The first edition of the Finnish competition received 148 applications from 21 countries. SisuSemi secured 25,000 euros and will represent Turku at the Startup World Cup Grand Finale in Silicon Valley, while Sealevä received 10,000 euros to advance the development of biomaterials made from seaweed waste.
SEPTEMBER 2026 Turku, Finland .- With two startups working in materials technology taking the top prizes, the Finnish city of Turku has wrapped up the first edition of the Turku Startup Prize, a competition created to connect emerging companies with investors and support their next stage of growth.
The winners were SisuSemi, in the ScaleUp Track, and Sealevä, in the Early-Stage Growth Track. Held on September 16-17, the competition received 148 applications from 21 countries across six continents, with 17 startups advancing to the final pitching stage.
According to figures from Business Turku, 98 applicants were early-stage startups, while 50 were companies at more advanced stages of growth. Their solutions spanned areas including artificial intelligence, health sciences, security, creative industries, clean transition, the blue economy, and the maritime sector.
From Turku to Silicon Valley
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The top prize went to SisuSemi, a startup spun out of research conducted at the University of Turku that is developing technology for the semiconductor industry. SisuSemi CEO Erkki Seppäläinen and CTO Zahra Jahanshah Rad were in the competition.
Its solution aims to clean and optimize chip surfaces at the atomic scale, with the goal of improving the performance, quality, and efficiency of semiconductor manufacturing.
The company received €25,000 plus acceleration support, along with the opportunity to represent Turku at the Startup World Cup Grand Finale, which will take place in San Francisco, United States, in November 2026. There, it will compete for a US$1 million prize.
For the startup, making it to Silicon Valley also represents an opportunity to seek funding and build connections beyond the Nordic countries.
Biomaterials made from seaweed waste
In the Early-Stage Growth Track, the winner was Sealevä, a startup born at Aalto University that develops scalable and durable biomaterials using seaweed waste. The competition included founding members Mohamed Elamir and Ani Järvimäki. Sealevä's CEO is Xuefei Shi.
The company received €10,000 plus mentorship, resources that will help it move from its initial validation phase into the next stage of development and growth.
This track was specifically designed for teams that had already demonstrated early signs of validation — such as pilots, MVP testing, letters of intent, initial users, or revenue — and were ready to move toward commercialization.
Sealevä’s win also highlights the presence of blue economy solutions within Turku’s startup ecosystem, with 12 teams from the sector applying to the competition.
Turku strengthens its startup ecosystem
Beyond the prizes, the competition aims to strengthen connections between startups, investors, and other ecosystem players, while creating new opportunities for companies looking to scale.
The competition was open to both Finnish and foreign companies and featured two days of matchmaking, networking, and pitching in front of investors and representatives from the startup ecosystem.
Of the 148 applications received, 113 came from teams based in Finland and 35 from international or multinational teams. Countries represented included Estonia, Italy, Hungary, Sweden, the United States, Türkiye, Australia, India, Nigeria, Singapore, South Africa, and Ukraine.
The inaugural Turku Startup Prize also coincided with the official opening of the Turku Startup Hub, a new space designed to bring founders, investors, collaborators, and support organizations under the same ecosystem.
The next challenge will be turning that momentum into new companies, investment, and business opportunities. For SisuSemi, the next step already has a date and destination: November, San Francisco, and the Startup World Cup Grand Finale.