Aalto Founder Sprint
Join the Aalto Founder Sprint S27 Waitlist
We bet on you before you have proof.
We started Aalto Founder Sprint in 2025 with a different belief about who gets to become a founder.
You don't have to arrive with a startup. You don't have to know exactly what to build. And you don't have to have everything figured out.
What matters is what you do with the opportunity.
We look for ambitious students with agency, curiosity, and the potential to do something exceptional. People who don't wait for permission, who are willing to challenge their assumptions, and who want to turn ideas into action.
In return, we bring the resources, mentorship, and a carefully screened and selected cohort to help you move faster than you could alone.
It's all about finding out what you're capable of when you start building.
Learn to move forward without all the answers.
For 15 weeks, you'll validate opportunities with users, potential customers, industry experts, get close to real problems, test your assumptions, and build it or kill it.
You'll work alongside a carefully selected cohort of ambitious students from across Aalto, guided by founders and operators who've built companies themselves.
You'll make decisions without having every answer. You'll get feedback. Some things will work. Others won't. You'll learn to keep going either way.
Our goal is not to make things easier for you but to give you the environment and support to take on challenges you wouldn't tackle alone.
Other programs ask you for a team, an idea, and traction. We believe in you before you have any of them.
» No idea? Good ideas come from understanding problems, markets, and people. You'll learn how to investigate opportunities and decide what might be worth building.
» No co-founder? You apply as an individual. We select people for their potential, not whether they've already assembled a team. You'll join a cohort of ambitious builders and have the opportunity to find people you work well with.
» No startup experience? You don't need previous founder experience. We care about your agency, uniqueness, coachability, and what you could contribute to the cohort
» Not ready? As Miki Kuusi, co-founder of Wolt, puts it: “People become good at things they do a lot of, and to do a lot of something, you first need to start.”
You don't have to have it all figured out.
We believe in you long before the world looks at what you’ve built and says, “Of course. It was obvious all along.”
Get in the room with people who’ve built, scaled, and changed industries.
Head of Aalto Founder School & Entrepreneur in Residence.
Mårten Mickos is the Finnish entrepreneur who scaled MySQL into a global powerhouse before its $1 billion acquisition. Former CEO of MySQL and HackerOne, he is now Head of Aalto Founder School, shaping the next generation of ambitious founders through Aalto Founder Sprint.
Head Coach & Entrepreneur in Residence
Monika Liikamaa is the Finnish entrepreneur who co-founded Enfuce, scaling it into a leading European fintech company that has reached 29 million cardholders worldwide. She recently co-founded Lignum Medical and is now Entrepreneur in Residence and Head Coach at Aalto Founder Sprint,
Recent Mentors & Advisors
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Founders & Operators
- Milda Mitkute | Co-founder, Vinted
- Peter Sarlin | Founder & CEO, Silo AI
- Ilkka Paananen | Founder & CEO, Supercell
- Niko Eiden | Founder & CEO, IXI
- Miku Kuusi | Co-founder & CEO, Wolt; CEO International, DoorDash
