Sparkling Startups

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Building cross-border cooperation between start-up platforms to create more joint and co-operating start-ups in twinning cities of Tartu and Turku. The vision of this small project is to create methodology and culture of cross-border cooperation that will result in more joint and co-operating companies in the near future. This will be done using a range of methods, including mentoring, staff exchange, study visits and matchmaking. These activities will be extended also to companies who have already entered the platforms in both Turku and Tartu to use them as pilots for the methods that will be created in this project. This project will implement joint practices and structures for cross-border co-operation between Finnish and Estonian start-ups and potential entrepreneurs. Turku Science Park has just recently kick-started its renovated, innovative start-up activities via its SparkUp society and Tartu is at the moment setting up its own similar program. This is the perfect moment to formulate joint practices, methods and structures for matching potential SMEs from both regions from the start. As a result of this project we aim to create 6 new joint and/or cooperating companies and to support their development through early phases of startup life cycle by providing jointly developed business support activities by Tartu and Turku Science Parks. We dedicate our efforts within SPARKS project foremost to establish 1 to 3 new joint companies We expect about 80 SMEs in total to benefit from SPARKS project. Additionally to project partners around 10 other business support organizations and universities will both contribute and benefit to SPARKS initiative with know-how.

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