INNOVESTOR
PALO
The future is waiting. What will you create?
What is Innovestor Palo?
Innovestor Palo is a vc-backed accelerator for early-stage sustainable tech startups
What will you get?
- €75K investment from our sustainable pre-seed fund
- Access to essential corporate and investor network
- Intensive support to fine-tune your product, pitch, and early growth strategy.
Start date: September 2024
Duration: 12 weeks
PALO is Innovestor’s accelerator for the most promising early-stage sustainable technology startups.
The 2024 accelerator will begin in September and conclude in November.
What makes PALO unique?
Participating in a VC-run accelerator offers considerable benefits to the participants regarding resources, expertise, guidance, and network. Innovestor invests €75K in all companies chosen for the accelerator and provides valuable access to future customer base through venture client model.
Who should apply?
Are you a visionary early-stage Finnish startup wanting to revolutionize the world with your sustainable tech innovation? We would love to hear from you!
Sustainability / ESG
During the accelerator we will tackle the basics of GHG emission reduction and practical guidelines to start calculating a carbon footprint. All companies will be guided on producing an ESG strategy, which is highly valuable for future growth and funding.
Follow-on funding
PALO doesn’t stop after the accelerator. You will all become a part of vibrant PALO alumni and will have a possibility to receive a follow-on funding from Innovestor.
Offline/Online?
The workshops are live days in Helsinki. The personalized advisor growth boards can be hybrid or online.
All companies attending will receive a pre-seed investment of €75K for 6% equity stake and will become a part of Innovestor’s VC portfolio.
PALO accelerator experiences in a nutshell
The feedback from the PALO has been very positive; the overall grade for the program given by the participants was 4.7/5 (2022 & 2023). Four out of the eight batch 2022 participants have also already received follow-on investments after the program.
”I was skeptical at first, but during the first meeting, I realized PALO was something different. It was love at first sight with Innovestor, and after the program, we are still in love. Having a VC on board from the beginning makes everything more serious and gets you in front of other investors and corporate contacts that you would not easily connect with without the program. The VC element also makes seeking future funding easier.”
Jani-Mikael Kuusisto, Co-Founder, The Warming Surfaces Company.
During the 12 weeks, you will work with your dedicated Growth Board, which consists of top-notch advisors chosen for your company during the onboarding process. The advisors are committed to developing your business idea with you by bringing their vast experience in growing and developing sustainable businesses.
We believe that you have to test and validate your product/service with your potential client in the early stage. Hence, the venture client model built in the PALO accelerator.
During the onboarding process we will select the best partners for your company from our wide corporate network.
Our corporates partners can be found for example from our ecosystem partner Finnish Society of Automation network.
The highlight of the accelerator will be the Deal Day, where the participants get to deliver their polished pitches to impress potential future investors. We will invite fellow VCs, angel- and corporate investors to attend the exciting day!
Check out the vibes Deal Day from the video below.
Palo alumni presents
Meet some of the PALO Alumni and read what they have to say about the program.
Fluff Stuff
Fluff Stuff is a material innovation and impact design company that creates planet positive textile fillings and develops new harvesting technology. Their solution is a high performing plant-based filling material from cattail.
“Innovestor PALO Accelerator offered a great structure with clear milestones and valuable investor and customer contacts. It also had more focus on and a better understanding of sustainability than other accelerators.”
Tea Auramo and Amir Tahvonen, Co-Founders, Fluff Stuff.
ReFaMo
ReFaMo provides a unique approach to solve the issues related to fatigue structural health monitoring. Their fatigue monitoring and analytics (CFMA) system, developed from research at Lappeenranta University of Technology, offers detailed life expectancy insights and enhances understanding of structural health by analyzing the relationship between load and fatigue.
“In 2022, we joined the PALO Accelerator with goals of connecting with key corporate clients and crafting a growth strategy. The program proved transformative, giving us strategic direction and fostering connections within a supportive entrepreneurial community. Following the participation, we secured funding in 2023 and gained entry into the Business Finland Deep Tech Accelerator (DTA).”
Vesa Aaltonen, CEO & Co-founder at ReFaMo
Capalo AI
Capalo AI is a sustainable tech company that maximizes the value of flexible assets and energy storage systems across multiple markets. They combine the most accurate forecast data with cutting-edge AI models.
“Everything was organized professionally. Innovestor’s networks towards relevant investors were valuable for our business.”
Henri Taskinen and Teemu Lappalainen, Co-Founders, Capalo AI.
The Warming Surfaces
Founded just before entering the PALO Accelerator in 2022, the company quickly validated its key offerings and secured its first financing round with the help of Palo advisors and corporate networks.
“Our Halia® digital warming technology, which integrates into furniture and surfaces to provide real-time warmth, offers significant energy savings and has attracted considerable attention, especially in Central and Southern Europe. Our innovative approach led to a 2nd place among over 230 companies at the European Proptech Association’s Proptech Startup Europe Awards 2023! Today, we have a growing international clientele and have obtained additional funding to continue our expansion, so big thanks to our first VC and great Palo Accelerator!“
Jani-Mikael Kuusisto, CEO & Co-founder at Warming Surfaces Company
Meet some of the advisors
Our advisors have “been there, done that ” and are here to help you succeed. Meet a few of them.
Ilkka Kaikuvuo
Co-Founder Framery, CEO, Partner Varaani Works, Board Professional, Startup enthusiast
Ilkka is a technology entrepreneur, board professional, startup business angel and ok-ish endurance enthusiast working daily with startups and growth companies. Also Co-father of Framery, Surveypal (and few other companies) and an early stage investor in 20+ companies mainly in Something-as-as-Service & smart offices. Active Chairperson & member of the board at growth companies from different industries. Interested in growth and learning new things – never forgetting strategic thinking & humane approach!
Nora Haatainen
Business executive, COO, Advisor
Nora is a growth-oriented, entrepreneurial leader with over 15 years of experience steering global businesses and brands. She has been at the forefront of innovation, founding a corporate-wide unit within a globally recognized company and served several positions as business advisor and board member within SME companies across industries. Her expertise encompasses strong business acumen, commercial go-to-market, systematic innovation and product development and circular ecosystems.
Niko Myller
Founder, Board Professional, Business executive, Researcher
Niko is a seasoned startup coach with a rich entrepreneurship and academic research background. After completing his PhD, Niko founded SN4 International Ltd, a company he led for over a decade before successfully selling it to Bisnode, a leading European data and analytics firm, in 2015. Besides his entrepreneurial and leadership successes, Niko is also an accomplished academic with over 50 publications in diverse scientific fields. His broad experience forms a strong basis for advising PALO companies, guiding them through complex challenges toward sustainable success.
Corporates
Examples of corporations that are in the PALO ecosystem.