- Mika Anttonen | Founder & Chairman, St1 Nordic
- Tuomas Rasila | Founder & CEO, Sensofusion
- Samu Hällfors | Founder & CEO, Framery
- Maija Itkonen | Co-founder & CEO, Onego Bio
- Marianne Vikkula | CEO, Wolt
- Noora Saksa | CEO, Slush
- Otto Hilska | Founder & CEO, Swarmia
- Olli Kangas | Co-founder & CEO, Intergrid
- Sami Inkinen | Co-founder, Trulia & Virta Health
- Ohto Pentikäinen | Co-founder & CEO, Doublepoint
- Mikko Mäntylä | Co-founder & CEO, Realm
- Urho Konttori | Co-founder & CEO, Distance Technologies
- Eerika Savolainen | Co-founder & CEO, Clair; former CEO, Slush
- Annu Nieminen | Founder & CEO, The Upright Project
- Juha Vartiainen | Co-founder, IQM
- Kristo Ovaska | Founder & CEO, Taito.ai; Founder & Board Member, Smartly.io
- Atte Hujanen | Co-founder & CEO, Singa
- Avesta Omar | Formerly at Nextdoor and Amazon Web Services
- Juha-Pekka Pitkänen | Co-founder, Solar Foods
- Tatu Rouhiainen | Co-founder & CEO, DUBS
Startup Ecosystem & Research Leaders
- Kasper Suomalainen | Founder School Manager; former founder and VC
- Christian Lindholm | Co-founder & Chairman, Vertical; Executive in Residence, Aalto University
- Ville Kyrki | Head of the Intelligent Robotics Research Group, Aalto University
- Niko Downie | Head of Startup Advisory, Aalto Startup Center; formerly at Shopify, Google & RBC Ventures
- Youssef Zad | Chief Economist, Finnish Startup Community
Investors & Venture Capital
- Bastian Hasslinger | Partner, Index Ventures
- Jyri Engeström & Teemu Mattila | Partners, Lifeline Ventures
- Lauri Kokkila | Partner, Inventure
- Claes Mikko Nilsen | Investor, NordicNinja
- Matti Rönkkö | Managing Director, Kiilto Ventures
- Jussi Kallasvuo | General Partner, Antler
- Pauliina Martikainen | Partner, Maki.vc
- Johannes Korpela | Investor, Wave Ventures
And many more.
We bet early, fast, and support you along the way.
Ambition matters. But the right environment can change how far you can take it
> 9 ECTS toward your Aalto degree.
> Founders, coaches, and mentors who challenge your thinking and help you navigate difficult questions.
> A funded trip abroad to explore another European startup ecosystem, validate ideas, talk to customers, and meet investors.
> Workspace in Otaniemi during the program.
> Software tools and hardware facilities to help you research, experiment, and build
> A potential prototyping and validation grant of up to €5,000, subject to the applicable grant process and eligibility requirements.
> A lasting alumni network of people who share your ambition and understand what it takes to build. ("I believe we will be lifelong friends and support each other forever" - Daniel Gregorio S26)
From Our Alumni:
Vedant Maheshwari S26This program poured gas into the fire in me.
Milla Virokannas S26Before, I was a good supporting founder, but I didn't trust myself enough. Now I know I can level up to be the founder.
Erik Gelcich S26Aalto Founder Sprint pushed me out of my comfort zone, making me more confident in my abilities than ever before. The incredible mentors and teammates I met inspired me to dream bigger. I leave more ambitious than ever.
Lauri Torvinen S26This program changed me way beyond the founder stuff. I used to overthink everything, but now I just do it.
Melany Macias F25Getting direct access to world-class people who've actually built things, not just studied them. It's freaking amazing that they come here to listen to us.
Katerina Tchilinguirov S26Aalto Founder Sprint is the place to be if you are even remotely interested in becoming a builder.
