Soihtu

What Soihtu does

Soihtu is a non-profit student housing operator headquartered in Jyv\u00e4skyl\u00e4, Finland, functioning as the real estate and housing business unit of the Student Union of the University of Jyv\u00e4skyl\u00e4 (JYY). It manages approximately 20 residential buildings across three locations \u2013 Kortepohja Student Village (the largest, including the new U-talo completed April 2025), Soihtu Korttelikyl\u00e4 in M\u00e4ki-Matti, and Soihtu Vehkakuja \u2013 serving primarily University of Jyv\u00e4skyl\u00e4 students plus student families, exchange students, and non-students when capacity allows. The portfolio includes a mix of studios, shared apartments, and family units, with some buildings operating under state-subsidized VARKE (formerly ARA) housing rules.

The technology stack is built around Visma Tampuuri for apartment search, applications, and reservations, integrated with proprietary digital services including the Mun Soihtu resident portal (rental management, payments, transfer requests), the Varauspalvelu booking system for saunas, laundry turns, and study rooms at varaus.soihtu.fi, and the Emma browser-based inspection tool launched in May 2026. Ancillary services include parking (cold/ heated/ carport/ electric at \u20ac11\u2013\u20ac33/month), the Rentukka community building (gym, restaurant, study spaces, event venues), and the Ilokivi event venue.

Soihtu operates a direct-to-consumer model with no third-party distributors. Revenue is generated through monthly subscription-style rent (with 1.9%/month increases approved for 2026), venue and meeting space rentals, and parking fees; rent is all-inclusive, bundling electricity, water in most locations, broadband via Lounean, laundry, common sauna bookings, gym access, and study/hobby spaces. Marketing is conducted primarily through Soihtu's own website (asu.soihtu.fi, hae.soihtu.fi, soihtu.fi), Instagram channels, monthly Asukasinfo resident newsletters, community events such as Kest\u00e4v\u00e4 Kyl\u00e4, and direct access to JYY's membership. Soihtu has a wholly-owned property maintenance subsidiary (Soihtu Kiinteist\u00f6huolto), has secured Finland's first green financing from Kuntarahoitus, and is pursuing a JYY-approved carbon-neutrality roadmap by 2025.

Name

Soihtu

Legal name

Soihtu

Website

https://soihtu.fi

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Soihtu is the non-profit student housing business unit of the University of Jyv\u00e4skyl\u00e4 Student Union (JYY), managing roughly 20 buildings across three Jyv\u00e4skyl\u00e4 locations with all-inclusive rent, digital resident portals, and ancillary venue and parking services for the student population.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Student Housing Services

NAICS

Rooming and Boarding Houses, Dormitories, and Workers' Camps (721310), Rooming and Boarding Houses, Dormitories, and Workers' Camps (7213)

SIC

Operators Of Apartment Buildings (6513), Services-To Dwellings & Other Buildings (7340)

akta.pro primary industry

On-Campus Residence Hall Operations & Management (EDAEAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Off-Campus Purpose-Built Student Housing (PBSA) Management (BPAJAJAB), Short-Term Student Housing (Summer/Intensive Programs) (EDAIALAF)

Keywords

• Student housing rentals
• Student apartment management
• Residential property services
• Student accommodation leasing
• Community housing facilities

Headquarters

HQ city

Jyväskylä

HQ country

Finland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Student Apartment Rent: Monthly rental income from student apartments across three housing locations (Kortepohja Student Village, Soihtu Korttelikylä, Soihtu Vehkakuja). Rent includes utilities (electricity, internet), laundry access, common sauna bookings, gym access, and study/hobby spaces. Average rent increase of 1.9%/month approved for 2026.
2. Event and Meeting Venue Rental: Rental of celebration and meeting spaces at Rentukan and Ilokivi for tenants and external customers, providing inspiring environments for meetings, celebrations and leisure activities.
3. Parking Fees: Monthly parking fees for residents including cold parking (11 €/month), heated post parking (13 €/month), cold parking in carport (15 €/month), heated parking in carport (23 €/month), and electric car parking (33 €/month).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Soihtu develops and manages student rental housing owned by the Student Union of the University of Jyväskylä (JYY), operating approximately 20 buildings across three locations in Jyväskylä — Kortepohjan ylioppilaskylä, Soihtu Korttelikylä, and Soihtu Vehkakuja. The offering includes all-inclusive monthly rent (covering electricity, internet, laundry, sauna, gym, and study spaces), digital resident services via the Mun Soihtu portal and Varauspalvelu reservation system, event and meeting venue rentals at Rentukka and Ilokivi, and monthly parking.

