AI researchers visit the startup scene at ELLIS Institute Finland’s Startup Exploration Day

Can someone with a PhD become a founder? At ELLIS Institute Finland's AI Startup Exploration Day on June 9, the answer was a resounding yes. 

The one-day event brought together doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers in the AI field as well as founders, investors and ecosystem builders to explore what it takes to turn cutting-edge research into startups with global ambitions. The program combined founder stories, ecosystem insights, practical discussions, and one-to-one conversations aimed at helping researchers take their first steps beyond academia. 

The event was organized by ELLIS Institute Finland as part of its mission to connect world-class AI research with entrepreneurship and societal impact. 

“We want researchers to see entrepreneurship as a natural extension of their work,” says Esa Rahtu, professor at Tampere University and member of the ELLIS Institute management team. “By connecting researchers to founders, investors, and real startup experiences early on, we can help more breakthrough ideas make the journey from the lab to the market.” 

Participants heard candid stories from AI founders who shared lessons learned on fundraising, building teams, finding product-market fit, and navigating the unpredictable startup journey. Rather than pitching entrepreneurship as a predetermined career path, the event encouraged curiosity, experimentation and exploration. 

The Startup Exploration Day also benefited from strong European partnerships. Tristan Ricken, who leads entrepreneurship and tech transfer for the ELIAS Network at the Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI Engine) in Germany, highlighted the importance of connecting AI researchers across Europe and creating opportunities beyond traditional academic careers. 

“Europe produces some of the world's best AI research. The missing piece is turning more of it into companies,” says Ricken. “Events like this matter because they put researchers, founders and investors in the same room and make the entrepreneurial leap feel within reach rather than out of it.” 

Alex Zhigarev from eurx.ai, who co-organized an Exploration Lab during the event for AI researchers curious about the startup path, emphasized the growing appetite among researchers to translate scientific advances into real-world applications. 

"You could feel the entrepreneurial energy in the room, AI researchers genuinely weighing whether their work could become a company," Zhigarev said. "We ran this interactive workshop as the first in a series of events by AIREN, a community bringing together scientist-founders, from those testing a first idea to those already building." 

With lively discussions continuing well into the networking sessions, the event demonstrated that startup curiosity among researchers is stronger than ever. For many attendees, the day offered not only practical advice but also ways to imagine new career paths. 

For those who missed the event, ELLIS Institute Finland plans to continue building bridges between research excellence and entrepreneurship through future startup-focused activities and collaborations. 

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