VTT LaunchPad accelerates the commercialization of deep technology 

VTT has been producing groundbreaking inventions for decades, but the journey of ideas from the laboratory to the world is demanding. In order to commercialize a deep tech invention, it needs significant funding, a skilled team, and unwavering market understanding. 

This need is met by VTT LaunchPad, established in 2019. It is a more advanced version of a long-standing spin-off activity that celebrated its seventh anniversary in March 2026 at the heart of the Finnish innovation field. 

Strategic coaching for growth 

Director of Incubator and Accelerator Operations Lotta Partanen is the soul and founder of VTT LaunchPad. His background in large international companies such as Philips Design, Nokia and Fortum has taught him that technical leadership alone is not enough. A business plan requires courage and a vision for real change. 

"VTT employs researchers who want to create something new and make an impact. VTT LaunchPad supports teams on their journey from idea to startup and to international funding," Partanen summarizes. 

The operating logic of VTT LaunchPad is based on the utilization of VTT-owned technology and intellectual property rights (IPR). It is not just about traditional advice, but comprehensive coaching, where researcher-driven language is translated into business potential that investors can understand. 

VTT's seal guarantees quality in the financial markets 

The goal of VTT LaunchPad is to create companies that attract millions of euros in early-stage capital investment. This requires exceptional strength from both the team and the business plan. Several companies have already emerged from the incubator and have earned their place in the eyes of international investors. 

Recent successes include Elea & Lili, which has raised €2,5 million in seed funding to industrialize its patented cellulose-based material, and Onego Bio, which is currently planning a production plant in the United States for fermented egg protein. Steady Energy, which is developing small-scale nuclear power, has also made rapid progress and has begun construction of a pilot plant in Salmisaari, Helsinki. 

A total of 16 companies have emerged from VTT LaunchPad, with a combined market value of around half a billion euros. In addition to acting as an incubator, VTT also acts as a co-investor in spin-offs through technology transfer, or in-kind investment. This provides the necessary backing when seeking capital from external investors. 

Ambition must extend from research to business 

Although the growth figures for the Finnish startup community are impressive, Partanen sees clear areas for development in the national corporate culture. The biggest challenge lies in attitudes, i.e. the lack of courage to pursue big profits and talk openly about success. 

"In Finland, success is traditionally only for athletes. We lack business role models because people often don't dare to talk about their successes." 

Finnish research is highly valued around the world, but the situation changes when we start discussing business and funding. Partanen encourages us to extend our confidence in the excellence of our own innovation beyond the research community's own forums. 

"The goals need to be high from the start. You don't always have to take the first investment offer, but the goal should be to pitch so convincingly that international financiers end up competing for the idea," he encourages.