Suomen Elinkeino- ja Kehitysyhtiöt SEKES

Name

Suomen Elinkeino- ja Kehitysyhtiöt SEKES

Legal name

Suomen Elinkeino- ja Kehitysyhtiöt SEKES ry

Website

https://sekes.fi

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Helsinki

HQ country

Finland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: SEKES operates as a non-profit association (SEKES ry) funded primarily through membership fees from its 57 member development agencies and municipal economic development offices across Finland. The association also engages in project-based funding for specific initiatives such as research surveys and metric development.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

SEKES ry is a Finnish non-profit membership association that operates as a national network of 57 regional development agencies and municipal economic development offices. It provides member services including peer learning, best practice sharing, policy advocacy, events/webinars, and research coordination. The network collectively serves approximately 40,000 businesses annually across Finland, acting as a gateway between regional development agencies and national business services such as Team Finland, Business Finland, and ELY-centres.

Product overview

Suomen Elinkeino- ja Kehitysyhtiöt SEKES is a Finnish national network association that does not offer a commercial product or SaaS platform. Rather, it functions as a federation of approximately 57 regional development agencies and municipal economic development offices operating across Finland. The organization provides member services focused on peer learning, best practice sharing, policy advocacy, information dissemination, event organization, and research coordination for its member development companies. The network collectively serves approximately 40,000 businesses annually across Finnish municipalities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SEKES Network Membership
• Impact Metrics Framework for Development Organizations
• SEKES Webinars and Training Events
• SEKESin kesäpäivät (Summer Days Conference) Annual in-person conference bringing together member development agencies for networking, peer learning, and strategic discussions. The 2026 edition is scheduled for August 19-20 in Kouvola.
• Policy Advocacy and Position Statements Formal policy position statements and advocacy on behalf of member development agencies, including submissions to Finnish legislative processes such as HE 2/2026 on amendments to the procurement law (hankintalaki).

Quantifiable outcome

• 40,000 businesses served annually by the SEKES network
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered major, supporting, core and minor.

• Navitas Kehitys OymajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 May 2026Navitas Kehitys Oy collaborated with SEKES to commission Bondata Research Oy to conduct a study on data sources for development organizations' impact metrics. Navitas managed the project and organized funding, while SEKES participated in editing the final report.
• The Startup ShortcutsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 November 2024The Startup Shortcut, an impact-driven non-profit organization for professional integration and entrepreneurship in Finland, joined SEKES as the first supporting member. It brings startup ecosystem expertise and connections to the network.
• EURADA (European Association of Regional Development Agencies)coreOthersSEKES is a member of EURADA, the European Association of Regional Development Agencies. This membership connects the Finnish development agency network to a European network of economic development agencies, enabling cross-border knowledge sharing and policy influence at the EU level.
• Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities (Kuntaliitto)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSEKES collaborates with Kuntaliitto on advocacy related to municipal economic vitality work, influencing legislation affecting development agencies, and developing municipal economic development practices. The organizations jointly advocate on public procurement law and other matters affecting municipal economic services.
• Association of Finnish Enterprises (Suomen Yrittäjät)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSEKES collaborates with Suomen Yrittäjät on advocacy, policy influence, and joint initiatives such as the 'Alueesi korona-apu yrittäjälle' (Corona aid for businesses in your area) network, which coordinated assistance to approximately 650 business advisors during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Finnish Enterprise Agencies (Suomen Uusyrityskeskukset)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSEKES collaborates with Suomen Uusyrityskeskukset on advocacy, joint webinars, and the Corona aid network. Both organizations are expert members of the SEKES association.
• Bondata Research OyminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerBondata Research Oy was commissioned by Navitas Kehitys Oy and SEKES to conduct research on data sources for impact metrics used by development organizations. The study examined 13 metrics with external data sources and 20 metrics based on agency-reported data.
• Kehittämisyhtiö Karstulanseutu OymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKehittämisyhtiö Karstulanseutu Oy co-developed the impact metrics framework for development organizations with SEKES in a 2023 project, which later informed the 2026 data sources study.
• Kehittämisyhtiö Witas OymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKehittämisyhtiö Witas Oy co-developed the impact metrics framework for development organizations with SEKES in the 2023 project.
• Team FinlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSEKES-verkosto operates as part of the Team Finland network, acting as a gateway for businesses to all business development services. SEKES participates in Team Finland regional coordination groups and contributes to Customer Advice Tool (CAT) and regional coordination development.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Enterprise Ireland: Irish state agency supporting Irish-owned enterprises in international markets. Comparable in function as a national economic development body serving regional agencies and SMEs, though it is a direct government agency rather than an association of agencies.
• Germany Trade & Invest (GTAI): Germany's federal economic development and foreign investment promotion agency. Broad incumbent covering investment promotion, business development, and location marketing, with a coordination role analogous to SEKES within the German regional development ecosystem.
• Invest in Denmark: Danish national investment promotion agency under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Functions in investment attraction and business development advisory comparable to the national-level partners of SEKES member agencies.
• Scottish Enterprise: Scotland's national economic development agency supporting business growth, innovation, and investment. Comparable mandate in regional/national business development services, though operating as a single agency rather than as an association of agencies.
• Business Finland: Finnish government's innovation funding, internationalization, and investment promotion agency. Larger, publicly funded incumbent operating in overlapping policy domains (business development, investment attraction) but with a national/global rather than regional scope; SEKES partners with Business Finland within Team Finland.
• Team Finland: Coordination network of Finnish public-sector actors providing internationalization and business development services. SEKES participates in Team Finland as the regional development agency layer; both share coordination and business-service-delivery mandates but Team Finland is the broader national umbrella.

Direct peers

• Suomen Yrittäjät (Association of Finnish Enterprises): Finnish SME and entrepreneur association. Same-country peer sharing the membership-association model, policy advocacy function, and close working relationship with SEKES (joint initiatives like the COVID-19 entrepreneur aid network).
• Finnish Enterprise Agencies (Suomen Uusyrityskeskukset): National association of Finnish enterprise agencies providing startup and entrepreneurship advisory services. Close counterpart to SEKES — both are registered associations of locally-funded service organizations, share mutual advocacy work, and SEKES's expert members include Finnish Enterprise Agencies.
• Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities (Kuntaliitto): Finnish national association representing municipalities and municipal interests. Direct peer to SEKES at the Finnish level — both are registered associations funded by member dues, advocate on municipal legislation, and serve as coordinating bodies for their respective member segments.
• EURADA (European Association of Regional Development Agencies): Brussels-based membership association representing regional development agencies across Europe. Direct peer to SEKES: both are membership associations whose members are regional economic development agencies, with overlapping missions in advocacy, peer learning, and policy influence. SEKES is itself a EURADA member.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sekes

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 Suomen Elinkeino- ja Kehitysyhtiöt SEKES