Finish envoy call for stronger startup collaboration between India and Finland

By Vishu Adhana

Pushing for stronger startup cooperation between India and Finland, Finish ambassador Kimmo Lahdevirta on Wednesday said India offers great opportunities for Finnish startups to scale up their businesses.

He also encouraged Indian startups to explore opportunities in Finland, a renowned startup hub. Speaking to ANI, Lahdevirta said, “Our cooperation is strong, and there are many possibilities for mutually beneficial collaboration.”

He also encouraged Indian startups to explore opportunities in Finland, a renowned startup hub. Lahdevirta was speaking on the sidelines of a startup event—the Polar Bear Pitching session in India.

Speaking about the event, Lahdevirta asserted that it is not a normal startup pitching event but a very innovative concept which requires encouraging young entrepreneurs to develop pitches that are catching and effective.

“This is the first time that we are doing this event here, in India, and interesting to see how it goes,” the envoy said.

In the competition, eight startup founders from Kerala participated and presented their pitches in the ice-cold water at the embassy.

He said, “It is very innovative concept in encouraging young entrepreneurs to really develop pitches that are catching and effective. Because the idea is that, of course, you have as long as time, the longer time you want to have it for your pitch, but you have to do it in a hole in the ice in northern Finland, where it is very cold at winter time.”

“So in the water, which is maybe four degrees, there’s certainly a limit to how long you want to stay in that hole and be able to make your pitch. So it really is a very demanding task to get your message out without panicking,” he added.

The envoy noted that Finland’s global reputation as a startup hub makes such partnerships mutually beneficial. “Finland is home to internationally recognized events like Slush, which promote startup financing. It makes sense for both countries to expand cooperation, helping Indian startups explore opportunities in Finland while also giving Finnish startups access to India’s vast market. If they want to scale, India is the place to do it,” he stated.

Finland and India continue to broaden their economic and diplomatic engagement, having celebrated 75 years of relations last year. The ambassador noted that commercial ties are growing steadily, particularly in telecommunications, IT, and sustainability, where Finnish companies are contributing cutting-edge solutions.

On the India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA), he expressed optimism about progress. “India’s Commerce Minister (Piyush Goyal) recently met EU representatives in Brussels, and from what I understand, the discussions were positive. Finland strongly supports these negotiations, as they would be beneficial for both parties. While it’s hard to predict a timeline, we hope to see movement this year” he said.