Suomen Yrittäjät seeks Migrant Entrepreneur of the Year 2023 — nominate a winner
Suomen Yrittäjät, the Finnish SME association, is searching for a Migrant Entrepreneur of the Year for the fifth year in a row. The competition wants to highlight the impact made by entrepreneurs who have moved to Finland on the Finnish business scene. The hope is that the winner of the competition will be an encouraging example to other entrepreneurs who come from a similar background.
“We want to see competition entrants who have successfully run a business for a few years. They can be individual business owners, pairs of business partners, or teams, regardless of their cultural background or language skills,” Network Coordinator Sonja Antosalo of Suomen Yrittäjät says.
During challenging economic conditions, highlighting positive entrepreneur stories is even more important than ever. Antosalo hopes that new arrivals to Finland who are interested in and planning on running their own businesses can draw on the competition winner’s experience and muster up the courage to start out on their own.
“On top of the other challenges of running their own business, a migrant entrepreneur often has to be able to adapt and learn new things. In this competition, we are particularly interested in entrepreneurs who take an enthusiastic, encouraging approach to running their businesses.”
Applications open for a month, prize of €5,000
Anyone may make a nomination, in English or Finnish, by 22 October 2023. You can submit a nomination here. The winner of the Migrant Entrepreneur of the Year competition will be announced on 14 December 2023 at the Business Unplugged event in Helsinki.
The jury will choose a winner from among three finalists. The winner will receive €5,000 in cash from the insurer Elo.
“It’s important for us to be involved in putting inspiring entrepreneurial stories front and centre,” Marianna Ahola, a director at Elo. “Migrant entrepreneurs bring new perspectives and international skills to our business scene.” When we highlight these unique stories and business owners, we acknowledge their contribution and at the same time encourage others to start their own business.”
To be nominated for the competition, the migrant entrepreneur must meet the following conditions:
- The entrepreneur was not born in Finland.
- Their native language is not Finnish, Swedish or a Saami language.
- Their business is registered in Finland.
- The entrepreneur and business have an impeccable reputation.
- 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 migrant entrepreneur network management team.
Nominate the Migrant Entrepreneur of the Year 2023 here.
Further information:
Network Coordinator Sonja Antosalo, Suomen Yrittäjät, sonja.antosalo@yrittajat.fi