The Students' Union of Tampere University of Applied Sciences (Tamko)

What The Students' Union of Tampere University of Applied Sciences (Tamko) does

Tamko (The Students' Union of Tampere University of Applied Sciences, legally "Tampereen ammattikorkeakoulun opiskelijakunta Tamko") is a Finnish non-profit student union founded in 1912, serving the roughly 10,000 enrolled students of Tampere University of Applied Sciences (TAMK). It holds the statutory mandate to represent TAMK students in university governance and to collect membership fees; its authority cannot be replicated by any competing organization. Tamko is governed by a 21-member elected Council (edustajisto), a 9-member Board (hallitus), and a small employed staff of about five full-time experts led by an Executive Director.

The union delivers a portfolio of services centered on five pillars: (1) student advocacy and representation in TAMK's boards, committees, and Code-of-Conduct oversight; (2) tutoring programs (peer, international, degree, and multiform) that onboard approximately 600 new students each year through Talvitursajaiset orientation; (3) community events including the Portti Työelämään recruitment fair (which drew ~80 companies), social events like Speed Friending and Mallasrundi, and sports days; (4) member services such as the Tursaspassi benefit passport, the Solu community office with free coffee and equipment lending, and the basement Solu sauna rentable to members and external parties; and (5) sub-association support, coordinating degree-specific ainejärjestöt and hobby kerhot.

Tamko's revenue model is non-commercial, derived primarily from per-semester student membership fees (e.g., €24/semester for new members, €32/year for continuing members), event ticket sales, and Solu sauna rental income. It holds an approximately 80% ownership stake in Campusravita Oy, the campus restaurant company, giving it direct influence over campus catering for all TAMK students and staff. Technology infrastructure is modest and non-proprietary — the tamko.fi website, Kide.app for event ticketing, TUNI student email for council communications, and Microsoft Teams for council meetings — with no AI/ML components and no software products sold externally. The organization is regionally focused, operating exclusively within the Pirkanmaa / Tampere area of Finland.

Name

The Students' Union of Tampere University of Applied Sciences (Tamko)

Legal name

Tampereen ammattikorkeakoulun opiskelijakunta Tamko

Website

https://tamko.fi

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Tamko is the statutory non-profit student union of Tampere University of Applied Sciences, serving roughly 10,000 TAMK students with advocacy, tutoring, events, and member services, and holding an approximately 80% stake in the campus restaurant operator Campusravita Oy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Tampere

HQ country

Finland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Student membership fees: Tamko generates revenue primarily through mandatory student union membership fees paid by Tampere University of Applied Sciences students. Fees are structured per study period: New members pay a one-time joining fee (10€) plus per-semester charge; continuing members pay per semester. The organization also collects separate fees for specific events (Portti Työelämään tickets, Mallasrundi tickets at 5€ each). No commercial products or services are sold.
2. Event and rental income: Revenue is generated through ticket sales for organized events (e.g., speed friending at Bar Passion, Mallasrundi pub crawl, sauna trips). Additionally, the 'Solu' sauna and meeting room rental (35-person capacity in L-building basement) generates income from non-members and external organizations, with tiered pricing by user category.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Tamko is the statutory student union representing approximately 10,000 students of Tampere University of Applied Sciences (TAMK). It provides student advocacy and representation in university governance, multi-mode tutoring (peer, international, degree, and multiform), the annual Portti Työelämään recruitment fair, member services including student card and Tursaspassi passport administration, social and orientation events, and the Solu student lounge, sauna, and meeting facility.

Product overview

Tamko (The Students' Union of Tampere University of Applied Sciences) operates as a student union providing services to TAMK students. The organization offers a portfolio of services including membership benefits (Tursaspassi passport), a student lounge office (Solu), tutoring programs (peer, international, degree, and multiform tutoring), the annual Portti Työelämään recruitment event, student advocacy and representation services, and event organization. The union also operates sauna facilities for member rental. Communication is maintained through the Tamko Topics newsletter distributed in both Finnish and English. Tamko operates under a governance structure consisting of a Council (edustajisto), Board (hallitus), and employed staff led by an Executive Director.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Solu: The student union office space that serves as a lounge and service point for students, located at Kuntokatu 3, L-building, Tampere
• Portti Työelämään
• Tursaspassi
• Tamko Topics

Products and services

• Tursaspassi (Student Passport)
• Tutoring Programs (Peer, International, Degree, Multiform)
• Student Advocacy and Representation Services
• Solu Sauna and Meeting Room Rental
• Portti Työelämään (Gateway to Working Life) Recruitment Fair
• Tamko Topics Weekly Newsletter

