Naturpolis

What Naturpolis does

Naturpolis (legal name Koillis-Suomen kehittämisyhtiö Naturpolis Oy, Business ID 1940705-4) is a Finnish municipal regional development company headquartered at Keskuskuja 6, 93600 Kuusamo, jointly owned by Kuusamo City and Taivalkoski Municipality. It is the sole kehittämisyhtiö (development company) for the Koillismaa region, with service points in both Kuusamo (including Kuusamotalo) and Taivalkoski, and cooperation extending to Posio. Its mandate is to promote profitable business activity and new job creation, develop the operating environment for regional companies, and run area marketing for Kuusamo and Taivalkoski.

The company's product portfolio is organized around four core pillars — Business Services (Yrityspalvelut), Regional Development (Aluekehitys), Development Projects (Kehittämishankkeet), and Regional Marketing (Aluemarkkinointi) — supplemented by Employment Services, a Property and Premises Service, the Koillinen Idea Workshop, the Koillinen Idea Funding program, a regional Business Directory, an Event Calendar, and industry-specific initiatives such as the Wood Product Industry Future Forum and the KUUBIO bio and circular economy industrial area. All advisory services are provided free of charge to entrepreneurs and businesses in the region.

Naturpolis operates a publicly funded, project-based revenue model rather than a commercial sales motion. Income is sourced from EU programs (EAKR/REACT-EU), the Regional Council of North Ostrobothnia (Pohjois-Pohjanmaan liitto), national funds, Ely-keskus, and municipal contributions from Kuusamo and Taivalkoski. The go-to-market is event-driven — morning coffee sessions, workshops, the Business Forum Ruka event series, and direct face-to-face advisory — backed by a website (naturpolis.fi), the Koillismaa regional brand portal, email newsletters via Creamailer, and organic social on Facebook and Instagram. Revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Naturpolis

Legal name

Koillis-Suomen kehittämisyhtiö Naturpolis Oy

Website

https://naturpolis.fi

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Naturpolis is a Finnish municipal regional development company owned by Kuusamo City and Taivalkoski Municipality, delivering free business advisory, employment services, EU-funded development projects, and area marketing to entrepreneurs and SMEs across the Koillismaa region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Development Services

NAICS

Administration of Urban Planning and Community and Rural Development (925120), Administrative and Support Services (561)

SIC

Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744)

akta.pro primary industry

Economic Development & Business Licensing (Local) (BPAIACAN)

Keywords

• Regional development services
• Business advisory services
• Municipal development funding
• Employment services
• Regional marketing

Headquarters

HQ city

Kuusamo

HQ country

Finland

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Project-based funding (EU, regional, national): Naturpolis operates as a publicly funded regional development company. The company implements various development projects funded by EU programs (such as EAKR/REACT-EU), regional councils (Pohjois-Pohjanmaan liitto), and national funding. Revenue comes from project subsidies and municipal contributions rather than commercial revenue generation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Naturpolis is a municipally-owned regional development company that provides free business advisory, manages regional development projects, runs regional marketing initiatives, and delivers employment services for companies and job-seekers in the Kuusamo and Taivalkoski municipalities of Northeast Finland. Its services are funded through municipal contributions and project-based grants from national and EU development programs rather than charged to clients.

Product overview

Naturpolis is a regional development company (Kehittämisyhtiö) owned by Kuusamo city and Taivalkoski municipality. The company operates as a unified service organization rather than a software platform, offering a portfolio of complementary services centered on four core pillars: Business Services (Yrityspalvelut), Regional Development (Aluekehitys), Development Projects (Kehittämishankkeet), and Regional Marketing (Aluemarkkinointi). These core services are supplemented by specialized sub-products including Employment Services, Property Services, the Koillinen Idea Workshop and Funding programs, Business Directory, and Event Calendar. The portfolio also includes industry-specific initiatives such as the Wood Product Industry Future Forum and the Kuubio bio and circular economy industrial area.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Business Advisory Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 223 million euros in tourism revenue generated for Kuusamo region in 2025

