Anyone who resides in the greater Helsinki region and identifies as a woman or non-binary. Applications from men will also be considered but the program is primarily targeted towards genders that are currently underrepresented in the startup ecosystem.

We expect you to be fluent in written and spoken English to ensure a successful learning experience.

Applications will be evaluated based on motivation and commitment to completing the program. If you are accepted to the Spark Academy, we expect active participation in the sessions.

We will select 20-25 participants for Cohort 1 running during spring (28th of February – 13th of June 2023).

It would be good to have some experience with working in the private sector. In any case, we expect you to be fluent in written and spoken English.

The program is designed as a hybrid model. We plan to have most of the workshops/activities taking place in person at Maria01, but some workshops might take place online. This will help you get to know the other participants and benefit from face-to-face interaction with coaches and mentors.

Most likely no, but you need to contact your own TE-office or municipality caseworker, because it depends on your specific situation and if you have participated in any trainings before while being unemployed.
If you are over 25 years old, it should be possible for you to participate while getting unemployment benefits, as long as you maintain your job search at the same time and remain available if a suitable position is offered to you. However, we cannot guarantee this, as the decision remains with the unemployment officials. See the relevant link for more information: 

Studies under 25 hours/week can be counted as part-time study. Our academy should qualify for this.