Two Espoo-based student companies selected for the national final – the Uskalla Yrittää event brought hundreds of young entrepreneurs to Sello
Youth entrepreneurship was strongly visible in Espoo on 3–4 March, when the Uusimaa region’s Uskalla Yrittää event brought 135 student-run practice companies to the Sello shopping centre. The event awarded the most interesting JA companies and selected 12 of them for the national final.
Two Espoo-based companies earned a place in the final: Dreamy Soaps UF from Lagstad school and Donna Doki Craft Room NYT from Omnia.
Dreamy Soaps UF, founded by students from Lagstad school, was awarded in the Best Product category for its handmade and appealing soaps. Donna Doki Craft Room NYT was recognised as the Best Responsible Company. The company creates imaginative accessories and toys from recycled materials and second-hand finds and teaches others how to make similar products.
The selected companies will continue to the national Uskalla Yrittää final, which will take place in Helsinki on 28–29 April.
Youth entrepreneurship strengthens Espoo’s future growth
The Uskalla Yrittää event focuses on young people participating in the Vuosi yrittäjänä (Year as an Entrepreneur) programme by JA Finland (NYT). In the programme, students set up a real practice company for the school year, operate it with real money and learn entrepreneurial, working life and financial skills in practice.
In Espoo, youth entrepreneurship is part of the city’s long-term economic development and innovation work. Young people’s entrepreneurial skills and courage to try new things are an important part of the future.
“An entrepreneurial mindset and courage to try new ideas are essential in Espoo’s innovation community. It is great to see young people develop their own business ideas and practise entrepreneurship already during school. This builds the foundation for future skills, new companies and sustainable growth,” says Marika Lostedt, Head of Business Development Services, City of Espoo.
Innovation and creativity
At the regional event, young entrepreneurs presented and sold the products and services they had developed. The companies’ ideas ranged from handcrafted items and circular economy solutions to digital services.
Many companies highlighted sustainability themes, the use of recycled materials and solutions to everyday challenges. At the same time, the young entrepreneurs practised sales, marketing and customer interactions in a real environment.
The national Uskalla Yrittää final will be held in Helsinki on 28–29 April 2026. The final will select Finland’s best student-run practice companies, and the winner will have the opportunity to represent Finland at Europe’s largest youth entrepreneurship competition, the Gen-E event in Riga in the summer.
The City of Espoo is part of the Business Espoo network, which brings together the region’s key business services and supports companies’ growth.