Draft Program September 2025 application results in North Karelia

The Fall 2025 Draft calls attracted a wide range of international and technology-oriented business ideas. In the calls held in North Karelia, 26 applications were evaluated, of which nine teams advanced to the first stage of Draft Program and two promising startups moved on to the second stage. The applications highlighted platform economy, automation, and the digitalization of services.

October 6, 2025
Heikki Immonen, Karelia University of Applied Sciences

In autumn 2025, the Draft Program organized two calls: the regular Draft call and a special photonics -themed call. Altogether, these received 26 applications: 22 in the first round and 4 in the 2^nd stage.

Seven teams were selected from the regular call and two more from the photonics special call for the first phase of Draft. Two highly promising startups advanced to the 2^nd stage. Once again, internationalization of the North-Karelia startup ecosystem was a key feature: in 54% of the applicant teams, the working language is already something other than Finnish.

Funding for the Draft Program is provided by Karelia University of Applied Sciences, the University of Eastern Finland, the Riveria Vocational Education Consortium, and the William and Ester Otsakorpi Foundation. Funding for the photonics and advanced special call was provided by Karelia University of Applied Sciences and the University of Eastern Finland’s photonics research and innovation flagship project PREIN.

Interesting insights and details from this round of applications

An experienced Draft observer will notice some recurring themes among the autumn 2025 applications. Platform economy solutions are particularly popular: five teams presenting to the Draft jury had platform-related business ideas.

A newer trend involves ideas related to the automation of services; both physical and knowledge-based services are becoming increasingly automated.

Applications to the Draft Program can be submitted at various stages of business development. Most of the selected teams this time were in the “idea definition” stage, ready to move on to market research. The group also included a few teams that are transitioning to or have already entered the MVP (Minimum Viable Product) stage. This is when a startup launches the first version of its product for paying customers.

Startups selected for the second stage

Finnamie Oy is a company founded by Milla Janhonen from North Karelia. Finnamie’s business idea is to offer travelers authentic experiences and shared moments with local Finns. For example, home visits, cooking, nature walks, sauna experiences, or city tours. All tailored to the customer’s wishes. During the first phase of Draft, Milla carried out the first experience package for paying international customers and built a network of local hosts in three regions of Finland.

COMPLETE is a startup founded by University of Eastern Finland students Tayyab Farooq and Nima Hadawi. The COMPLETE team won the SOHJO Hacks competition in spring 2025. COMPLETE offers seasonal furniture rental packages especially for international students. During the first phase of Draft, the team built a website, launched the MVP version of the service, and acquired its first four customers.