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Stories > Finding Support as an International Entrepreneur in Tampere Region

Finding Support as an International Entrepreneur in Tampere Region

30.8.2024 | Entrepreneurial journey, Grant Experiments

Harigovind Mukundan and his start up MorrowX secured a Sustainable Entrepreneurship grant in 2023. Discover Harigovind’s thoughts on their journey and gain insights on how to thrive as an international entrepreneur in the Tampere region.

Starting a business is a journey filled with highs and lows, and lessons learned. I will try to share my experience so far as a novice non-Finnish founder in Finland, the learnings, and the invaluable support received from various quarters of the startup ecosystem in Tampere. I am Harigovind Mukundan, the founder of MorrowX, a SaaS startup with the mission of simplifying and democratising the sustainability transition for businesses.

Being a founder is difficult in most parts of the world, but being a founder in a foreign country introduces an extra layer of complexity to the entrepreneurial journey. Trying to traverse through a new business landscape is challenging enough but doing so in a country where the language, cultural norms, and business practices is vastly different and adds to the challenge.

Having had to spend enormous amounts of time discovering and comprehending specific knowledge that native Finns might take for granted, I will try to quickly map out some of the support systems that are available and that I found useful. These resources, despite the challenges, have been instrumental in helping us navigate the landscape. Later I will also delve into the lessons I learned as an entrepreneur and how it has shaped the way I see and approach business. Please beware that there are numerous kinds of support available that may not be listed because of my lack of familiarity, and hence my list is non-exhaustive.

Being a founder is difficult in most parts of the world, but being a founder in a foreign country introduces an extra layer of complexity to the entrepreneurial journey.

The best support systems in Tampere region

Having worked with and in a few startups back in India, I had always wanted to start my own company, but it was a scary prospect at the time. I was accepted into the bachelor’s program in Energy and Environmental Engineering at TAMK and moved to Tampere in 2016. It was here I would start getting involved in projects over the course of my studies that would reignite the urge to start my own company. I was fortunate to find tremendous support along the way. Most of the organisations I mention are oriented towards supporting students and anyone who is eager about startups in general.

HUBS

Although I had walked past the HUBS space numerous times during my time at TAMK, it wasn’t until I took part in a course organised by HUBS (by Y-kampus at the time) that I got to learn about what actually happened in those spaces. During the course, we worked on solving real challenges faced by real companies. The course not only offered a firsthand behind-the-scenes glimpse into businesses, but also opened my eyes to working together with a group of ‘strangers’ from different backgrounds and the various perspectives they brought to the table. Having had my fair share of taking part in group projects prior to this course and thereafter, this course was by far the most enjoyable and taught me the importance of having a diverse team, a lesson that has followed me into my current venture.

Thus far, MorrowX has employed people from 8 different nationalities and diverse educational backgrounds, which has brought immense value to our organization and been instrumental in getting us to where we are now. Since then, I have also had the privilege of becoming a customer company for the courses offered by HUBS a few times, and we gained a lot of value by working with enthusiastic students during these courses. Most importantly, as a novice founder, I have found it easy to ask for help from the HUBS team, whenever I needed it, and they’ve remained supportive of my journey throughout. Last year, I also received the sustainable entrepreneurship grant, which allowed us to get some necessary marketing tools and extend the internships of some of our team members at the time.

Although I had walked past the HUBS space numerous times during my time at TAMK, it wasn’t until I took part in a course organised by HUBS (by Y-kampus at the time) that I got to learn about what actually happened in those spaces.

Tribe Tampere

During some of the courses, and later during a Demola project and a hackathon, I ended up visiting the Tribe Tampere community space a few times. At the time, this was an overwhelming place for me to be. Most people I met there talked all the time about business—knew what they were talking about—whereas I was just an engineer with an idea. But spending time with entrepreneurially-minded people at Tribe later opened new avenues for me, provided valuable contacts, and changed my views on the wisdom and value of talking about your ideas with others. You see, I was naive enough to think that someone was going to steal my idea. I used to get upset when they questioned my idea. It was my baby, and how dare anyone tell me it was ugly!

One of the most pivotal moments that happened over the course of my journey was when I stopped being upset about people criticizing my idea. That was the day I started becoming a real entrepreneur. Only after talking to numerous people about the original idea did it really begin to take shape towards becoming a real business.

Red Brick Accelerator

During one of my visits to Tribe, I came across the Red Brick accelerator program. Having since gone through both the pre-accelerator and accelerator programs, I would highly recommend it to anyone who has either an exciting business idea or an existing early-stage business but feels like there’s something blocking their progress. Over the course of a few weeks, these programs help you strengthen the foundations of what will become your business and get the basics right. These free programs also introduce you to a vast network of excellent experienced mentors and an esteemed group of alumni startups.

Platform 6

For those of you who don’t know, Platform6 is a startup hub with over 70 members. Platform6 is also our home. With their different offerings, such as subsidized office spaces, hot desks, events, and various kinds of support, Platform6 enables startups to focus on what’s most important: developing their business.

I started with the residency program, The Dock, and as we grew, we moved into our own office space. The various events introduce you to mentors and entrepreneurs from all walks of life and as well as investors. Their ongoing support for founders and teams makes it is one of the best launchpads for any startup or an entrepreneur. And the best part? Tribe, Demola, and Red Brick Accelerator — among others — also call Platform6 their home! Everything you need, is under one roof.

Ensimetri

Through the free business advisory services offered, I got to know about and subsequently took part in the Yrittäjyysbuusti program organised by the Finnish Work and Economic Development Services (TE-palvelut). I came out of this program with a business plan for my new venture. For the uninitiated, like I was at the beginning of my venture building, Ensimetri provides valuable support to get started on your entrepreneurial journey in various ways, including understanding the bureaucracy involved in establishing a business.

Looking back, every setback and victory has been a stepping stone to where we are today. The path of entrepreneurship is not just about building a business, but also about growing as individuals and a team. The support we’ve received from various actors in the startup ecosystem and the lessons learned from each mistake have been pivotal in shaping our venture.

This is part 1/2 of Harigovind’s HUBS blog posts. Stay tuned for the second one – lessons from entrepreneurship.