Quantifiable outcome

• ~600 new students welcomed each year through orientation events
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Campusravita OycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 August 2020Tamko co-owns approximately 80% of Campusravita Oy, the campus restaurant company. Tamko appoints three board members to Campusravita's board and has a student representative on the restaurant committee. The partnership gives Tamko influence over campus food services for all TAMK students and staff. In 2020, Tamko's Council decided to establish a new limited company with Campusravita Oy.
• TAMK (Tampereen ammattikorkeakoulu)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner
• SAMOK (Suomen opiskelijakuntien liitto)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSAMOK is the national union of student unions in Finland. Tamko is a member of SAMOK and participates in liittokokous (union congress). Tamko's board members serve as SAMOK congress representatives. TAMK's former Tamko chairperson (Julia Väänänen) was elected SAMOK chairperson for 2025. Tamko also participates in SAMOK's 'Lähtölaukaus' training events.
• TREY (Tampereen yliopiston opiskelijakunta)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTREY is the student union of Tampere University. Tamko and TREY collaborate on shared student interests in the Tampere region, including joint advocacy for student transport (Nysse public transport survey, 1646 responses in 2026), joint participation in Manse Pride, and shared student welfare initiatives.
• YTHS (Finnish Student Health Service / Ylioppilaiden terveydenhoitosäätiö)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYTHS provides healthcare services to university students in Finland. Tamko promotes YTHS services to TAMK students, participates in joint wellness weeks, and collaborates on student mental health initiatives. YTHS was a co-organizer of the Speed Friending event and is mentioned in Tamko Topics for YTHSDigi app promotion.
• POAS (Pirkan Opiskelija-asunnot)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPOAS is a student housing provider in the Pirkanmaa region. Tamko meets with POAS to discuss student housing issues and advocate for affordable student accommodation.
• TOAS (Tampereen Opiskelija-asuntosäätiö)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner
• SportUniminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSportUni provides sports services to Tampere university students. Tamko collaborates with SportUni on winter sports days, wellness weeks, and open house sports events at Varala Sports Institute.
• Tampereen seurakunnat (Tampere Churches)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner
• OP PirkanmaaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOP Pirkanmaa is a regional cooperative bank that partners with Tamko for student financial literacy promotion. OP Pirkanmaa sponsored Tamko Topics communications featuring OP Pirkanmaa's student loan calculator tool.
• 3rd-year Restaurant Management students + Campusravita + Saarioinen Food ServiceminorStrategic or Co-development Partner
• VETO-kerho + MesikerhominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVETO-kerho and Mesikerho are hobby clubs under Tamko's umbrella that co-organized a combined sauna and outdoor trip (Saunatemppeli-retki) to Rauhaniemi sauna, promoted through Tamko Topics.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• SAMOK (Suomen opiskelijakuntien liitto): SAMOK is the national umbrella organization of Finnish UAS student unions; Tamko is a member. SAMOK provides the national advocacy, training (Lähtölaukaus), and policy platform that supports Tamko's operations.
• Kide.app: Kide.app is the ticketing and event platform used by Tamko (and many other Finnish student unions and student organizations) for event sales, registration, and council meeting sign-ups. It is an infrastructure/ecosystem enabler rather than a competitor.
• Campusravita Oy: Campusravita is the campus catering company in which Tamko holds ~80% ownership. It is an operational subsidiary / partner, not a peer, but provides the most direct comparable operating model for the kind of campus-life service businesses adjacent to student union activity.

Direct peers

• SAVOTTA (Savonia University of Applied Sciences Student Union): SAVOTTA is the student union for Savonia UAS, operating under the same statutory UAS student union framework as Tamko, with analogous advocacy, tutoring, and event-driven engagement models.
• Laureamko (Laurea University of Applied Sciences Student Union): Laureamko is the student union of Laurea UAS, operating under the same Finnish statutory student union model as Tamko. Both are UAS-specific unions in the SAMOK network with similar membership fee structures, advocacy mandates, and event-based GTM.
• Metka (Metropolia University of Applied Sciences Student Union): Metka is one of Finland's largest UAS student unions and a SAMOK member, operating with the same UAS mandate, governance structure, and member service model as Tamko.
• TREY (Tampere University Student Union): TREY is the student union of Tampere University (the academic university, as opposed to Tamko's University of Applied Sciences). It shares the same city, runs the same governance model, and collaborates with Tamko on issues like Manse Pride and joint transport advocacy.

Regional players

• OUKA / OAMK Student Union (Oulun ammattikorkeakoulun opiskelijakunta): The student union of Oulu University of Applied Sciences (OAMK) operates under the same Finnish UAS student union model as Tamko but serves a different geographic region (Northern Finland). Useful peer for benchmarking regional UAS student union operations.

Broad incumbents

• HYY (University of Helsinki Student Union): HYY is the oldest and largest student union in Finland, serving University of Helsinki students. While a university (not UAS) union, it shares the same statutory model, council governance, and member service orientation as Tamko at greater scale.
• AYY (Aalto University Student Union): AYY represents students at Aalto University and is one of Finland's largest and most well-resourced student unions. While AYY is a university (not UAS) student union, it shares the same statutory representation model and provides a benchmark for scale of operations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/113017048735173
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/opiskelijakuntatamko
• Instagraminstagram.com/opiskelijakuntatamko

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 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 The Students' Union of Tampere University of Applied Sciences (Tamko)