Entrepreneurial buzz, just a click away – virtual tour and other top picks from the Aalto startup community

Aalto University launched the Virtual Campus Experience in February 2021. It quickly became popular not only with the primary target audience (prospective students, exchange students and faculty who are considering where to study or work) but also with our partners, alumni, and new students and staff.

The first thematic addition to the original tour is now live. The entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem tour allows users to experience our university's entrepreneurial buzz from anywhere.

One of the busiest entrepreneurial hubs in Europe

Aalto University is home to a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem and culture, powered by our self-starting students and the university's research and innovation hubs. Research ideas are commercialised in Aalto's incubators and accelerators; students find unforeseeable pathways towards entrepreneurship. 

'Entrepreneurial and innovation ecosystem is one of the most popular themes that many university visitors are asking to be introduced to,' says Anastasia McAvennie, Visitor Experience Specialist at Aalto University.

'Producing the tour was truly a co-creative process – the highlight of the production was 360-photo shoots where we engaged a diverse bunch of our students, staff, and other community members.'

The tour can be viewed on a desktop or mobile device, and it can also be experienced via a VR headset. The virtual reality version of the tour is more straightforward than the other versions since the emphasis has been put on creating a truly immersive visual and aural experience.

The tour includes Startup Sauna (home to Kiuas, Aaltoes, Junction and Startuplifers), Design Factory, Aalto Ventures Program, A Grid and Aalto Startup Center. It is narrated by Aalto student Johannes Tervo, who is an active Jack-of-all-trades of all things entrepreneurial in the Aalto ecosystem.

Let's get you started, shall we? Check out the tour here. 

• Click 'take the thematic tour' from the main menu
• Click 'Entrepreneurship and innovation'

Aalto entrepreneurship 101 – top picks for newcomers

Feeling the entrepreneurial vibe, yet not quite sure how to get started? Whether you're an Aalto student, a staff member, a researcher, a bit of everything, or not a part of our community just yet, keep on reading. There is something for everyone – let's get you started with a few top picks that are open for everyone to attend. 

Impact Studio

Do you have no idea what you're doing... but would like to get started with something? You're off to a great start at Aalto Ventures Program's Impact Studio. Impact Studio is a pre-incubation program open to anyone who wants to learn how to find the right solutions for the right problems. Just an initial spark for entrepreneurship is enough.

Starting Up

Future founders, this way! Starting Up is an online course covering the fundamentals of what it takes to become a startup entrepreneur. The course was initiated by student-led startup accelerator Kiuas. In the spirit of true Nordic collaboration, it has been designed together with early-stage VC fund Maki.vc, the university's entrepreneurship education program Aalto Ventures Program, and technology company Reaktor.

Kiuas Inside

Kiuas Inside is an essential resource bank and a networking platform for finding your future co-founder, whether you already have an existing business idea or not. Connect with like-minded people, get to know early-stage startups looking for co-founders, and explore essential startup resources – all in one spot. 

Good Life Engine 

Good Life Engine is an AVP-led event series that helps you develop habits and routines for a better life. The monthly workshops are open to all and free to attend. 

The next one, on December 15th, is about Personal Mastery. It is about accepting that you are creating the story of your life. How do you want to use your skills? What are your personal development goals? And how to connect these goals to your daily life?

From Lab to Market

How to create impact out of research? How to turn your research into action? What does science-based entrepreneurship or academic entrepreneurship mean? From Lab To Market is an event series that helps you find the answers and where you'll get to know people with similar questions in mind. You can listen to inspiring stories of scientists turned entrepreneurs, exchange thoughts over a cup of coffee on how to create impact from research, and network across disciplines and organizations.

Thought Leader's Talk

Thought Leader's Talk — TLT amongst friends — is AVP's flagship talk series. We bring in the kind of people who we believe can inspire you to become a better version of yourself. They might have decades of experience in leadership and entrepreneurship, or they might have just founded their first company. Still, they all have achieved something extraordinary, and they all have stories worth sharing. 

Unfolding Tomorrow

At Aalto, we believe in solving problems related to sustainability through entrepreneurship, in facing problems rather than pretending they don’t exist, and in educating ourselves rather than using the lack of knowledge as an excuse. Unfolding Tomorrow is an event series that brings the brightest minds in business, academia, and government together to talk about what we can do today to make tomorrow better. The next Unfolding Tomorrow event takes place on December 22nd.

Read more recent news about Aalto's entrepreneurial ecosystem: One billion and beyond: Extensive funding for change raised by Aalto alumni and spinouts