Bastu – Sixth-Wave Business Acceleration for Entrepreneurs and Businesses

“In a world that is filled with uncertainty, we must create the future ourselves – and leave as little room for chance as possible.”

What is Bastu?

Bastu is a business accelerator for entrepreneurs and businesses in the Turku region. Our goal is to enhance your business with new, collaborative opportunities that utilise the philosophical tenets of the sixth wave along with the core competences of our participating companies.

Bastu is conducted in collaboration with Sitra – The Finnish Innovation Fund and the City of Turku, and our activities are guided by the expertise of Professor Markku Wilenius, one of Finland’s most eminent foresight and futures researchers in both academia and business.

Why choose Bastu?

Today’s global markets require novel, competitive and resource-efficient innovations. New and significant innovations can be realised through value creation with digital, material or intangible assets, or by combining these assets in various ways.

Our guiding philosophy is based on the sixth wave, which focuses on the scarcity of natural resources and new, innovative ideas that challenge established conventions. Bastu promotes a circular sharing economy, and our extensive experience with matching businesses with other businesses and helping them realise their potential means that we are the ideal partner for any business that wants to re-energise its business with new, fresh ideas.

How does the Bastu process work?

The Bastu process spars businesses to discover and pilot new concepts that can then be turned into new business. This means combining the expertise of Bastu’s participating entrepreneurs, the Finland Futures Research Centre, Sitra – The Finnish Innovation Fund, and the City of Turku to achieve solutions that support the idea of a circular sixth-wave economy; creating new business innovations and reorienting existing operations while also developing existing structures and processes. Bastu participants are also provided with the opportunity to highlight specific themes and problems that are then processed in expert workshops with the goal of discovering new solutions.

After the process, your existing business will be augmented and enhanced to face the unique challenges of the future economy.