Yritystehdas and the higher education institutions in Jyväskylä are clarifying their services
Changes will take place in the joint operations of Yritystehdas and the higher education institutions in Jyväskylä starting from autumn 2026. The services for new entrepreneurs that have in recent years been offered jointly through Yritystehdas—such as the Idea to Business -coaching, Business Coaching, and Product Development Funding—will be transferred back to the responsibility of Jyväskylä University of Applied Sciences (JAMK). Jyväskylän Yritystehdas is a jointly owned company of the City of Jyväskylä, JAMK, and the University of Jyväskylä, with the City of Jyväskylä as the main owner.
The aim of the change is to strengthen the role of higher education institutions in supporting student and staff entrepreneurship, as well as early-stage research-based business and innovation activities, and to clarify the overall service offering. The change enables Yritystehdas to focus even more strongly on supporting the commercialization of business ideas with growth potential and on startup incubator services.
“This change helps us and the higher education institutions serve their customers even better. When the universities take responsibility for supporting early-stage entrepreneurship and Yritystehdas focuses on accelerating the growth of startups, together we can offer entrepreneurs a smoother and more impactful path from idea all the way to international business. I believe our long-standing cooperation will deepen even further in the future,” says Mika Fisk, CEO of Yritystehdas.
In the future, Yritystehdas will focus on developing growth-driven and scalable business operations, coaching teams, and strengthening investment readiness. The main target group of the incubator will be startups in the Jyväskylä region with internationalization potential and ambition for rapid growth.
The restructuring clarifies the region’s overall entrepreneurship service landscape and strengthens the role of higher education institutions, particularly in supporting student- and staff-driven entrepreneurship as well as early-stage research-based ideas. Cooperation to promote entrepreneurship in the region will continue closely even after the change.
“As the services become more closely integrated with the higher education institutions’ education and RDI activities, we will be able to offer a smoother and more impactful path from idea to business. At the same time, Yritystehdas can focus on its strength—developing growth-driven startups—which benefits the vitality of the entire region,” says JAMK’s Vice Rector and member of the Yritystehdas Board, Mika Karjalainen.
“This change streamlines the division of responsibilities among the owners of the company and further strengthens the good cooperation that continues in developing business activities in the region,” summarizes Hannu Ikonen, Chair of the Board of Yritystehdas.
Further information:
Mika Fisk, CEO of Jyväskylän Yritystehdas Oy p. 040 705 9517 mika(at)yritystehdas.fi
Note for University of Jyväskylä students, researchers and staff, in spite of the afore mentioned changes, Idea to Business -coaching, Business Coaching, and Product Development Funding remain also accessible for University of Jyväskylä, as before.
