"We're Building Something That Lives All Year": SHIFT 2025 Sets Records, Showcases Launches, and Locks in 2026 Date
More than 2,600 attendees, 120 strategic partners, and a city determined to shape the futuretoday.
That was SHIFT Business Festival 2025, the landmark 10th edition of one of Southwest Finland’s most influential innovation gatherings. Held at Turku’s Joki Center, the event shattered attendance records and underscored its status as a must-attend hub for Finland’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
A Splash of Purpose-Driven Innovation
The festival literally opened with a splash: Turku Distillery unveiled Northern Europe’s first circular-economy vodka, setting an agenda of purpose-driven tech. Under a light drizzle, important speakers reflected on a decade of joint evolution between the city and SHIFT, spotlighting urban development, sustainability, and technology as the pillars of Turku’s future.
Follow us on: 
Deal Flow on Every Floor
From rooftop panels and expert clinics to 1-on-1 meetings and startup-investor speed-dating zones, the three floors of the Joki Center buzzed nonstop. A notable trend: new consultancies geared toward helping foreign startups enter and scale in Finland’s competitive market.
"What we do is we combine sales marketing and customer experience together so that we bring this comprehensive structure to our clients that drive revenue growth"
explains Viljami Leino, cofounder of Saavi Partners.
Sustainability Takes Center Stage
Green innovation held its own spotlight. Smart living walls and storm-water-management façades illustrated how design, biotech, and climate accountability can merge into market-ready solutions.
"We have been developing indoor green walls around 15 years and our customers, our partners show has shown interest also an outdoor green walls in Nordic hemisphere where it's very cold so we have been developing around 5 years the this outdoor model which utilises storm water management" details Oula Harjula, cofounder of Innogreen.
An Expanding, Year-Round Platform
"We have more visitors than ever, more content, more stages, and more clinics than in previous editions," said Carita Varjonen, CEO of SHIFT. "Beyond the main days, we now run programming the day before and the day after, plus open activities and side events that enrich the experience."
SHIFT is also pivoting to a continuous, year-round operating model aimed at deepening community engagement long after the tents come down.
"We’re building something that lives all year... That’s what lets our community grow stronger. This edition has been an absolute success.
Carita Varjonen, CEO of SHIFT
What’s Next?
The next chapter is already booked: SHIFT 2026 will take place on 28 May in Turku. One thing is clear—SHIFT has evolved beyond a festival into a catalyst for change radiating from southern Finland to the wider world.
