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Finnish society faces a colossal shortage in the labour market, especially within the tech and health sectors. Kristina Sweet, CEO of The Shortcut, explains how the Finnish NGO has found success in creating practical solutions for the mismatch of labour market demands and untapped talent in Finland. She also shares insight on why Finnish SMEs should consider diversifying their workforce as an urgent priority, and why policymakers should consider retaining talent, not just attracting it.

The digital leap of the built environment and construction sector is still ahead, and KIRAHub CEO Teemu Lehtinen and his team aim to speed it up in a sustainable way.

“Helsinki is outstandingly the best place to live, raise a family and thrive. I have noticed that its value keeps on growing in the start-up and investor community,” says Miika Huttunen, CEO of the Helsinki-based tech event Slush. He believes the developing Maria campus will make Helsinki even more compelling to international talent.

Helsinki not only aims to be one of the most intriguing destinations for innovative startups and growth companies, but also to become the most alluring cluster of expertise for companies and individuals who strive to make the world a better place. Jan Vapaavuori, the Mayor of Helsinki, tells us how the city plans to reach its goals.

These days, many large companies are interested in working with startups, but successful startup collaboration should not be motivated by getting in on the buzz. Konecranes, The Finnish corporation specializing in the manufacture and service of cranes and lifting equipment, sees working with growing companies as a win-win situation, where both parties truly benefit from one another. A larger ecosystem means space for more talent.

When women, investing and digitalization are mentioned in the context of the technology scene in Finland, a certain person immediately comes to mind.

In 2013, a Japanese investor, Softbank announced it will invest 1.5 billion dollars into Supercell, a highly-profitable Finnish gaming startup. Since that day, Japanese investors have been actively looking into Northern Europe.

The castle-like hospital campus, designed by Lars Sonck in the early 20th century, is a familiar sight to many natives of Helsinki. “Maria’s Hospital” (Marian sairaala) is among the oldest hospital campuses in Finland. Currently, it serves as the home for startups in the centre of Helsinki. Shortly it will be competing for the title of the largest technology cluster in Europe.