It was easy for Huber Hu to start his own business in Finland. He had kicked off Chinese Huawei’s operations in the country a few years earlier and knew the entrepreneurial atmosphere was favourable for foreign start-ups.
Setting up the operations for the Chinese mobile phone giant Huawei was no small task. “I put up a small office and started hiring people”, Huber recalls his early days in Finland. While building and running Huawei and growing its business in Finland, Huber was dreaming of starting his own company.
Winter 2012 triggered the decision to take the leap from a country manager to an entrepreneur. Hubert-Tech was established in in May 2012. The company has created an application for golfers, enabling players to see a panoramic view a golf course of their choice as they play a virtual game. “The development phase is ongoing and the product will be launched in the summer 2013”, Huber reveals.
“We got funding from the ELY (Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment) to do a market research in the US, and they also helped us build a better business model”, Huber says. The speed of the application process was a happy surprise. “I like the transparency and straightforwardness of business life in Finland. Starting up a business in Finland is easy”, Huber says.
Finland has many advantages that favoured the decision to establish Hubert-Tech in Helsinki. “Finland provides an easy access to relevant global ecosystems”, Huber explains. “Our potential clientele are located mainly in the US and in Europe, and it is easier to reach them from here than for example from China.”
In addition to excellent location, Finland’s on-going start-up boom makes the environment favourable for the growth of new businesses. There are many events and activities that support the start-up culture in the country.
“We’ve been a part of the Startup Sauna events and they have been a source of great help and peer support”, Huber tells. “More events and networking activities in English are most welcome. They are especially useful for foreigners starting up their businesses in Finland.”
“Starting up a business in Finland is easy”, says Huber Hu, the CEO of Hubert-Tech. Picture: Mikko Käkelä.
