The Shortcut

Why should you come to our Spark Program Opening Day: Immigrant Entrepreneurship & Vision for Finland? 🤔🤔🤔 Well, for one thing, you’ll get a front row seat to the inspiring speech by the brilliant Fadumo Ali - one of our special guests and the keynote speaker for this event! ✨ Fadumo is a successful entrepreneur and the Founder & CEO of Hoiwa. With a strong passion for achieving results and developing innovative solutions, Fadumo has transitioned from her previous career to focus fully on entrepreneurship. Under her leadership, Hoiwa has grown into a significant player in its field. Her entrepreneurial philosophy centers on creating sustainable solutions and driving positive change both in the business world and in society. We’re thrilled to have Fadumo Ali at our Spark Program Opening Day to inspire and uplift the next cohort of female and non-binary business founders. Seats are limited, so don’t miss out! 👉 Grab your free ticket here: https://lnkd.in/dPtepV9K  But that’s not all! The event will also include a panel discussion with politicians and past Spark participants on Supporting Foreign Entrepreneurship in Finland. The panelists will be revealed later this week, so stay tuned! The Spark Program wouldn’t be possible without our wonderful partners: Grow with Google, Yksityisyrittäjäin Säätiö, Business Helsinki #theshortcut #spark

❗❗ Save the Date: 10th September 2024 📅 We're kicking off the next Spark Program in a major way with The Spark Program Opening Day: Immigrant Entrepreneurship & Vision for Finland! 🚀 As we celebrate the new Cohort of talented business founders, we need to address the current reality in Finland, namely the misinformed political and economic policies that put immigrants at a huge disadvantage and limit their entrepreneurial potential. In light of this, the event will feature: ✨ Keynote speech from the inspirational Fadumo Ali, CEO of Hoiwa ✨ Panel discussion with politicians and Spark alumni to confront the situation and find the way forward Join us at Maria 01 to support the new Spark Cohort and be part of the vision we have for Finland: diverse, entrepreneurial, and a truly happy country for all. 👉 Register here: https://lnkd.in/d93fm5DQ #theshortcut #spark #entrepreneurship

We were thrilled to welcome the delegation from Work in Finland to our office last week! 🤝 It was an absolute pleasure getting the know the amazing people in the delegation, give them a brief overview of what we do at The Shortcut, and see how much synergy we have in terms of our mission and scope of work. The lively discussion that followed centered mainly on how we could help each other to reach our common goal in making Finland a better place for international talents, and also potential future collaborations too! Laura Lindeman Hanna Riski Divya Narang Harry Berg Shalini Sharma Jenni Falck Annamari Soikkeli #theshortcut #workinfinland

Say hello to our Entrepreneur of the Month: Eduardo Solorzano Tejeda! Eduardo is an experienced graphic designer who's running his own business to help companies develop their digital products (UX/UI design) and improve their visual branding. A member of The Shortcut's community since 2019, he's now proud to share his accomplishments and lessons learned as an entrepreneur. 💼 Learn more about Eduardo's journey below: 👉 https://lnkd.in/dJr-2EVm #theshortcut #talentcommunity #entrepreneurship

A Spark Program participant was featured on Helsingin Sanomat! 🤩 📰 Tássia Rebelo created Secret Club as a way to connect with like-minded women in Helsinki and combat loneliness. With the motto "Don't be afraid to be unapologetically friendly", the initiative quickly blossomed and now the community has expanded to include a newsletter and over 100 members! Read the featured article (in Finnish) here: 🔗 https://lnkd.in/d5SBWhMj As we celebrate the success of past Spark participants, we're also reviewing applications the next cohort of inspirational female and non-binary business founders. 💎 Applications are open for a few more hours today (until midnight), so there is time still to take the leap and apply to Spark! 👉 https://bit.ly/4evGkOP #theshortcut #spark #entrepreneurship

A Spark Program participant was featured on Helsingin Sanomat! 🤩 📰 Tássia Rebelo created Secret Club as a way to connect with like-minded women in Helsinki and combat loneliness. With the motto "Don't be afraid to be unapologetically friendly", the initiative quickly blossomed and now the community has expanded to include a newsletter and over 100 members! Read the featured article (in Finnish) here: 🔗 https://lnkd.in/d5SBWhMj As we celebrate the success of past Spark participants, we're also reviewing applications the next cohort of inspirational female and non-binary business founders. 💎 Applications are open for a few more hours today (until midnight), so there is time still to take the leap and apply to Spark! 👉 https://bit.ly/4evGkOP #theshortcut #spark #entrepreneurship

