About us

Host your special event at startup hub A Grid.

Stable for future unicorns in the heart of Aalto University Campus

A Grid is where future unicorns find their footing – right in the heart of Aalto University’s campus in Otaniemi, Espoo. We’re a hub and community for growth companies, and home to over 150 startups, accelerators like the European Space Agency and Aalto Startup Center, and partners including the City of Espoo’s business services.

What we offer:
• Private offices, coworking seats and event spaces for startups and partners
• A high-density startup community where every connection unlocks a new opportunity
• Access to Aalto’s international network: top talent, cutting-edge research, and world-class infrastructure
• A vibrant platform for events, expertise, and services that turn ideas into impact

Our home base is the A Grid building at Otakaari 5 – packed with private offices, open work areas, meeting rooms, and event venues. As the community grows, we’re expanding next door to Otakaari 7 with starter offices for early-stage teams.

Entrepreneurial spirit, creative community, and the best parts of campus life – under one roof. Join us and build what’s next.

Apply for a private office

A Grid is the stable for future unicorns located right in the heart of Aalto University Campus.

A place where every connection unlocks a new opportunity

A Grid is more than a beautiful building – it’s a living network of over 150 startups where collaboration happens by design. With a rare density of founders and CEOs, every hallway chat, coffee break, and event can spark a pilot, a partnership, or a new product. Here, you don’t just find neighbors – you find co-creators.

What makes the community work:
• High-impact proximity: 150+ companies under one roof means faster intros, easier knowledge-sharing, and real-time problem-solving
• Founder-to-founder access: Connect directly with decision-makers who can say “yes” to testing, partnering, or building together
• Curated collisions: From community meetups to demo days and networking events, our programming turns chance encounters into concrete opportunities
• Spaces that catalyze action: Main stage, event spaces, meeting rooms, restaurants, lounges, wellness facilities, and makerspaces – everything designed to move ideas from talk to traction

Join a community where momentum is contagious, and every connection can become your next breakthrough.

Meet our community

Get a head start with the Aalto ecosystem

Aalto University is a multidisciplinary community where science and art meet technology and business.

The university has six schools with approximately 12 000 students and 4 000 employees. A Grid is part of Aalto’s ecosystem for entrepreneurship, rated by MIT among the top five rising stars globally.

Our diverse ecosystem consists of student-led and university-run entrepreneurial activities, plus all kinds of partners, researchers and established companies on site. We have a strong network to support startup growth, including Design Factory, Aalto Startup Center, Aalto Entrepreneurship Society, Kiuas and Slush.

Access to talent and facilities

A Grid is a gateway to Aalto University’s talent base and resources. The university’s main campus is rapidly developing into a vibrant innovation hub with plenty of partnership opportunities and a highly skilled workforce.

Aalto University has significant research infrastructure open for everyone. It includes world-class research facilities for micro- and nanotechnology, neuroimaging, and bioeconomy. There are also excellent resources for computational research, radio astronomy and space research. In addition, Aalto Studios facilitate film and TV, games and animation, VR/AR, product- and user experience testing, sensor data-analysis and fast prototyping.

Space to scale on campus

A Grid is run by Aalto University Campus & Real Estate (ACRE). ACRE maintains, develops and leases Aalto University's facilities in Otaniemi and Töölö. Our goal is to create a campus that goes beyond being just a place for studying and working.

While A Grid is designed for startups, ACRE helps you take the next step with the right premises across the campus – offices, laboratories, retail spaces, and coworking. Grow without leaving the ecosystem, and stay close to the talent, research, and partners that power your business.

Our friends & family

Our member community

A Grid - the story

The idea for A Grid began with a simple observation: the Aalto University campus was giving birth to around 50-70 startups every year. So we asked: what happens to them next?

A Grid was created in 2017 to bring ambitious founders and companies together under one roof - a place where collaboration, innovation and a little fun could happen every day.

And you don't have to come from Aalto to be here. Around 25% of A Grid companies originate from the university. The rest bring talent, ideas and technology from across Finland and beyond.

But A Grid is more than the companies inside it. It's a platform for growth. Together with our partners, we aim to give entrepreneurs access to what they need at every stage of the journey.

The result is a community where founders don't have to build alone. In fact, around 60% of A Grid companies have made at least one deal or collaboration with another member of the community.

Putting the right people, ideas and resources under one roof - and seeing what happens when they collide.