SPARK Finland

⭐ Last week of SPARK Finland application period ⭐ Are you investigating basic mechanisms of disease? Are you sitting on a new technology or potential pharmacotherapy with clinical potential, yet the developmental know-how is lacking? SPARK Finland supports development of novel therapeutics, diagnostics, health technologies and health IT solutions for unmet medical needs with its proven two-year program. Some examples of past projects in global SPARK programs include unmet needs in pediatric, orphan diseases, cardiovascular, oncology, inflammatory, respiratory, neurological, autoimmune indications, and infectious disease. As a SPARKee you will get 🎯 Mentoring and advice from national and international industry leaders who will help you to develop your idea towards working commercial or clinical solution  🎯 Support and experiences from SPARK managers and other SPARKees 🎯 Access to international institutions and networks as a member of SPARK Global network 🎯 Opportunities to participate and present your idea in international industrial events such as BioEurope, Nordic Life Science Days, Bio Investor Forum etc. SPARK will support financially travels to international events 🎯 Education on R&D and Business development in drug, medical device and diagnostics or health IT  🎯 Small financial contribution to de-risk your project e.g. travel grants to international events. 🎯 Access to investors and experts on commercialization Want to find out more? Contact one of our local managers to discuss whether SPARK could benefit your journey. Pasi Sorvisto | Helena Lähdekorpi | Janina Stauffer | Irina Lavikainen | Anu Meerwaldt University of Helsinki | HUS Helsingin yliopistollinen sairaala | Aalto University | Tampere University | Pirkanmaan hyvinvointialue | Turun yliopisto - University of Turku | Åbo Akademi University | Varsinais-Suomen hyvinvointialue | University of Eastern Finland | Kuopio University Hospital (KUH) - Kuopion yliopistollinen sairaala (KYS)

⭐ SPARK Finland application period has begun ⭐ Are you investigating basic mechanisms of disease? Are you sitting on a new technology or potential pharmacotherapy with clinical potential, yet the developmental know-how is lacking? SPARK Finland supports development of novel therapeutics, diagnostics, health technologies and health IT solutions for unmet medical needs with its proven two-year program. Some examples of past projects in global SPARK programs include unmet needs in pediatric, orphan diseases, cardiovascular, oncology, inflammatory, respiratory, neurological, autoimmune indications, and infectious disease. As a SPARKee you will get 🎯 Mentoring and advice from national and international industry leaders who will help you to develop your idea towards working commercial or clinical solution  🎯 Support and experiences from SPARK managers and other SPARKees 🎯 Access to international institutions and networks as a member of SPARK Global network 🎯 Opportunities to participate and present your idea in international industrial events such as BioEurope, Nordic Life Science Days, Bio Investor Forum etc. SPARK will support financially travels to international events 🎯 Education on R&D and Business development in drug, medical device and diagnostics or health IT  🎯 Small financial contribution to de-risk your project e.g. travel grants to international events. 🎯 Access to investors and experts on commercialization Want to find out more? Contact one of our local managers to discuss whether SPARK could benefit your journey and join our info session on November 11th at 2 pm via Zoom https://lnkd.in/dHFFQWnR Pasi Sorvisto | Helena Lähdekorpi | Janina Stauffer | Irina Lavikainen | Anu Meerwaldt University of Helsinki | HUS Helsingin yliopistollinen sairaala | Aalto University | Tampere University | Pirkanmaan hyvinvointialue | Turun yliopisto - University of Turku | Åbo Akademi University | Varsinais-Suomen hyvinvointialue | University of Eastern Finland | Kuopio University Hospital (KUH) - Kuopion yliopistollinen sairaala (KYS)

