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Applications open: Aalto Creatives pre-incubator autumn 2026

The next Aalto Creatives pre-incubator starts in September. Applications close on 7 September. Join the info event on 27 August to hear from alumni and meet the Aalto Creatives team.
Colourful general image promoting Aalto Creatives pre-incubator programme
Visual identity: Janne Kuisma

Aalto Creatives is a free 12-week pre-incubator for creative professionals based in the Helsinki capital region of Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa, and Kauniainen. No business experience needed.

Earlier this year, the programme introduced a new mentoring component, funded by the City of Espoo. Each team is matched with a mentor based on the expertise that would benefit them most, drawing from a growing roster of specialists across creative industries, tech, and business.

Weekly sessions cover entrepreneurial mindset, service design, go-to-market strategy, funding, intellectual property, team building, branding, and pitching.

Each pre-incubation round ends in a Demo Day event where selected participants pitch on stage in front of a panel of experts. The programme walks through the art of pitching in carefully curated steps where business advisors and guest lecturers teach everything from building a pitch deck to performing on stage.

The programme is open to individuals and teams with a creative background and a business idea in one of the following fields: Architecture, AR/VR/XR, Arts, Design, Fashion, Film and Television, Gaming, Media, and Music and Sound.
 
Application inquiries: creatives@aalto.fi

Application form

Sign up for the Aalto Creatives afterwork and info session 27.8. at 15.00, Viima Stage, Aalto Design Factory.
 

More from Aalto Creatives

Image of Henri Timperi and his Midnight Sun™ light.

Stories from the Programme

Aalto Creatives - Stories from the programme. Meet our alumni, and learn more about their products and the businesses they developed during the pre-incubator.

Aalto Creatives
Aalto Creatives round 2 participants on stage in Marsio

Aalto Creatives

Got an idea, but not sure how to build on it? Aalto Creatives is a free 12-week programme for creative professionals ready to turn their practice into a business that can genuinely scale. Grounded in Aalto University's entrepreneurial expertise and network, and surrounded by a community of peers who get it.

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