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Oulun Yliopisto (University of Oulu)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Main implementer in PUUBIO project and partner in KOILLISPUU and other wood industry development initiatives. Collaborates on wood construction innovation, timber processing, and circular economy solutions.
• Suomen Metsäkeskus (Finnish Forest Centre)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Partner in WoodCircles - Kestävää kasvua project and Puutuotealan tulevaisuusfoorumi (Wood Products Industry Future Forum). Cooperates on sustainable wood construction and circular economy.
• Puutuoteteollisuus ry (Finnish Wood Products Association)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Partner in Uudistuva Puutuoteala 2030 (Renewing Wood Products Industry) project and WCA network. Collaborates on wood construction regulation, digital product information, and sustainability requirements.
• Kuhmon kaupunki (Kuhmo municipality)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Partner in WOOD+ project for sustainable wood construction environment development in Kuhmo. Part of the Eastern Finland wood products cluster cooperation.
• Posion kunta (Posio municipality)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Partner in KOILLISPUU - Kestävän puurakentamisen ympäristön kehittäminen Posiolla project. Active in regional development cooperation and Work & Stay initiatives.
• Centria-ammattikorkeakoulucoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Partner in KASVA (Kestävää kasvua mikro- ja pienyrityksiin) project focused on sustainable growth for micro and small enterprises through TKI activities and business services cooperation. Centria conducted 3D printing material research with waterweed biomass.
• Luonnonvarakeskus (Luke) - Natural Resources Institute FinlandminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Research partner in food and natural product sector studies, providing expertise on berries, mushrooms, wild herbs and Arctic growing conditions for food and natural product industry development.
• Pohjois-Pohjanmaan liitto (Regional Council of North Ostrobothnia)coreOthers · 1 January 2025Funding authority for EU-supported projects. Manages regional development funding and acts as controlling authority for project operations under EU regulations.
• Ely-keskus (Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment)minorOthers · 1 January 2025Regional authority involved in project funding and business development support services in North Ostrobothnia.
• ProAgria Pohjois-SuomiminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partner in Biomassat kiertoon Koillismaalla (Biomass to Circular Economy in Koillismaa) project. Provides expertise on fish farming, water treatment, and circular economy solutions.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Posintra Oy: Porvoo-region municipal development company delivering free business advisory, EU project management, and area marketing — directly comparable in operating model and municipal ownership structure.
• Mikkelin kehittämisyhtiö Miksei Oy: Mikkeli-region municipal development company offering business services, project coordination with EU funding, and regional economic development work comparable to Naturpolis's mandate in Koillismaa.
• Prizztech Oy: Pori-region kehittämisyhtiö owned by Pori and surrounding municipalities, delivering free business services, EU-funded development projects, and regional marketing — a near-identical operating model to Naturpolis.
• Cursor Oy: Kotka-Hamina regional development company (Kehittämisyhtiö) owned by its member municipalities, providing business advisory, development projects, and area marketing — structurally identical to Naturpolis, just for a different region.
• Navitas Yrityskehitys Oy: Kotka-area regional development company providing business services, employment support, and EU project coordination for SMEs in its region — matches Naturpolis's service bundle and municipal ownership.
• KOSEK (Kokkolan seudun kehittäminen): Kokkola-region kehittämisyhtiö with a similar municipal-ownership structure, providing business advisory, EU project work, and area marketing comparable to Naturpolis.

Broad incumbents

• Business Oulu: City-of-Oulu-owned economic development agency offering broader business services, internationalization, and innovation programs — a larger and better-resourced incumbent performing overlapping functions in the same macro region (North Ostrobothnia).
• Innovasjon Norge: Norwegian national innovation and development agency combining business advisory, regional development, and internationalization services — a larger-scale counterpart in a neighboring Nordic market performing analogous functions.

Others

• ProAgria: Finnish agricultural and rural advisory organization partnering with Naturpolis on primary production. It is not a direct competitor but an ecosystem participant delivering overlapping rural-business advisory services to the same clientele.

Regional players

• Business Jyväskylä: City of Jyväskylä's economic development company delivering business services and project-based development for SMEs in Central Finland — comparable service offering in a different geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/naturpolisoy
• Facebookfacebook.com/NaturpolisOy
• Instagraminstagram.com/koillismaa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/naturpolis

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 Naturpolis