Helsinki Business Hub

What Helsinki Business Hub does

Helsinki Business Hub is the international trade, investment, and tourism promotion agency for the Finnish capital region, established in 2006 and operated by the City of Helsinki as a municipal government service. The agency is delivered through the official MyHelsinki platform (myhelsinki.fi) and operates three co-located sub-brands — Helsinki Business Hub, Helsinki Partners, and Helsinki Convention Bureau — that cover the agency's investor, expansion, and event functions respectively. All services are provided free of charge, with no commercial pricing model; funding flows from the City of Helsinki municipal budget.

Its service portfolio is organized around four functional pillars: Invest in Helsinki (investment promotion and venture matchmaking via the Venture Nordics program), Expand to Helsinki (business expansion support via the 90 Day Finn and 90 Hour Helsinki structured programs), Meet in Helsinki (convention bureau services for congress and meeting planners), and For Travel Trade (sustainable destination services for tour operators and travel agencies). The underlying technology is a standard city-operated web portal that publishes investment guides, sector reports, expansion checklists, and program application forms, supplemented by social media channels on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Distribution is direct and digital-first: prospective clients self-serve through the website or are admitted into curated programs via direct application.

The agency explicitly concentrates its investment promotion on five strategic sectors — Quantum Technology, Artificial Intelligence, Data Centres, Green Hydrogen, and Healthcare — and positions Helsinki as a "Gateway to Europe" for companies entering the continent via the Nordic region. Its competitive position is anchored on three external assets it does not own but leverages: Helsinki's brand reputation across international rankings, the concentration of 60% of Finland's FDI and 70+ Forbes Global 2000 companies in the Helsinki region, and a labor force where 50% of working-age residents hold a university-level degree.

Name

Helsinki Business Hub

Legal name

City of Helsinki

Website

https://helsinkibusinesshub.fi

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Helsinki Business Hub is the City of Helsinki's official municipal agency for international trade, investment, and tourism promotion, offering free advisory and structured programs to international investors, expanding companies, congress planners, and travel trade professionals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Economic Development and Investment Promotion Services

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

SIC

Services-Business Services, Nec (7389)

akta.pro primary industry

Export Promotion & Market Access Support (BPADAMAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Economic Development & Business Licensing (Local) (BPAIACAN)

Keywords

• Investment promotion services
• Business expansion advisory
• Convention bureau services
• Economic development agency
• Foreign direct investment

Headquarters

HQ city

Helsinki

HQ country

Finland

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Helsinki Business Hub provides free, city-backed international trade and investment promotion services for the Helsinki region. Its core offerings are organized around four pillars: Invest in Helsinki (investment opportunity guidance and venture network access), Expand to Helsinki (business setup, expansion support, and local partner identification), Meet in Helsinki (convention bureau services for congress and event organizers), and For Travel Trade (destination promotion for travel professionals). These services are delivered through structured programs including 90 Day Finn, 90 Hour Helsinki, and Venture Nordics, and focus on key sectors such as Quantum Technology, AI, Data Centres, Green Hydrogen, and Healthcare.

Product overview

Helsinki Business Hub (operating as part of myhelsinki.fi) is a city-level economic development and tourism promotion organization offering a portfolio of business services organized into four main pillars: Invest in Helsinki (investment promotion), Expand to Helsinki (business expansion support), Meet in Helsinki (convention bureau), and For Travel Trade. The organization delivers these services through structured programs including 90 Day Finn, Venture Nordics, and 90 Hour Helsinki, while also promoting key strategic sectors (Quantum Technology, AI, Data Centres, Green Hydrogen, Healthcare) to international businesses and investors. It is not a software product but rather a government-backed economic development entity.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 90 Day Finn: A Helsinki business program designed to help professionals establish themselves in Helsinki.
• 90 Hour Helsinki
• Venture Nordics
• Helsinki Gateway to Europe

Products and services

• Invest in Helsinki

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Stockholm Business Region: Municipal investment promotion agency for the Stockholm region, offering foreign-investor attraction, business expansion support, and meeting/event services. Directly comparable in mandate, structure, and free public-service model to Helsinki Business Hub, and Helsinki's closest Nordic competitor for inbound capital.
• Amsterdam inBusiness: Official foreign investment agency of the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area, run as a partnership between the municipality and private sector. Directly comparable in mission (international investment promotion, business establishment, meeting/congress support) and competes with Helsinki Business Hub for European inbound FDI.
• Berlin Partner für Wirtschaft und Technologie: Berlin's official business and technology promotion agency, jointly owned by the Berlin Senate and industry. Comparable to Helsinki Business Hub in delivering investment promotion, cluster development (in Berlin's case around tech, mobility, life sciences), and international business services.
• Business Sweden: Swedish government's trade and investment promotion agency, owned by the State and the Swedish business community. Comparable to Helsinki Business Hub in providing investment promotion and expansion advisory, but at the national (Sweden) level rather than city level, and a regional competitor for Nordic inbound capital.
• Copenhagen Capacity: Copenhagen's official investment promotion agency, founded by the City of Copenhagen and Greater Copenhagen municipalities. Provides foreign-investor services, business expansion advisory, and international marketing — a near-identical model and competitor to Helsinki Business Hub in the Nordics.
• London & Partners: Not-for-profit company, funded by the Mayor of London, that delivers trade, investment, and tourism promotion for London. Same official city-backed investment promotion mandate as Helsinki Business Hub, and a major competitor for international events, FDI, and corporate relocations.
• Hamburg Invest: Hamburg's investment promotion agency, providing foreign-investor services and business establishment support under the city's economic authority. Same city-level investment promotion mandate as Helsinki Business Hub, focused on logistics, green industries, and tech — overlapping with Helsinki on data centres and green hydrogen.
• Oslo Region: Inter-municipal cooperation for the Oslo region promoting business development, talent attraction, and international positioning. Comparable to Helsinki Business Hub as a Nordic regional agency and a direct competitor for capital city FDI in Scandinavia.

Broad incumbents

• Visit Finland: Finland's national tourism marketing authority, a Business Finland subsidiary. While Helsinki Business Hub focuses on investment and business expansion, Visit Finland covers the country's leisure/convention tourism promotion — overlapping with HBH's Meet in Helsinki and Travel Trade functions.
• Business Finland: Finnish government organization for trade, investment, and innovation promotion at the national level. Overlaps with Helsinki Business Hub on investment promotion and international business services, and competes for the same inbound FDI leads, though operating at country rather than city scope.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/myhelsinki
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/helsinkipartners
• Instagraminstagram.com/myhelsinki
• Xx.com/hbh_hq

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Helsinki Business Hub