postal services.
Location: Mannerheimintie 20 B, Yrjönkatu 23 B, Yrjönkatu 29 C and Salomonkatu 5 C, Helsinki
Website: meetingpark.fi/en
Mesta Coworking is a cozy and flexible coworking space for freelancers, entrepreneurs and anyone working remotely. Located next to Herttoniemi metro station, Mesta offers a variety of memberships options and 24/7 access. Meeting room, phone booth and coffee from small Finnish roasteries are provided.
Location: Hiihtomäentie 18, Helsinki
Website: mestacoworking.com
Village Works is home for more than 400 companies in Helsinki. Village Works has two large coworking spaces in the Helsinki centre and one in Lauttasaari area. Memberships start from 150 €/month and include 24/7 access to modern office space, unlimited coffee, printing and plenty of events, like weekly yoga and breakfast.
Locations: Lönnrotinkatu 5, Helsinki / Kampinkuja 2, Helsinki / Heikkiläntie 7, 2nd Floor
Website: ttps://villageworks.
Quja is a coworking campus for startups. Located in Espoo, it offers tech startups office space, meeting rooms and coworking premises.
Location: Finnoonniitynkuja 4, Espoo
Website: startupquja.com
Regus has a variety of office spaces across the capital region, from flexible coworking options to private offices.
Location: more than 10 locations in Greater Helsinki
Website: regus.fi
Sofia Future Farm with its 3,000 sqm venue has co-working spaces, a restaurant, wine bar, tea house, weekly concerts, talks, panels and a wellness studio. Fun fact: Stockmann was housed in these buildings for their first 50 years.
Location: Sofiankatu 4 C, Helsinki
Website: sofiafuturefarm.fi/en
Spaces offers a wide variety of workspaces, from private offices to flexible coworking spaces and meeting rooms for different needs. It has two locations in Helsinki: one in Postitalo just next to the main railway station as well as the latest addition on Bulevardi.
Location: Bulevardi 21 and Mannerheiminaukio 1A (Postitalo), Helsinki
Website: spacesworks.com
Startup Sauna co-working and event space describes itself as a focal meeting point in Northern Europe for entrepreneurs and investors alike. Their space is a 1,500 square meter industry hall and it is open for everyone without a membership.
Location: Betonimiehenkuja 3D, Espoo (Aalto University campus)
Website: startupsauna.com
Terkko Health Hub is located in the heart of Helsinki’s medical campus with access to one of the biggest university hospitals in Europe, HUS, the renowned Faculty of Medicine of the University of Helsinki and the newly established Helsinki Institute of Life Science, HiLIFE. Terkko Health Hub combines the features of an event space, co-working area and a startup community with a clear focus on health and life sciences.
Location: Haartmaninkatu 4, Helsinki
Website: terkko.fi
Turbiini startup accelerator is located in Helsinki Arabianranta, focusing especially on supporting start-ups in creative industries and in Vantaa’s Technopolis focusing on IOT -related startup companies. It offers young startups and teams as well as aspiring entrepreneurs coworking space, innovation services and business advice.
Location: Teknobulevardi 3, Vantaa
Website: turbiini.net/?lang=en
UMA Workspace is a network of co-working spaces covering 12 cities in Finland, Norway, Estonia, Russia and Lithuania. The newest addition UMA Teurastamo is located in the trendy and urban Kalasatama district. It offers private offices and meeting rooms as well as day and monthly memberships to the open workspace.
Location: Pohjoisesplanadi 39, Helsinki
Website: technopolis.fi/en/uma
Urban Mill is a space for co-working and events, a community and a service situated in at the heart of Aalto University campus in Espoo. It brings together public and private sector institutions, researchers, new entrepreneurs and students.
Location: Betonimiehenkuja 3 E, Espoo (Aalto University campus)
Website: urbanmill.org/english
Varaamo is a service provided by the City of Helsinki. The City offers working and meeting space in its various premises, including libraries and youth community centers. Some spaces can be reserved free of charge, others for a fee.
Location: Various locations around Helsinki
Website: varaamo.hel.fi
Wonderland work-eat-drink is a co-working space in Vallila’s Konepaja district in Helsinki that opened in August 2018. While having space for 300 or so members, it combines co-working facilities, cafe & restaurant, flex working spaces, lounges and team rooms.
Location: Konepajankuja 1, Helsinki
Website: wonderlandwork.fi
Yrittäjätila is a community space for entrepreneurs in the center of Helsinki. Open from Monday to Thursday from noon to 4 pm, it provides free workspace as well as information and advice on entrepreneurship.
Location: Annankatu 36 B, Helsinki
Website: yrittajat.fi/helsingin-yrittajat/a/helsinki/yrittajatila
Text: Anu Jussila
Originally published in June 27, 2016 – updated Feb 19, 2019
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(c) Keksi Agency via City of Helsinki / communications