Institut Finlandais

What Institut Finlandais does

Institut Finlandais is a French-registered non-profit foundation (association loi 1901) founded in 1990 and headquartered at 60 rue des Écoles in Paris's Latin Quarter. It operates a multidisciplinary cultural venue presenting Finnish arts, cinema, design, music, literature, and gastronomy to French and international audiences. Its physical footprint includes gallery spaces, a 195-seat auditorium/cinema, multi-use event halls (capacities of approximately 60 and 195 people), Café Maa — a Nordic-inspired bistro — an on-site bookshop, a Finnish-language library, and a coworking/event space. Programming spans exhibitions, film screenings, concerts, literary events, workshops, residencies, and festivals, with a deliberate concentration on contemporary Nordic cultural production. The institute also acts as a national coordinator for travelling Finnish programmes, including Sarjakuva 2026 (Finnish Comics Year) across 7+ French cities, and served as Country of Honour at the 2024 Les Boréales Festival in Normandy.

Its core technology stack is conventional and consumer-grade: WordPress with WooCommerce powers the website and online boutique; Stripe handles online payments; Mailchimp manages email communications; and Colissimo handles physical fulfilment. No proprietary platform, AI/ML system, or differentiated technology is referenced in available material. The architecture supports a multi-language (French, English, Finnish) public-facing site with e-commerce, ticketing, and event promotion, but it is not a technology business.

The business model is a hybrid of public funding and diversified earned income. As a non-profit foundation, it receives grants from the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture, the French Ministry of Culture, the EU, and private Nordic foundations (including Kone Foundation and Saastamoinen Foundation). Earned revenue comes from ticketed cinema, concerts, and special events (gallery and most programming remain free), Café Maa food and beverage sales, online and on-site merchandise (books, design objects, music, gift items), event-space rentals, and workshop fees. Customers are long-tail individual cultural consumers rather than enterprise accounts, and the institute serves as a platform for Finnish cultural diplomacy in France.

Name

Institut Finlandais

Legal name

SUOMEN RANSKAN INSTITUUTIN SÄÄTIÖ

Website

https://www.institut-finlandais.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Institut Finlandais is a Paris-based non-profit foundation (founded 1990) in the Latin Quarter presenting Finnish arts, cinema, design, music, literature, and gastronomy through exhibitions, film, concerts, Café Maa, an online boutique, and national touring programmes across France.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Arts Center

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131), Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture Theaters (7830), Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Concert Halls & Music Venue Operations (Symphony Halls, Recital Venues) (MPAGALAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Nightclub & Small Live Venue Operations (Clubs, Bars with Stages) (MPAGALAF), Convention & Exhibition Centers (Public Convention Centers, Civic Centers) (THAHAAAA)

Keywords

• Finnish cultural institute
• Cultural event programming
• Art exhibitions curation
• Nordic cinema screenings
• Finnish gastronomy cafe

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Café Maa gastronomy revenue: Café Maa is a Finnish cultural café operating within the institute, offering seasonal menus highlighting Finnish gastronomy with fresh, local, and sustainable ingredients. The café also hosts culinary events and dinners.
2. Ticket and event sales: Online ticket sales for concerts, cinema screenings, culinary events, and other cultural programming through the institute's e-commerce boutique (institut-finlandais.fr/boutique/).
3. Merchandise and product sales: Sale of printed textiles, catalogues, publications (e.g., Duddjot, AISTIT), and other cultural products through the online boutique.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Institut Finlandais is an independent, multidisciplinary cultural institute located in Paris's Latin Quarter that presents Finnish visual arts, cinema, music, literature, design, and gastronomy through exhibitions, screenings, concerts, performances, and culinary events. It operates the on-site Café Maa (Finnish gastronomy café), a 40m² gallery, a 60-seat cinema/auditorium, and produces ticketed events and cultural programmes including the Nordic Film Club, KAIKU/écho chamber music series, Jazz at Café Maa, and the national Sarjakuva 2026 (Year of Finnish Comics in France) programme.

