This assessment gathered responses from migrant and second-generation migrant entrepreneurs active in Finland’s startup ecosystem.
The results revealed a mixed landscape. Culture scored highest, highlighting the strong entrepreneurial mindset and resilience that migrants bring to the ecosystem, in line with OECD data showing above-average entrepreneurship rates among immigrant populations. But most strikingly, networks scored 0, pointing to the acute difficulties migrants face in accessing the informal circles and trusted relationships that are often critical to success in Finland.
These findings underline a paradox: while migrants bring high entrepreneurial drive and potential, systemic and cultural barriers, from restrictive policy proposals to exclusionary networks, continue to limit their full participation in Finland’s innovation economy. The results call for urgent attention to how entrepreneurship support systems can be made more open, transparent, and inclusive for migrant founders.