Maria 01

22/09/2026

Huge news from our community! Verda has raised $189M and officially become a unicorn! 🦄

A huge congratulations to Ruben Bryon and the entire Verda team on this incredible milestone.

What makes this one especially special for us is that we’ve had the chance to watch Verda’s journey from the very beginning. We’ve seen the team grow, the ambitions get bigger, and the company evolve step by step — right here at Maria 01.

And now, Verda becomes the second unicorn from the Maria 01 community, following our former member Linear.

This is one of the things we love most about being part of a startup community: getting to know founders early on and following their journey as an idea turns into a company, a team and, eventually, something much bigger.

Verda is building important infrastructure for the AI era, and we’re excited to see where they take it next.

Congratulations, Verda, and thank you for being part of the Maria 01 community. ❤️
Here’s to the next chapter!

15/09/2026

8 DAYS LEFT UNTIL MARIA 01 NEXT STARTUP FESTIVAL AND AFTERPARTY.

What does it actually take to build what’s next?

AI. Teams. Funding. Customers. Culture. Trust.

And a lot of figuring things out as you go.
Through pitching competitions, panel discussions, workshops and live demos, Maria 01 NEXT unpacks what it takes to build a startup. And of course, an Afterparty will bring the wider community together for the night of fun and unexpectedly meaningful chats. Because no one builds alone.

23–24 September. Swipe to explore the program ➡️

Full schedule and sign up link in bio!

20/08/2026

Builders’ Breakfast is back after the summer break!

Join us for a conversation with Rajul Garg, Founder & Managing Partner at Leo Capital on what it takes to build, scale and fund ambitious technology companies.

Rajul brings a rare perspective: he has built companies including Pine Labs and GlobalLogic, and today invests in early-stage Tech & AI companies across India, Asia and Europe.

We’ll talk about building and scaling companies, fundraising and investor relationships, what investors look for in early-stage startups, and how to spot opportunities with global potential.

📅 September 2, 2026
🕣 8:30–10:30
📍 Maria 01

Come for the insights, stay for the conversations. As usual, breakfast and coffee are on us! 🥐

Sign-up link in bio!

fundraising

06/07/2026

June was a month to remember at Maria 01, and the highlight was our flagship event, Maria 01 NOW!
What started as a one-day event last year became a three-day celebration of entrepreneurship, innovation, and community. Around 3000 visitors joined us on campus, with 100+ startups from 20+ countries taking the stage to pitch in front of investors, journalists, and ecosystem leaders from around the world. From Deeptech Investor Day and startup competitions to community sessions, accelerator graduation, and our legendary Yard Party, the energy throughout the week was simply unforgettable.

🎥 Missed it, or want to relive the atmosphere? Our official Maria 01 NOW aftermovie is here! Watch it to relive those incredible days that showcased the heart of the Finnish startup ecosystem.

03/06/2026

Maria 01 NOW Day 1 was a major success! Over 100 startups pitched across 2 stages and 10 industry tracks. We are happy to announce and celebrate our winners.

🩺 Health, Bio & MedTech – TRUEHEAR
🌱 Climate, Energy & Sustainability – Ecomiles
🎮 Games, Sport & Entertainment – Kima
📚 EdTech & Learning – Mylo
🤖 AI, Data & Automation – DollarDeploy
🛍️ Marketplace, Consumer & Wellbeing – Abbis
💳 FinTech & LegalTech – Blanks
💼 HR, Talent & Future of Work – Clarvo
🏗️ PropTech, Construction & Built Environment – Pictue
⚙️ Industry, Robotics & Hardware – Aavuus

Huge congratulations to all the track winners and every startup that took the stage yesterday. The level of innovation, ambition, and talent on display was truly impressive. ✨🏆

A special thank you to our sponsor, Helsinki, and our supporters, for Startups and , for helping make Maria 01 NOW possible, as well as and KK Gifts for making this day truly special for the winners of each industry track.

We also want to extend our gratitude to our 𝗷𝘂𝗿𝘆 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 who helped make the first day of Maria 01 NOW such a success. You brought the energy, insights, and support that made the event memorable!

We’re looking forward to seeing you tomorrow (04.06) for the final day of Maria 01 NOW and it’s big culmination - the Yard Party.

There are still a few spots available for some of the events, so don’t miss your chance to join founders, investors, and ecosystem builders from around the world.

🔗 Register now via the link in bio

01/06/2026

Tomorrow it begins – Maria 01 NOW Day 1: International Pitching Competition. Let’s meet the pitching startups!

📍 𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗦𝗣𝗔𝗖𝗘

🛍️ 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲, 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗿 & 𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 (𝟬𝟵:𝟬𝟬–𝟭𝟭:𝟭𝟬)
We See You Games (Germany / USA / Mexico), The Couture Studio (UK), Clevoy, Naistaxi, Stayingbee, Coubonga, Yazzo, Menox Events, Abbis, MoMo (Sweden), Ronroo, Sleep Better, Alveos One
💳 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵 & 𝗟𝗲𝗴𝗮𝗹𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵 (𝟭𝟭:𝟮𝟬–𝟭𝟯:𝟭𝟬)
Sabiebook (Germany), Coragrid, Polares (UK),Aurelytix (Germany), riskrate, HGB, Fundis Application, Kaamos, Blanks, Adeu AI
👥 𝗛𝗥, 𝗧𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁 & 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸 (𝟭𝟯:𝟮𝟬–𝟭𝟰:𝟰𝟬)
Clarvo, Tetra, GetBoarded, Hipped, Beezy, HavuHR, TalentSeek, Catena, KAOS by Cyborgs
🏗️ 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵, 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 & 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝗘𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 (𝟭𝟰:𝟱𝟬–𝟭𝟲:𝟭𝟬)
Auttaa (Ireland), SUPERSIGHT, Metroc, Pictue, Jaakkocom, Findable, Royer (Canada)
🤖 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆, 𝗥𝗼𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀 & 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲 (𝟭𝟲:𝟮𝟬–𝟭𝟳:𝟰𝟱)
Kessler Dynamics (India), Anarky Labs, Ashta Tech Automation (India), Twinverse, Lun, Aavuus, Everypin, Aani, Dora Health

