An interview with Kiuas CEO, Aaro Isosaari, who is studying master’s program of Industrial Engineering and Management at Aalto University. Kiuas is the top startup accelerator in Finland led by a student team.

We exist to support early-stage startups in their journey from idea to first revenue.”
– Kiuas

Kiuas was originated from Aalto Entrepreneurship Society from 2017 and has run independently as a non-profit entity since the end of 2018. It is dedicated to support early-stage startups to bring in their first revenue with a versatile coach pool and highly-praised annual programs and activities.

In Finnish, Kiuas means the sauna stove, which suits the accelerator spirit perfectly in a country with endless passion for sauna. The programs and Kiuas provides for startups are completely free and zero-equity. It is passionate to help the startup community thrive in Finland as the coaches are all providing pro bono mentoring.

Every year Kiuas runs two major programs – Start & Accelerator Program.
Kiuas Start Program runs 2 batches each year as a 3-week intensive pre-accelerator program, organizing in the evenings and weekends. This is suitable for students or those with full-time jobs. Start Program has received great ratings (9.5/10) from previous alumni.

Kiuas Accelerator Program runs every summer for 9 weeks, which provide supports for startup marketing and scaling.

Kiuas is located in Startup Sauna inside Aalto Otaniemi Campus along with other leading student-run organizations, including Aaltoes, Startuplifers and Junction. They are all crucial players of startup ecosystem in Finland.

If you’re interested in startups, check out the FAQ on Kiuas’ website to know more about its programs and recourses for startups.

Hsiao-Pei Liao,
Creative Sustainability Master Program