🎉 Exciting News from SPARK Finland 🎉 We’re proud to share the recent successes of SPARK Finland alumni. These innovative companies are making strides in healthtech and life sciences: ⭐ NADMED Ltd. secured €3.5M to expand into the U.S. with their NAD measurement technology. ⭐ MONCYTE Health raised €1M to advance their cardiovascular disease diagnostics. ⭐ Avenue Biosciences closed a $2.5M seed round for their protein engineering solutions. ⭐ MoniCardi partnered with Suunto to integrate their HRV algorithms into Suunto’s products. These achievements reflect the growing impact of Finnish university spinouts. Visit our website to learn more about our alumni’s progress! More information: https://lnkd.in/dBz6HCH9 #SPARKFinland #Healthtech #MedTech #Diagnostics #AlumniSuccess

🎉 Alumni Success Spotlight! 🎉 MONCYTE Health diagnostics, developing proprietary technology to optimize treatment and prevention of cardiovascular disease, has closed a EUR 1 million seed round to fund its go-to-market strategy. Its technology is designed to help clinicians select more effective personalized treatments for patients with high cholesterol. The round was led by Finnish venture capital investors Inventure, Almaral, and Athensmed and included funding from University of Helsinki Funds, private European investors, and a grant from Business Finland. As one of their investors aptly put it, 'We invest in companies, where great health benefits meet great business opportunities, and there is a superior team capable of executing the plan.' This statement couldn't be more true for Simon Pfisterer and Tamara Alagirova. We're thrilled to follow their journey and grateful to have them as mentors, guiding the next generation of SPARKees. More info via https://lnkd.in/d8SBYKhX

🎉 Alumni Success Spotlight! 🎉 We are thrilled to announce that one of the SPARK Finland alumni companies, MoniCardi has partnered with Suunto, a global leader in sports watches and precision instruments! Their cutting-edge technology, developed in collaboration with Tampere University, will now be powering Suunto's products, marking a major milestone in their journey. This achievement reflects the potential of research-based findings to be turned into value creating solutions.🚀 Congratulations to the entire team—this is just the beginning! 👉 Read more: https://lnkd.in/dny2AiP3 MoniCardi | Suunto | Tampere University | SPARK Finland | Esa Räsänen

If you are participating to Nordic Life Science Days next week, please come and check out our SPARK Nordics session on Tuesday and come say hi! SPARK Norway | #SPARKDenmark | SPARK Finland | Morten Egeberg | Katrine Damgaard | Anu Meerwaldt

Fall season started once again at the SPARK Finland program. The new SPARKees started their journey, and our mentoring and educational activities are now in full speed. The fall season also contains a lot of international activities. Our European webinar series is continuing, and we will have large delegations from our program at several events. Some of the key events during fall are Nordic Life Science Days (Malmö, SWE), Nordic Innovation Fair (Copenhagen, DEN), and Y Science (Helsinki, FIN). We hope that those who are interested in meeting some of the coolest project teams in the world and hear about their great projects, you come to meet us in those events. Stay tuned for more interesting news from us.

🌟 Don't miss out! A bit over two weeks left to seize this opportunity! 🌟 Join the inspiring community of projects, alumni, and mentors at SPARK Finland Mark your calendars: Info session on Monday, May 20th at 14:00 via Zoom. Apply now and ignite your future! 🚀 #SPARKFinland #KindnessIsCool

Reflecting on a great and activity-packed week in Silicon Valley with SPARK Finland and SPARK Norway. 💊 We kicked off with the Stanford Drug Discovery Symposium, skillfully organized by Joseph C. Wu and the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute team. It was again an honor for SPARK Finland and SPARK Norway to be Silver Sponsors for this esteemed event. The symposium provided invaluable insights into the latest trends ('what is hot and what is not') shaping the pharma and biotech industry, offering unparalleled networking opportunities. 💡 Our journey continued with insightful visits to the ecosystems of Stanford University, UCSF Innovation Ventures and University of California, Berkeley accompanied by engaging discussions with industry professionals. 🤝 This week reiterated the significance of face-to-face interactions in nurturing connections, fostering partnerships, and laying the groundwork for future collaborations. We are very proud of our excellent SPARK Finland and SPARK Norway project teams and alumni companies who participated to this journey! You guys rock 💪