📍 𝗟𝗔𝗥𝗦 𝗦𝗢𝗡𝗖𝗞

🩺 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵, 𝗕𝗶𝗼 & 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵 (𝟬𝟵:𝟬𝟬–𝟭𝟭:𝟭𝟬)
Sandora (Brazil), SeeYouDoc (Philippines), Logicboots (India), Ferrivia, TE3, MamaLabs (Turkey), Dentcense, ChainPeptides, TrueHear, NordicPeak Wellness, Breathome.
🌱 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲, 𝗘𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗴𝘆 & 𝗦𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 (𝟭𝟭:𝟮𝟬–𝟭𝟯:𝟭𝟬)
Chitolastic (Turkey), EcoMiles (Brazil), ExecuteESG, Reverlast, Cense Analytics, Learnsy, Tealfabric, NEXOS, Woamy, Ozonium, Metateks
🎮 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀, 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 & 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 (𝟭𝟯:𝟮𝟬–𝟭𝟰:𝟰𝟬)
Kokoon Games, Sportii, Happiness Games, Epic Scape, OrfeoLabs (Turkey), Plaemo (Argentina) – Northern Light Accelerator Alumni, Kima, Promote (UK), FeelHobby
📚 𝗘𝗱𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵 & 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 (𝟭𝟰:𝟱𝟬–𝟭𝟲:𝟭𝟬)
Voresi (Indonesia), Vetify, 7Scholar, Animlearn, Mylo (Philippines), Honestli (Greece), Articulatte, LearnEon (India)
🧠 𝗔𝗜, 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 & 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 (𝟭𝟲:𝟮𝟬–𝟭𝟳:𝟰𝟱)
Taiga, Quulio, Muuva AI, AddMeetings (Norway), AISafe Labs (Romania), DollarDeploy, IKKIO, Vaiku, iHere, Retailgrid

22/05/2026

This week, we had the pleasure of hosting a pitching coaching session for the startups taking the stage at the upcoming Maria 01 NOW International Pitching Competition on June 2nd.

A huge thank you to Aape Pohjavirta for an unforgettable 3-hour session. With his charisma, energy, and deep understanding of the startup ecosystem, Aape challenged founders to think beyond polished slides and focus on what pitching is really about.

We’re excited to see them put these learnings into action and compete at Maria 01 NOW!

Reserve your seat in the audience: https://hubs.la/Q04hCKdT0

06/05/2026

At Rise Finland 2026, entrepreneurs, investors, and ecosystem players came together around a shared question: what does it take to scale today?

One theme stood out clearly in our CEO Sarita Runeberg's keynote: international growth isn't a future milestone - it's a straight point.

The startups that break through tend to think beyond borders from day one. They design for global markets early, while staying close to local customer needs. They build diverse teams, test fast, and validate before overcommitting.

But strategy alone isn’t what sets them apart. It comes down to mindset.

Too often, we wait until things feel “ready.” But in reality, scaling companies are built through early experimentation, learning, and taking risks before there are guarantees.

That’s where the real opportunity lies for our ecosystem. And that's something established companies can learn from startups.

If we want to see more globally successful companies emerge, it’s not just about access to capital or networks - it’s about how early we’re willing to step outside our comfort zone.

Still, capital and networks play a crucial role, too. That’s exactly why we need platforms like RISE to bring the ecosystem together and enable those connections.

05/05/2026

𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗮 𝟬𝟭 𝗡𝗢𝗪. 𝗢𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗼.

In exactly one month, on June 2, Maria 01 NOW kicks off with our International Pitching Competition, and it’s shaping up to be something special.

💡 100 startups
🎤 2 stages
🏆 10 industry tracks
🌏 4 continents

Founders will take the stage to pitch their solutions in front of a jury of investors, media, and ecosystem leaders, to gain international exposure, valuable feedback and compete for tickets to Slush 2026 and Arctic15.

We’re excited to now share all 10 industry tracks and the full pitching schedules.

NOW is a moment to showcase bold ideas and connect with the people shaping what comes next. June 2 is just the beginning.

👉 Explore the full program for the remaining days and sign up: https://hubs.la/Q04fqxWP0

Join us in Helsinki. Get inspired. Discover what’s next.

29/04/2026

Applications are now OPEN for the Northern Light Accelerator – Autumn Batch 2026!

If your startup has at least one international team member and you’re ready to expand into Finland and Europe, this is your moment.

Northern Light combines hands-on market access with founder resilience support, helping you validate with real customers, gain traction, and build sustainably in a new market. The program runs from August 21st to November the 20th.

✨ What you’ll get:
• Support to reach real product–market fit, navigate sales in local and EU markets, and secure traction alongside revenue
• Outstanding network of mentors
• Direct access to the Finnish & EU startup ecosystem (based at Maria 01)
• A strong founder community + on-the-ground support in Helsinki
• An equity-free program designed by founders, for founders

The program wraps up with a Demo Day in November and the chance to attend Slush together with the Maria 01 community and fellow startups.

⚠️ We review applications on a rolling basis, and spots are limited — first come, first served. We strongly encourage applying early.

📅 Application deadline: June 6th.

👉 Learn more and apply:

As one of Europe’s leading startup hubs, Maria 01 offers deep expertise in innovation, growth, ecosystem building, and the Finnish and European startup landscape