“Network, network, network!” – The sport and health tech theme brought the startup community together at Jyväskylä City Hall

Entrepreneurs, investors, students and researchers gathered at FORTHEM Alliance Startup Day in the Great Hall of Jyväskylä City Hall on Thursday, 12 March to explore opportunities in sport and health technology entrepreneurship. The international event attracted more than 70 participants onsite and online.

The Faculty of Information Technology at the University of Jyväskylä organised the event together with the international university network FORTHEM Alliance. The event aims to connect universities, students and the business community and encourage collaboration both locally and across Europe.

International networks matter in small markets

Speakers at the event repeatedly returned to one theme: startups need strong networks to grow. Nina Rautiainen, representing the City of Jyväskylä’s business services and the European Business Angel Network, urged entrepreneurs to look beyond money and focus on people and partnerships.

“Go and network. You have to talk to people who have what you need and who can bring something that is missing on the table.”

Rautiainen stressed that access to capital alone rarely determines whether a startup succeeds. Investors often look first at the people behind the idea, their motivation, commitment and ability to build the right team around the venture. She encouraged founders to think carefully about their own strengths and then identify what expertise is still missing. Operating in smaller markets, like Finland, makes international networks even more important.

Finland is currently one of the few countries where angel investing continues to grow according to Finnish Business Angel Network. Private investment plays a crucial role in supporting the development of early-stage companies in the country.

Go and network. You have to talk to people who have what you need and who can bring something that is missing on the table. - Nina Rautiainen

Taija Lappeteläinen from the City of Jyväskylä and Iida Laatikainen-Raussi from Sport Innovation Hub then introduced Jyväskylä’s growing sports innovation environment. They described how the city actively builds collaboration across sport, health and wellbeing, both nationally and through European initiatives.

While presenting the Hippos ecosystem, Lappeteläinen explained how Jyväskylä invests in spaces where different actors can meet naturally. One good example of such efforts is the Sport Innovation Hub, which connects research and businesses to develop new solutions side by side.

From research to global business

Tero Myllymäki, Head of Physiological Research at Firstbeat Technologies, took the audience through the company’s journey from research at the University of Jyväskylä to an internationally recognised technology business that is used in all major elite sports.

Myllymäki emphasized to aspiring entrepreneurs in the audience that building a successful company requires focus, persistence, and good timing.

"Success comes with hard work, especially in business. Beyond that, it also requires luck and the right timing. You have to focus on what you want to be the best at. If you try to do too many things at once, you risk becoming mediocre at all of them.”

Firstbeat grew out of Finnish exercise science research in 2002 and has since developed technology that analyses physiological data to better understand stress, recovery and performance. Firstbeat technology now reaches users around the world. For example, more than half of the teams in the NHL use the company’s solutions to collect and analyse athletes’ physiological data.

Despite many advances in the field, Myllymäki noted that the sports technology field still faces major challenges in interpreting large volumes of performance data. For new startups, this means there is still plenty of room to develop new, innovative solutions.

You have to focus on what you want to be the best at. If you try to do too many things at once, you risk becoming mediocre at all of them. - Tero Myllymäki

Student teams pitched new solutions

During the second half of the event, the spotlight was on two startup ideas developed by students from the Faculty of Information Technology at the University of Jyväskylä.

Saku Sourulahti presented Flyrun, an app that uses sensor technology to analyze running technique and help users improve their performance. Then, Md Mahadi Hasan and his team introduced Healify, an AI-supported physiotherapy platform aimed at improving remote rehabilitation.

After each pitch, an expert panel challenged the teams with questions about their business models, target markets and possible collaboration partners. The discussion gave the presenters practical feedback and concrete ideas for their next steps.

The panelists also offered broader advice to those looking to start a business. They encouraged early-stage teams to build a tangible demo product, surround themselves with the right people, and develop a clear understanding of the market as the first steps on turning their ideas into startups.

Networking at the heart of the event

The networking session brought together people with business ideas and experienced experts for lively discussions. Those interested in entrepreneurship and early-stage startups took the opportunity to ask practical questions about funding, product development, and next steps for building something bigger.

The next FORTHEM Startup Day will take place in the spring of 2026. Follow the JYU event page to stay updated. In the meantime, several members of the regional and Forthem entrepreneurship ecosystems will organize events where participants can continue developing their ideas and building new connections.

As Rautiainen reminded everyone during her speech, "Network, network, network."