The story
How a torn-down hospital became a startup home.
Turning an old hospital into a startup campus was no easy job — it took luck, eager investors and a lot of persistent, hands-on work.
Timeline
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1800s
Marian Sairaala
An old hospital campus rises in central Helsinki, named after Maria Feodorovna — wife of Alexander III of Russia. “Maria's Hospital” becomes the first and oldest hospital in the city.
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1800s–2014
A century of care
For over a hundred years the campus serves as a war and public hospital — until 2014, when hospital operations are closed down permanently and the buildings fall quiet.
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2014–2015
A window of opportunity
Helsinki's startup scene gains a foothold, Slush is on the rise, and the City of Helsinki looks for ways to support new businesses. An empty hospital campus turns out to be exactly the room they need.
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Dec 2015
The first launch party
Invites go out. Around 200 people from the Finnish startup ecosystem step into the still torn-down campus, ready to throw around ideas on how to build a home for the Nordic startup scene together.
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2016
Doors open — and stay open
The plan to start small is scratched almost immediately as interest exceeds all expectations. Startups, investors, corporate partners and ecosystem organisations show up with their laptops and desks, ready to get their hands dirty. A busy, challenging year — and some Finnish sisu — outshines the sleepless nights.
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Today
Six buildings, 20,000 m²
What began as a few rented rooms has grown into one of Europe's leading startup campuses — six buildings, 20,000 square meters, and a community that still builds it together.