Greetings from the Finnish Parliament’s Entrepreneurship Club / Johanna Karimäki

We have joined forces across the political spectrum because our country needs more risk taking and growth entrepreneurship. Finland is lacking mechanisms to recognize growth entrepreneurship and give it a favourable environment to flourish. At the Entrepreneurship Club we study models used in other countries for example on business angel investments, organize events, and meet with entrepreneurs and economic experts. Through these actions we want to find best practices for Finland, which we will advance together.

In Finland we have high quality research and knowhow, which springs innovation. The most important link in the innovation chain is the commercialization. At the moment too many of the promising innovations wither or end up outside Finland. We need a change and we need good concrete ideas to drive it. One has to be allowed to fail, but also one’s success must be accepted. The Parliament’s Entrepreneurship Club has gone through various proposals. One of the most promising ones is a model of tax relief for realized venture capital losses, based on the Swedish model. It would lower the investors’ risks without costs to the state.

Johanna Karimäki Member of Parliament                                The Greens of Finland