Pre-incubator
When?
Pre-incubation twice a year. From March to June and September to December. The call for applications for the autumn 2026 programme is now open until 7.9.2026. Pre-incubator starts 28.9.2026.
Programme contents
Attendance is key as each workshop builds on the previous one. The pre-incubator starts with exploring your mindset, moves on to how you build your business, and ends with polishing how you present it.
Individual coaching sessions with business advisors are available throughout the programme. At the beginning of the programme, you start by booking your first one to one coaching session with our business advisors where you go through the lean canvas tool.
The mentoring programme is tailored for each participant based by the expertise that would benefit you the best. We have a growing and carefully curated roster of mentors across fields ranging from experts in creative industries to experts in tech and business.
| Topic | Description |
| Kick off | This session gives you all the practical information about the programme and you will get to know your pre-incubator peers. |
| Entrepreneurial mindset | Before anything else, we challenge the idea that being a business person and being a creative are opposites. This workshop reframes entrepreneurship as a creative act and sets the tone for allowing yourself to move on with an entrepreneurial mindset. |
| Service design | This workshop gives you an introduction to tools that help you understand how to create an engaging customer experience and what to consider when building a company that can actually deliver it. |
| Go-to-market strategy | This workshop focuses on the strategy which helps you define who your first customers are, where do you find them, and what do you say when you do? You'll develop a clear, realistic plan for getting your business in front of the right people. |
| Funding | A business needs money to operate, but how do you get started with funding your creative business? This workshop covers the essentials of funding from types of funding to evaluating when you are ready to seek for funding and what to consider in the process. |
| IPR & protecting your idea | What you create has value beyond the work itself. This workshop teaches you how intellectual property works in practice. How to protect what you have created and use it as an asset for your business. |
| Team building | To scale a creative business you need the right people around you. In this workshop you will explore what kinds of people and skills complement your own, and how to think about building a team when the time comes. |
| Branding | This workshop covers the essentials of branding your business. You will learn to think about branding in a holistic way that helps you translate your business concept into a brand that attracts the right customers and communicates what makes you different. |
| Pitching |
When the essentials of how to build your business have been covered, the workshops move on to how you talk about it. To attract investors, customers or other collaborators, you will often need to pitch your business concept in a short format. In this part of the programme, you will first learn how to build your pitch deck to match the format investors are expecting, followed by training in pitching and presentation skills. You will be encouraged to practice your pitch and receive feedback from our experts as well as your peers. |
| Aalto Creatives Demo Day |
Finally, selected teams will get to present their pitches at the Aalto Creatives Demo Day in front of a panel of experts and the wider Aalto community. The Aalto Creatives Demo Day gives participants a good platform for testing their idea in front of a larger audience. Watch our previous Demo Day recordings on Aalto University’s YouTube channel. |
What happens after the programme?
Some teams start their company, others keep working on the idea and start their company in the following months or even years after finishing the programme.
We aim to keep in touch with our alumni and help you move forward with your company even after the programme. By hosting regular alumni events, we help you connect with other creative entrepreneurs in our network.
If you do start a company after the programme, we recommend getting to know TiLA! which is the new working space and service concept by Aalto University and the City of Espoo. It offers creative entrepreneurs affordable working space and a community in Otaniemi, Espoo.
Who can apply?
Anyone with a relevant background in the creative fields (this can be through profession or education). Your business idea might be for example from one of these topics:
- Architecture
- AR/VR/XR
- Arts
- Design
- Fashion,
- Film & Television
- Gaming
- Media
- Music & Sound
You don’t need previous business experience to apply. However, you do need to be a resident of the Helsinki capital region (Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa or Kauniainen).
It is worth noting that the workshops take place on Aalto University’s campus in Otaniemi and the programme is not available remotely.
Programme schedule for autumn 2026
- Call for applications ends 7.9.2026
- Afterwork and info session 27.8.2026
- Application interviews 14.-15.9.2026
- Programme starts 28.9.2026
- Aalto Creatives Demo Day 9.12.2026
- Programme ends 10.12.2026
Aalto Creatives application form
Apply now to Aalto Creatives pre-incubator programme by filling out the application form.
