Migrant Entrepreneur of the Year competition back again

Suomen Yrittäjät, the Finnish SME association, is searching for a Migrant Entrepreneur of the Year for the fifth year in a row.

The competition makes the impact of immigrant entrepreneurs on the Finnish business scene visible. The hope is that the winner of the competition will be an encouraging example to other entrepreneurs who come from a similar background.

“We want to see competition entrants who have successfully run a business for a few years. They can be individual business owners, pairs of business partners, or teams, and their cultural background and language skills are irrelevant,” Network Coordinator Sonja Antosalo of Suomen Yrittäjät says.

Antosalo hopes that new arrivals to Finland who are interested in and planning on running their own businesses can draw on the competition winner’s experience and muster up the courage to start out on their own.

“On top of the other challenges of running your own business, a migrant entrepreneur often has to be able to adapt and learn new things. In this competition, we are particularly interested in entrepreneurs who take an enthusiastic, encouraging approach to running their businesses.”

Last year, the award went to the family company Enkora, which specializes in locking solutions. Read the story of the Goutsoul family, which came to Finland from Ukraine, here.

Also, read about how a Nokia engineer became a coffee roaster

Applications open for the next two weeks

Anyone may make a nomination, in English or Finnish, by 22 October. You can submit a nomination here. The winner of the Migrant Entrepreneur of the Year competition will be announced on 14 December at the Business Unplugged event in Helsinki.

The jury will choose a winner from among three finalists. The winner will receive a €5,000 cash prize from the insurer Elo.

“It’s important for us to be involved in putting inspiring entrepreneurial stories front and centre,” Marianna Ahola, a director at Elo says.

“Migrant entrepreneurs bring new perspectives and international skills to our business scene.” When we highlight these unique stories and business owners, we acknowledge their contribution and at the same time encourage others to start their own businesses.”

Entry criteria

To be nominated for the competition, the migrant entrepreneur must meet the following conditions:

• The entrepreneur was not born in Finland.
• Their native language is not Finnish, Swedish or a Saami language.
• Their business is registered in Finland.
• The entrepreneur and business have an impeccable reputation.
• The business must be capable of continued success and be in good financial standing.
• The entrepreneur’s business has been operating for at least 3 years by the end of this year.
• A single person-business, a pair of entrepreneurs, or team of entrepreneurs may be nominated for the competition. Nominees may not be a member of the Suomen Yrittäjät migrant entrepreneur network management team.

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