500 high-schoolers to gather for immersive entrepreneurship event at Aalto University
Aalto University will welcome around 500 high school students from across Finland on 19-20 November for High-Up! A two-day innovation showcase that puts young people at the centre of Finland’s future.
The students will tackle Finland’s most pressing societal challenges with guidance from world-class mentors from FR8, Slush, Aalto Founder School, and beyond.
High-Up! provides opportunities for young people to connect with each other and work alongside experienced founders and the people building Finland’s startup ecosystem through one of two tracks:
- In the Builders track, students arrive with projects already underway and spend the event developing and refining them with the help of experienced mentors.
- In the Solvers track, participants start from scratch. They identify a significant problem, form a team and develop a radical solution during the two-day event.
Both tracks culminate in pitching and judging, with the strongest projects taking the stage during the High-Up! ceremony. The full programme combines workshops, expert mentoring, prototyping sessions, startup booths, pitching practice and hands-on building.
Coinciding with Slush, the globally renowned startup event held annually in Helsinki, High-Up! is designed to make participation accessible regardless of where students live or what resources they have. Participation is free, and travel, accommodation and meals are covered for every attendee.
“If we truly believe that the future of Finland belongs to the youth, then we cannot ask them to wait for it, and must give them the tools and space to build it now,” says Monika Liikamaa, Executive in Residence at Aalto University.
“We want geography or financial circumstances to be irrelevant to whether a young person gets to participate. High-Up! is about creating a room where ambitious young people from all over Finland can meet, build together and realize what they are capable of,” says Apurva Ganoo, Lecturer in Entrepreneurship at Aalto University.
High-Up! is also honoured to have Suzanne Innes-Stubb, Spouse of the President of the Republic of Finland, as its Patron. She will also present the Vuoden Innostaja, Inspirer of the Year awards on 20 November, recognizing school staff who have made a meaningful difference to young people.
“I’m honoured to support High-Up! as Patron. This event gives young entrepreneurs a fantastic opportunity to try out, develop and showcase their ideas. It shows Finland’s next generation of builders that the future has room for them, and I am proud to be a part of it,” says Suzanne Innes-Stubb
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