Product overview

Soihtu is the business unit of the Student Union of the University of Jyväskylä (JYY), providing student housing services across three main residential locations in Jyväskylä: Kortepohjan ylioppilaskylä (the largest student village), Soihtu Korttelikylä, and Soihtu Vehkakuja. The portfolio includes approximately 20 residential buildings offering studios, shared apartments, and family housing. Soihtu provides a digital resident ecosystem centered on Mun Soihtu (tenant portal) and Varauspalvelu (reservation service for amenities), complemented by the Emma inspection tool launched in 2026. The offering includes extensive community facilities such as Rentukka (community center with gym, restaurant, and study spaces), Ilokivi Venue (event space), and various shared amenities including saunas, laundry rooms, fitness facilities, and outdoor areas. Sustainability is integrated through features like the Vaihdukka swap market, urban gardening plots, and solar panel installations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Kortepohjan ylioppilaskyla (Student Village)

Quantifiable outcome

• Tower building renovations reduce lifecycle carbon footprint by one third
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and major.

• Sovatek-säätiöminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 November 2024Sovatek Foundation collaborated with Jyväskylä University communication students on Green Week campaign (November 18-22, 2024) to support rehabilitation work and promote sustainable living among students.
• Visma TampuuricoreTechnology or Integration · 2 October 2023Visma Tampuuri provides Soihtu's apartment search website, application forms, and reservation applications. Their electronic services largely meet WCAG 2.1 AA-level accessibility requirements. Soihtu directs users to Tampuuri systems for housing search and reservation functionality.
• Jyväskylän yliopiston Resurssiviisausyhteisö JYU.WisdomcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 September 2022JYU.Wisdom conducted carbon and nature footprint assessment for JYY and Soihtu to map their environmental impact as part of sustainability planning.
• Osuuskauppa KeskimaamajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 March 2019JYY and Keskimaa signed a letter of intent for constructing commercial spaces in Kortepohja center. Keskimaa is committed to developing the entire neighborhood district.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• PSOAS (Pohjois-Suomen opiskelija-asuntosäätiö): Oulu student housing foundation serving University of Oulu and Oulu University of Applied Sciences students. Direct peer under the same Finnish student housing foundation structure with state-subsidized housing, comparable digital services, and similar community programming.
• KOAS (Kuopion opiskelija-asuntosäätiö): Kuopio student housing foundation providing student apartments in the Kuopio university area. Operates the same non-profit foundation model with public-subsidy-financed housing and is directly comparable in scale and structure to Soihtu.
• HOAS (Helsinki Student Housing Foundation): Largest student housing foundation in Finland, providing student apartments in the Helsinki metropolitan area. Direct peer operating under the same student-union-owned / non-profit model and serving as the benchmark for Finnish student housing providers like Soihtu.
• TOAS (Tampereen opiskelija-asuntosäätiö): Tampere student housing foundation operating under the same Finnish student housing foundation model. Provides comparable non-profit student apartments, digital services, and community programming for Tampere university students.
• LOAS (Lappeenrannan opiskelija-asuntosäätiö): Lappeenranta student housing foundation operating in the LUT university area. Comparable non-profit student housing provider with similar municipal/state-subsidy financing model and small-city university footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Unite Students: UK-listed PBSA operator with a large, multi-city portfolio. Comparable in core offering (purpose-built student housing with digital platforms), but operates at much larger scale and as a for-profit public company.
• iQ Student Accommodation: Large UK-based PBSA operator with nationwide portfolio. Comparable in offering student housing with digital amenities, but operates at a broader commercial scale than Soihtu's single-city nonprofit model.

Regional players

• Studentbostäder i Norden (Stena): Swedish student housing operator under Stena, providing PBSA in Sweden. Comparable in operating purpose-built student housing and digital tenant services, but operates in a different Nordic geography.

Others

• Visma Tampuuri: Software vendor whose property management platform Soihtu relies on for apartment search, applications, and reservations. Comparable as an ecosystem partner that enables Soihtu's digital tenant operations.
• Municipal Finance (Kuntarahoitus): Finnish municipal financing entity that provided Soihtu's green financing. Comparable as a key capital partner for Soihtu's sustainability-linked renovation and construction programs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/soihtuasuminen
• Facebookfacebook.com/kortepohja
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/soihtu-business-unit-of-jyy

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Soihtu