Aalto Founder Sprint Cohorts
Tuomas Haapasalo
School of Science, Applied Mathematics
Markus Lehtisalo
School of Arts, Design and Media
Jakub Górecki
School of Science, Machine Learning, Data Science and Artificial Intelligence
Hilal Gercek
School of Science, Machine Learning, Data Science and Artificial Intelligence
Dũng Nguyễn
School of Science, Machine Learning, Data Science and Artificial Intelligence
Nicklas Iso-Oja
School of Business, Information and Service Management
Helmi Ahava
School of Science, Applied Mathematics
Nuthanon Kittiwatanachod
School of Science, Industrial Engineering and Management
Saga Luhtala
School of Arts, Master's in Architecture
Christina Zhou
School of Electrical Engineering, Master's in Automation and Electrical Engineering
Renzo Jansema
School of Arts, Master's in Contemporary Design
Luka Lapointe
School of Electrical Engineering / School of Science, Digital Systems and Design
Roope Pasanen
School of Science, Quantum Technology
Erik Gelcich
SCI, Human-Computer Interaction & Design
Lauri Torvinen
ENG, Civil Engineering
Vedant Maheshwari
SCI, Data Science
Sreekrishna Praveen
SCI, Quantum Technology
Katerina Tchilinguirov
ARTS, International Design Business Management, Master of Science (IDBM)
Tiia Mäkinen
SCI, Human-Computer Interaction & Design
Vu Trang
BIZ, Sustainable Entrepreneurship
Daniel Gregorio Cardil
ARTS, Collaborative & Industrial Design
Anssi Lampinen
SCI, Data Science
Ilmari Tuominen
BIZ, Accounting & Finance
Milla Virokannas
BIZ, Accounting & Marketing
Pietu Ruska
ARTS, Architecture
Emil Pekkinen
School of Business, Business Analytics
Oliwia Kaczmarek
School of Chemical Engineering, IDBM, CHEM
Adit Magotra
School of Science, Data Science
Melany Macias
School of Science, ICT Innovation - Data Science
Andy Duly
School of Electrical Engineering, ICT Innovation, CNI/HPC
Rasmus Uusipaikka
School of Science, Computer Science
Join the Aalto Founder Sprint S27 Waitlist
FAQs
Application period: November 17 - December 4, 2026
Interview slot reservations confirmed: December 5, 2026
1st round interviews for selected applicants: December 7 - December 9, 2026
2nd round interviews for selected applicants: December 10 - December 11, 2026
Final admission decisions communicated by: December 14, 2026
Program timeline: January 11 - April 23, 2027
All Aalto bachelors, masters and doctorate students can apply. We welcome applicants from all fields.
No.
Yes.
You can apply but the program isn’t designed to accelerate existing startups. We focus on founder development, not startup scaling. You will not be able to work on your startup during the program.
No. The program is designed to be intense, and you should not take the full 30ECTS for the spring. See the preliminary schedule to get an idea of what courses you can fit together with Sprint.
No. Applications are individual and we select individuals. People from the same team can apply, but each is judged on their own.
- Exceptionality
- Agency
- Cohort fit
- Coachability
10% acceptance rate.
Applicants submit an application with basic information (name, study program, etc) and written illustrations describing the selection criteria, and a required 1 minute video.
Applicants will be notified by December 5, 2026 about first round interviews.
Two Rounds of Interviews. The interview panel consists of:
- Mårten Mickos — Entrepreneur in Residence at Aalto; former CEO of HackerOne, Eucalyptus Systems, and MySQL.
- Maija Renko — Professor of Entrepreneurship at Aalto University.
- Kasper Suomalainen — Founder School Manager; former VC at Superhero Capital.
- Tai Tran — Founder School team. 2 time founder.
- Sofia Nirhamo — Founder School team. 5-star(5*) equine groom.
An alumnus from a previous Founder Sprint cohort may also join the interview panel.
No.
Yes. The program is primarily in-person at Aalto. Expect in-person sessions multiple times a week, especially on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
The Founder Sprint comprises of two intense sprints:
Sprint 1: Insight Sprint (weeks 1-5)
Learn to analyze a trend, industry or market.
Produce an Trend Report.
Sprint 2: Builder Sprint (weeks 6-15)
Learn to build something people want & how to think like a founder
Rapid prototyping, user interviews, testing
Iterate toward MVP or functional demo
Understand how to craft GTM strategy and team culture handbook.
Learn to navigate the early-stage fundraising environment.
Self-assessment and how to pick co-founders.
Throughout the program: personal development, feedback sessions, soft‑skills workshops, mentor visits, ecosystem excursions, founder talks.
Tuesday 10-12.00 Team meeting
Tuesday 16:30 - 17:30 Mentor hour
Wednesday 13-15:00 mentor or domain expert visit
Thursday 16-17:30 Aalto Founder Talk OR founder/operator excursion/team bonding
Please contact -> Founderschool@aalto.fi
Founder Sprint Team
