A curated program for Finland's top founders to build in Silicon Valley.
SILTA brings Finland's top early-stage founders to live and build at a founder house in San Francisco for 3 months. Surrounded by fellow builders and guided by SILTA's powerful network of mentors, including YC partners and top-tier VCs, the program acts as a gateway for capital, customers, or market validation. We run the program twice a year, in spring and fall.
SILTA exists to help Finnish founders build globally successful companies.
Applications for the Fall'26 cohort are now open!
We welcome early-stage founders building the next global category leader with AI at the core of their business. This includes deep tech companies solving fundamental challenges within their sector.
*The program lasts 12 weeks, but in certain cases a 6-week option is available.
Who is this for?
01
Three months long immersion in the San Francisco startup ecosystem. A fast-paced, high-energy environment built for rapid execution. You return to Finland with a true global founder mindset.
02
We provide housing in central San Francisco.
03
Our lightly structured program is designed to help participants achieve their objectives during their time in San Francisco.
04
Access our extensive network of mentors, including unicorn founders, YC partners and founders, top-tier VCs, and industry experts, all ready to support participants.
05
San Francisco gives you direct access to investors, customers, and partners. Run pilots and refine your go-to-market strategy in real time.
06
Live and build alongside Finland's most driven founders. Relationships formed in the house often last a lifetime.
See it for yourself!
Your questions answered
No. SILTA is a completely free program for selected participants. We cover housing and program expenses. However, we do not cover plane tickets or living costs.
The program is intentionally light on structure, allowing you to focus on your own objectives. Weekly activities include progress checks, founder and expert sessions, and community events. You have the freedom to manage most of your daily schedule.
We work with early-stage companies, typically at the pre-seed stage or earlier. We require participants to have a company registered in Finland and have a Finnish business ID by the time of departure. The only exception is for R2B spin-outs, for which incorporation is not required, however, approval from your TTO is necessary.
Applications are reviewed and individually scored by the SILTA core team. Shortlisted founders are invited for an interview. We evaluate the following: founder potential, reasons for going to SF, and company potential, including ambition and a clear vision for building a globally scalable startup.
We primarily select one founder per company for the program. We have a guest room available for co-founders visiting the house.
All Finnish residents and citizens are eligible to apply.