Who will be the Migrant Entrepreneur of the Year 2022

Suomen Yrittäjät is searching for the Migrant Entrepreneur of the Year for the fourth time. With this competition we want to highlight the significance of migrant entrepreneurs in Finland. Last year, Ivan Ore, originally from Peru, won the award with his coffee roastery and coffee shops.

“We are looking for nominees who have succeeded in running a prosperous business for several years, in spite of the possible cultural and language barriers they have encountered since moving to Finland”, says Sari Laitinen, Network Manager at Suomen Yrittäjät.

Joni Tikkanen, Marketing Director at Elo, says, “We’ve seen inspiring entrepreneurial stories in previous years, and we’re looking forward to them even now”.

Leave your nomination here.

Award decision in December

Anyone may make a nomination, in English or Finnish, by 6th of November. You can suggest an entrepreneur who you think is worth the award for the Migrant Entrepreneur of the Year 2022 competition. You can submit your proposition here.

The jury will choose a winner from among three finalists. The winner is awarded at Business Unplugged event 7.12.2022 in Helsinki XR Center and will receive 5000 euros in cash from the pension insurance company Elo.

“We have been involved in rewarding the Migrant Entrepreneur of the Year from the beginning, now for the fourth year. We have seen that there are many challenges in the daily lives of entrepreneurs, especially those who have moved to the country at later age face difficulties regarding the language and in finding the right information. Entrepreneurship requires a lot of perseverance and courage. There are great examples of migrant entrepreneurs, which we want to highlight and at the same time encourage others to dare and try.” says Tikkanen.

Who can be nominated for the Migrant Entrepreneur 2022 competition?

To be nominated for the competition, the migrant entrepreneur must meet the following conditions:

The entrepreneur was not born in Finland and has not been living here since being a small child.
The entrepreneur’s native language is not Finnish, Swedish or a Saami language.
The entrepreneur’s business is registered in Finland.
The business must be capable of continued success and be in good financial standing.
The entrepreneur’s business has been operating for at least 3 years by the end of this year.
A single person-business, a pair of entrepreneurs, or team of entrepreneurs may be nominated for the competition.

Nominees may not be a member of the Suomen Yrittäjät’s Migrant Entrepreneur Network’s Management Team.

Nominate an entrepreneur for Migrant Entrepreneur of the Year here.

Further information:
Aicha Manai, Network Manager, aicha.manai@yrittajat.fi