As startup ecosystems across the globe evolve domestically, their next stage is, without a doubt, interacting with other countries and together, creating a global startup ecosystem. The collaboration between Headstart Network Foundation and Business Finland is a result of realizing that thought exactly and the India-Finland Startup Hub has been working towards establishing meaningful relations with the startup ecosystems of either country.

To kick start this journey of learning about the Finnish startup ecosystem & the support extended by its community towards an entrepreneur’s success, here’s an interesting story of Parneet’s journey from India to Finland. Parneet Bajaj, founder and CEO of Mandatory Trainings shared his experience of starting up on a global scale from Helsinki, Finland.

Two years ago, Parneet relocated to Helsinki, Finland from Qatar as part of his plan to start his venture, Mandatory Trainings. Parneet was an Aviation Compliance Expert by profession & had identified the gaps in its training & actually being on the field and wanted to help bridge it. He went the Startup Permit route and heard back from the Finnish government within a week, though he says that it could take longer in some cases. Two months later, his wife and baby joined him as well.

The Finnish Government is very startup-friendly. They have an agile system, several accelerator programs that one can join, and quite a few plans in place to ensure funding. Business Finland is an organization that is very keen on providing any and all kinds of support to the founders. With their help, Mandatory Trainings have access to free office spaces in prime areas in Helsinki, were able to find that loans are very easily available, and ensured that their investors weren’t being greedy about equity. They also had a partnership with Helsinki University and Omnia Vocational College through which they were able to onboard interns for whom working on the field was a coveted learning opportunity.

The ecosystem in itself is well-connected and populated by people who have a helpfu temperament. Being part of this was a huge help to Parneet in navigating the bureaucracy. When it comes to scaling up, the Finnish ecosystem is one of the best, especially for edtech and gaming tech startups. Mandatory Trainings had been a part of the Marquee Accelerator Program, Helsinki Education Hub, Helsinki XR Center Developer Hub Program, and NewCo Accelerator program. Parneet himself was a speaker at Slush- the world’s leading startup conclave, as well as the Global Founders Network. Finland was there to help Mandatory Trainings and Parneet, every step of the way. In such an environment, he was able to successfully enter the international market and has expanded to several countries in Eastern Africa.

On a personal level, though you don’t have to know Finnish and can manage quite well with English, Parneet opined that picking up Finnish overtime has certainly made things that more easier.

The accounting and taxation system is quite similar to that of India and with most governmental processes being quick, online, and payments cashless, Indians can adapt with great ease. The Fins have long been proud of having the best education and healthcare systems in the world which is completely free for the citizens of Finland. Parneet is extremely glad that his kids are growing up in such a safe society. He says that the only thing that might be difficult to adapt to is the cold weather but that is also nothing a few changes in your wardrobe cannot fix.

So, that was Parneet’s India to Finland to the world story. Want to see what yours could look like? Start your journey here: https://www.headstart.in/ifsh