FRUSH26 StartUp competition

Do you have an innovation that deserves the stage and an audience? This is your chance! FRUSH 2026 offers startups, students, and fresh ideas the opportunity to shine in the pitching competition.

What can you win?

• Cash prizes are offered by the Häme Chamber of Commerce and GreenTech 4 Transformation

1st place 4500€ (Häme Chamber of Commerce 3000€, GT4T 1500€)
2nd place 2000€ (Häme Chamber of Commerce 1500€, GT4T 500€)
3rd place 1000€ (Häme Chamber of Commerce 500€, GT4T 500€)

• Karoliina Kauhanen from Commu App offers the winner a 1-hour online session to build a personal roadmap for future competitions, improve the pitch, and maximize the communication impact of the victory.

• FiBAN (Finnish Business Angels Network) rewards the winner with 1 on 1 coaching for investor discussions with FiBAN's Syndicate Manager and access to FiBAN's Pitch Finland networking event.

• Hämeen Hallituspartnerit rewards the top 3 with a consultation on your company's situation, based on a concept that has been implemented hundreds of times – board analysis, which has been utilized with companies of many different sizes.

How to participate?

1. Registration ended on March 1.

2. Record a short pitch video
(max. 3 min) and submit it by March 9, 2026. (The competition videos will not be shown publicly, only the jury will see them. The jury is bound by confidentiality.)

3. The jury will select the most promising ideas for the semifinals and notify the chosen teams by March 25, 2026.

Competition format

Semifinal:
5 semifinalists will pitch their ideas on April 22, 2026, at the FRUSH pre-event (3 minutes + Q&A). Before that, they will have the chance to join an online workshop with Karoliina Kauhanen (Commu App) to polish their pitches.

Final:
The top 3 will continue to the FRUSH main stage on April 23, 2026. Each finalist has 3 minutes to convince the jury and the audience – and the winner will be announced at the awards ceremony later in the afternoon.

Karoliina Kauhanen, founder and chairperson of the successful assistance app Commu, acts as a partner and one of the judges in the FRUSH26 StartUp competition, coaching competitors from the perspective of a pitching professional.

“FRUSH was the first competition that Commu ever won. In 2022, the helping-app was in its early stages, just an idea. Now the app has over 100,000 users across the Nordic countries. Commu has been awarded several international recognitions, such as Forbes 30 under 30, Mimmit Koodaa 2025, a United Nations award, Best Solution For Sustainable Cities 2025, and Best Urban Tech Solution 2025 (TechBBBQ). In addition, Commu has won several of Europe's largest innovation competitions, such as 100Pitches.”

In addition to the cash prize, the winner of the FRUSH26 StartUp Competition will also get a 1-hour remote session, where a personal roadmap for future competitions will be created, the pitch will be developed, and they will learn how to leverage the win in communications.