Connecting Finland based founders with the opportunities of Silicon Valley.
Finland is a great place to build companies. Communities organized around different tech niches, the exceptionally active startup ecosystem, and the strong give-back mentality have worked as the backbone for the Finnish entrepreneurship scene, and as the driver for our once local companies to succeed at a global level.
In the majority of these cases, however, visiting the global innovation hotspots has played a crucial role. Seeing how business is concretely scaled to a global level, taking a deep dive into the latest trends and meeting some of the brightest minds in the world, have brought up the necessary ideas and spark to generate some of the most remarkable entrepreneurial success stories from Finland.
This is why we created the SILTA program. It takes top founders from Finland to the SF Bay Area to validate, build and scale the companies. We want to transform the humble Finnish attitude atmosphere. We promote internationally ambitious ideas. We aim for companies to become global from day one.
So far, SILTA has achieved:
5
Programs
36
Alumni
>$16M
Raised by alumni
>200
Jobs created by alumni
People about us
As a young CEO I would absolutely grab any opportunity to join the SILTA program and immerse myself in the Silicon Valley ecosystem. Spending time there will bring in numerous benefits, both predictable and completely surprising.
Risto Siilasmaa
Founder of F-Secure
Still today the bay Area has the highest concentration of experienced entrepreneurs in the world. Spending time in the Bay Area will help you to gain the skills and contacts you need to take your company off the ground. That's why I warmly recommend every new entrepreneur who has not yet spent time in the Bay Area to participate in the SILTA program.
Kristo Ovaska
Co-Founder at Smartly
SILTA was our way of doing a go-to market to the US market. We got our first US and Canadian customers which really helped our startup to confirm the market demand.
Niilo Pirttijärvi
Co-Founder at Inven, SILTA S22 participant
If you've ever felt like a misfit, don't worry! The Bay Area is the place where it's ok to think big, have big dreams and reach for the stars. In Silicon Valley the future is not something distant and abstract but something that's being built every day. It had a profound impact on me and my thinking.
Perttu Pölönen
Inventor, Author, & Keynote Speaker
Snooping around in Silicon Valley gave me confidence to just go ahead with founding my company. In a place full of ridiculously ambitious plans, it's easier to just blend in and get cracking.
Annu Nieminen
Co-Founder, CEO at Upright Project
Surrounding yourself with talented and ambitious people is a contagious way to grow your mind. I couldn't recommend spending time abroad more and while anywhere will do you great service, the San Francisco Bay Area in particular is a hotspot for tech growth, global talent and capital.
Pia Henrietta Moon
Co-Founder, CEO at Carbo Culture
Building Meru Health in Silicon Valley and in the US in general has been a uniquely positive and exciting experience. We've been able to get to work with the absolute best people and partners in our industry (Y Combinator, Stanford, Harvard) and we've learned so much from other founders and other world leading digital health companies.
Kristian Ranta
Co-Founder, CEO at Meru Health
For anyone curious and entrepreneurial-minded, I can warmly recommend spending time in Silicon Valley. It's a place full of exciting opportunities and spending time there might open up some new adventures and perspectives that shape your career - or even lead to founding your own company.
Katja Toropainen
Co-Founder, CEO at Inklusiiv
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