This is your last chance to apply to our Spark Program cohort for Autumn 2024! ➡️ Applications are closing tomorrow, 22.8, at 23:59. Why should you join the ✨Spark Program✨? 💼 Because you want to start your own business 👥 Because you want to be in an inspiring community of fellow female and non-binary entrepreneurs who understand your struggles and dreams 🚀 Because you deserve easy access to hands-on information, networks, and growth opportunities It's time to turn your dream into a reality! Join the leading entrepreneurship program in Finland for female and non-binary people who want to kick-start their business. 🔥 Ignite your Spark and apply now: https://bit.ly/4evGkOP The Spark Program wouldn’t be possible without our wonderful partners: Grow with Google, Yksityisyrittäjäin Säätiö, Business Helsinki. #theshortcut #spark #entrepreneurship

"I learnt that I truly can and will be able pursue what I dream of." Hear how our Spark Program can help you cross the bridge between academia and entrepreneurship from Pooja Manjunath, founder of Share-ColLAB, an innovative sustainable resource-sharing platform for biological science research institutes. 👩🔬 🧬 As a researcher, Pooja saw first-hand how often valuable reagents and equipment go unused or are discarded in the lab. This inspired her to create a resource-sharing platform that is sustainable and reuse-oriented, where research institutes can share surplus materials, unused reagents, and lightly used equipment. "The platform also encourages collaboration by allowing users to share research tools, such as specialized equipment, reducing the need for multiple purchases and promoting resource efficiency. Additionally, we offer a database of protocols and experimental materials that can be shared, reducing duplication of effort and promoting innovation. We aim to enhance sustainability in scientific research, making it both cost-effective and environmentally responsible. This initiative not only reduces waste but also builds a stronger, more collaborative scientific community." For Pooja, the best thing about Spark was having a great community of like-minded women, which gave her a newfound confidence to pursue her business goal. 💪 "The best part of the Spark Academy was finding this great group of women who are so driven. Spark brought us all together and thrive in what we do. This is an incredibly supportive environment where we learn not just how we run the business but understand the 'emotion of the business'. I learnt that I truly can and will be able pursue what I dream off. By the end of the course, I got validation about myself by myself. I learnt to appreciate myself more. " To her fellow researchers who may be on the fence about entrepreneurship, Pooja encourages them to get out of their comfort zone and take a chance on Spark, emphasizing the uniqueness and practicality of the program. "As researchers, we live in the academic bubble which is then surrounded by walls of misconception about the world outside. There are tools in the university to help researchers to take their ideas out but it's nothing like Spark. Here we learn to partially think and give a reality check of the market for your idea. Most importantly, it creates a lot of self awareness on how to be a founder and thrive." Want to follow in Pooja's footstep and take the leap from academia to entrepreneurship? Applications for Spark is open now until 22.8! ✨ 👉 https://bit.ly/4evGkOP The Spark Program wouldn’t be possible without our wonderful partners: Grow with Google, Yksityisyrittäjäin Säätiö, Business Helsinki #theshortcut #spark #entrepreneurship

"I learned about myself that I am more driven and resourceful than I gave myself credit for." One of our Spark alumni, Adriana Delgado - founder of Gnosis-Paidia, shared how she discovered her entrepreneurial potential with the support from our Spark Program. ✨ "I learned that, with the tools taught in the program, I am able to plan my actions and successfully carry them through. I left the program feeling much more confident in my ability to successfully run my business." "The Spark Program transformed my business idea into something more ambitious and with more impact than I had initially conceived. I was encouraged to think bigger, and guided towards the right steps and support to concretize that vision. I learned how to communicate my business idea more clearly, and tightened my business concept." For those who are still considering applying for Spark, Adriana also added: "If you are unsure whether to apply, I wholeheartedly encourage you to go for it! You will meet other entrepreneurs and find peer support and inner strength to carry out your business. You will learn that entrepreneurship doesn’t have to be a lonely path, nor do you have to be super-human to make it work." What are you waiting for? 👉 Apply to Spark here: https://bit.ly/4evGkOP The Spark Program wouldn’t be possible without our wonderful partners: Grow with Google, Yksityisyrittäjäin Säätiö, Business Helsinki. #theshortcut #spark #entrepreneurship

The Finnish government's proposed three/six-month unemployment rule is misinformed, counter-productive, and incredibly short-sighted. It leaves the already diminishing foreign workforce at a precarious position, without addressing real systemic issues in current employment practices. As an organization that works directly with the immigrant community, The Shortcut stands firmly against this proposal, which clearly does not have Finland's best interests in mind. 📢 Let your voice be heard by submitting comments on the legislation here (deadline 16.8): https://lnkd.in/dT6heAPV