Sport Finland Network Showcases Finnish Expertise to Global Investors in Helsinki

Finnish sports business is attracting global interest – and that is why collaboration is crucial when scaling from a small domestic market. This message was emphasized by Minister of Sports, Physical Activity and Youth Mika Poutala, who opened the Sport Finland side event at Slush in Helsinki.

In his keynote, Poutala highlighted Finland’s high level of expertise as a strong foundation for international growth. 

The event drew a full house at Korjaamo, highlighting the growing appeal of Finnish sports business both domestically and internationally. In total, more than 50 companies and around 120 guests attended the Sport Finland side event at Slush. The event brought together companies from sports, health, and wellbeing sectors with investors seeking new innovations. Approximately 30 investors were present, and ten promising Finnish startups from Jyväskylä, Lahti, Kuopio, and Rovaniemi pitched their solutions with potential to transform the global sports and wellbeing industry. The pitching companies were: 

Aminoversum, Awesome Crowd, BETTERFLY, Cityspotting, Evogenom, LumiaMind, ProRecovery, SportaPost, Toisintekijät, and VireHealth. 

Global Sport Innovation Center (GSIC) and EBAN Sports partnered in the event, bringing international perspectives and networks. In their keynote, Iris Córdoba, Managing Director of GSIC, and Juan Fuentes, Director of GSIC Microsoft Global Testing Center, underlined Finland’s potential as a testbed for innovation. President of Veikkausliiga, Kaarlo Kankkunen, reminded the audience that ‘we may not be the biggest, but we can be the boldest.’ In addition, Audra Shallal, Co-Chair of European Business Angel Network (EBAN) Sports, introduced their network and highlighted the growing interest among European investors in sports-related innovations. 

The event was co-hosted by the Sport Finland network, currently formed by four strong sports cities: Jyväskylä, Lahti, Kuopio, and Rovaniemi. Together, these cities are building international opportunities for Finnish sports, physical activity, health, and wellbeing business and inviting other cities to join. The network’s goal is to create an ecosystem where Finnish sports business grows through collaboration. 

Taija Lappeteläinen, Program Manager, Sport, Health and Wellbeing Ecosystem, City of Jyväskylä 

• Jyväskylä is Finland’s Capital of Sport, known for strong research and education expertise. It hosts the internationally ranked Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, KIHU’s elite sports know-how, and Jamk’s rehabilitation expertise. Jyväskylä has led Sport Finland cooperation, taking for example Finnish startups to Spain to meet top football clubs and showcase Finnish solutions. With national and international networks and strong cooperation, we aim to continue building innovations for sport and tackling inactivity challenges together. 

Jari Rask, Project Manager, Lahti Sports Hub: 

• Lahti has a long tradition in sports and over the years we have built the most significant sport business network in the Nordics. By opening opportunities through our own network to other cities, and by leveraging their networks in return, we create new possibilities for companies in our region. This is a win-win collaboration that strengthens Finland’s position internationally. 

Parastoo Jalili, Business advisor, Business Kuopio, city of Kuopio 

• Celebrating its 250th anniversary, Kuopio is emerging as a Capital of Good Life and Innovation, combining a thriving business and research ecosystem with championship-level sports. In 2024–2025, the city celebrated a triple sports victory—KalPa (Ice Hockey), KuPS (Veikkausliiga), and Puijo Wolley (Women’s Volleyball)—reflecting its vibrant sports culture. Kuopio is home to Kuopio Health (an open ecosystem for the companies in health-tech and wellbeing), the University of Eastern Finland and the Neurocenter Finland, Kuopio Research Institute of Exercise Medicine (KuLTu), and Savonia UAS, and is providing fertile ground for sport-tech and wellbeing startups. 

The Sport Finland event demonstrated that Finnish sports business thrives through joint efforts. Collaboration between cities, companies, and international networks lays the foundation for new growth opportunities. 

More information 

Taija Lappeteläinen 
Sport, Health and Wellbeing Ecosystem, City of Jyväskylä 
+358 40 523 9321 
taija.lappetelainen@jyvaskyla.fi 

Jari Rask 
Lahti Region Development LADEC Ltd. | Lahti Sports Hub 
+358 400 551 112 
jari.rask@ladec.fi 

Parastoo Jalili 
Business advisor, Business Kuopio 
044 718 2034
parastoo.jalili@kuopio.fi