Product overview

Institut Finlandais is a cultural institute operating as a platform for Finnish culture in France, consisting of multiple integrated offerings: the main institute provides gallery exhibitions, cinema screenings, and cultural programming; Café Maa offers Finnish gastronomy with seasonal menus; the online billetterie handles ticketing for events; and specialized programs like KAIKU / écho (chamber music), Jazz at Café Maa, and Sarjakuva 2026 (Finnish comics) provide focused cultural content. The institute also publishes catalogues and hosts off-site events at partner venues throughout France.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Café Maa: Finnish café located within Institut finlandia, showcasing Finnish gastronomy with sustainable, seasonal ingredients. Name means 'earth' in Finnish.

Products and services

• Café Maa A Finnish cultural café operating within the institute's Great Hall, offering seasonal menus that highlight Finnish gastronomy with fresh, local, and sustainable ingredients. Open Tuesday–Saturday 11am–6pm, it also hosts culinary events and dinners.
• Gallery (Galerie) exhibitions

Quantifiable outcome

• Free admission ensures maximum accessibility and footfall
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

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

Feature1 record

Partnerships

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

• Embassies of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and SwedencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-development of the Nordic Film Club (Ciné-club nordique), a monthly programme of Nordic cinema in Paris held at Cinéma Le Grand Action. This is a flagship cross-embassy cultural collaboration.
• Institut suédois (Swedish Institute in France)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-developer of the Nordic Film Club alongside the five Nordic embassies.
• FICEP (Forum des Instituts Culturels Étrangers à Paris)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerInstitut finlandish collaborates with FICEP on the Jazzycolors festival, an annual jazz festival featuring international cultural institutes in Paris. Finnish artists such as Selma Savolainen & Toomas Keski-Säntti performed as part of this programme.
• Festival BD à BastiamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner of the national Sarjakuva 2026 programme (Year of Finnish Comics in France). BD à Bastia hosted exhibitions, events, workshops, screenings, and performances in March 2026 in Corsica.
• Rencontres du 9e Art – BD AixmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner of Sarjakuva 2026. Hosted exhibitions, events, workshops, and artist residencies in April 2026 in Aix-en-Provence.
• Formula Bula Festival (Paris)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner of Sarjakuva 2026. Hosted exhibitions, events, workshops, performances, signings, screenings, and a market in September 2026 in Paris.
• Illustration Festival (Lyon)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner of Sarjakuva 2026. Hosted installations, exhibitions, discussions, screenings, workshops, concerts, and a market in September 2026 in Lyon.
• Quai des Bulles (Saint-Malo)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner of Sarjakuva 2026. Hosted exhibitions, conferences, meetings, screenings, and performances in October 2026 in Saint-Malo, Brittany.
• BD Colomiers FestivalmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner of Sarjakuva 2026. Hosted exhibitions, events, workshops, animations, performances, concerts, and film concerts in November 2026 in Colomiers, Occitanie.
• Kamarikesä Festival (Helsinki)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Kamarikesä Festival for the KAIKU/echo chamber music series at Institut finlandish, bringing together Finnish and French artists. Artistic direction by Ossi Tanner.
• Petit Palais Museum (Paris)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe exhibition 'Pekka Halonen – Un hymne à la Finlande' at Petit Palais was echoed by the KAIKU/echo concert programme at Institut finlandish, creating a cross-institution cultural dialogue around Finnish art and nature.
• Philharmonie de ParismajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-produced the film-concert 'Animal Image' by Perttu Saksa at the Philharmonie de Paris (November 2024) as part of the In Natura programme. Also presented Carmen by Israel Galván at the Philharmonie.
• Les Boréales Festival (Caen, Normandy)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFinland was the country of honour at Les Boréales 2024 (20–30 November 2024), one of Europe's largest Nordic cultural festivals, with a programme spanning literature, visual arts, circus, performances, concerts, and cinema. Institut finlandish participated in programming.
• Made by Choice (Finnish furniture company)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerFurniture for Café Maa is manufactured by Finnish company Made by Choice, specialized in solid wood. Joanna Laajisto's studio designed the café interiors.
• Ehkä-production (Finnish contemporary dance company)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on the performance 'Correspondance sous terre' — a correspondence between Finnish and French artist-choreographers. Ehkä-production (Turku, Finland, est. 2004) is a 20-year-old award-winning independent art community.
• Charles Gil / Vapaat äänet (Helsinki-based tour producer)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCharles Gil, Helsinki-based tour producer and founder of Vapaat äänet agency, provides artistic direction for the Jazz at Café Maa concert series, bringing Finnish jazz artists to Paris. He also produced the KAIKU/echo series.
• Aalto University (School of Arts, Design and Architecture)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAnnual Aalto Fashion Showroom at Institut finlandish during Paris Fashion Week, showcasing BA and MA graduates in Fashion, Clothing and Textile Design. Alumni now design for Givenchy, Balenciaga, Celine, Saint Laurent, Kenzo, Maison Margiela, and Louis Vuitton.
• Littow Architects (Pekka Littow)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLed the complete renovation of the institute's premises between 2017–2018.
• Studio Joanna Laajisto (Helsinki)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerDesigned the interior decoration of the renewed institute (2018), creating a contemporary Finnish design aesthetic using natural materials (light ash wood, Finnish granite, wool). Also created custom pieces including the Lumme lamp.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Institut Suédois (Swedish Institute in Paris): Direct Nordic-embassy-affiliated cultural institute in Paris presenting Swedish arts, design, and society. Co-develops the Nordic Film Club with Institut Finlandais and serves the same Latin Quarter/Paris audience with a comparable gallery-event-café model.
• Centre Culturel Irlandais (Irish Cultural Centre, Paris): Bilateral cultural centre in Paris presenting Irish arts, literature, and music. Closely comparable model — free admission, multidisciplinary programming (exhibitions, cinema, concerts, literary events), and a member of the FICEP network alongside Institut Finlandais.
• Maison de la Culture du Japon à Paris: Japanese cultural institute in Paris with gallery, cinema, library, and event spaces offering free/low-cost access to Japanese arts and culture. Mirrors Institut Finlandais's multidisciplinary, free-admission, embassy-affiliated cultural institute template.

