Grand final guidelines

The rules for the final are simple:

  • You’ve got 5 minutes to pitch.

  • Your pitch may be in English or in Finnish.

  • You may use presentation materials (e.g. PowerPoint).

In 2024, the final will be held at OSAO. The final is a public and open event, and your business idea will be evaluated by our esteemed panel of judges. The judging panel consists of entrepreneurship experts representing various organizations in the Oulu region. The assessment of your business idea pitch will focus on the following factors: the potential of the business idea, competitive advantage, innovation, and customer-centricity.


Ready, set, pitch!

 

grand final 2023

Oulu University of Applied Sciences’ students secure victory in Kickstart business idea competition

The final of the Kickstart business idea competition, intended for students of OSAO, Oulu University of Applied Sciences, and the University of Oulu, took place on November 29th in Oulu. The competition continues to capture students’ interest year after year, and this saw a total of 64 business ideas participating in the event.

Following the semifinals organized by each faculty, three business ideas from each school advanced to the final. The judging panel for the final included Marjo Kolehmainen, the CEO of Pohjois-Pohjanmaan yrittäjät, Mikko Veijola from Taitonetti Oy and Anneli Rinta-Paavola from Oulun seudun uusyrityskeskus.

The winner of the 2023 Kickstart business idea competition was the idea Laidunturva by Oulu University of Applied Sciences’ agrology students Essi Mikkola and Tilta Patosalmi. Laidunturva is an application designed to detect if a pasture fence is broken, preventing grazing animals from escaping. The personal experience and practical need for the idea influenced the judges’ decision. The creators of the idea are second-year students in Oulu University of Applied Sciences’ natural resources agrology program. The judging panel recognized the potential and possibilities of the idea.

In second place was the business idea Capsulur by master’s students Aku Forsman and Mikko Hiltunen from the University of Oulu. Capsulur involves a mobile, compact temporary shelter that can be used for festivals or for accommodating those in need in disaster-stricken areas. The judges appreciated the idea’s innovation and saw broad potential applications.

Taking the third place was the collaborative idea Menox by University of Oulu students Vesa Lehtinen and Maarit Pasanen, along with Oulu University of Applied Sciences Terwa Academy student Petra Puolakanaho. The idea aims to address the problem of event marketing, for which, despite numerous attempts, an outstanding application has not been found. The new application aims to better encompass the entire spectrum of events.

The winner of the competition received prize of 1500 €, the second-place team was awarded 1000 € and the third-place team received 500 € cash prize. This year, the competition was organized by Oamk Business Incubator.