Broad incumbents

• Institut du Monde Arabe: Larger Paris-based cultural institution presenting Arab culture across exhibitions, cinema, performances, and a rooftop restaurant. Comparable in combining cultural programming with a paid F&B venue, but operates at significantly greater scale and budget.
• Goethe-Institut Paris: German cultural institute in Paris offering exhibitions, cinema, language courses, and events. Comparable as a foreign cultural institute promoting national arts and culture, but with broader language-training operations and a much larger global network.
• Philharmonie de Paris: Major Parisian music and performing arts venue that co-produced the 'Animal Image' film-concert with Institut Finlandais. Comparable as a presenter of contemporary and Nordic performing arts but at substantially larger scale and capacity.

Others

• FICEP (Forum des Instituts Culturels Étrangers à Paris): Network/umbrella organisation of foreign cultural institutes in Paris of which Institut Finlandais is a member. Relevant as the coordination body that co-produces events like the Jazzycolors festival referenced in Institut Finlandais's programming.
• Cité de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine: Adjacent Parisian cultural institution focused on architecture and heritage. Relevant as a potential venue-type partner for Finnish architecture/design programming (Juhani Pallasmaa is a key figure in Institut Finlandais's identity), though not a direct competitor.
• Petit Palais: Parisian fine arts museum that hosted the 'Pekka Halonen – Un Hymne à la Finlande' exhibition echoed by KAIKU/echo at Institut Finlandais. Comparable as a French cultural institution that occasionally presents Finnish art, though at very different scale and permanent-collection orientation.

Regional players

• Les Boréales Festival (Caen): Major annual Nordic cultural festival in Normandy where Finland was the country of honour in 2024 with Institut Finlandais participating in programming. Comparable thematic focus on Nordic arts and culture, but operates in a different French geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/InstFin
• Facebookfacebook.com/institutfinlandais
• Instagraminstagram.com/institutfinlandais

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 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 Institut Finlandais