This is not a hospital

This blog series is dedicated to Cash — from startups to corporate treasuries.

The road to Maria 01 seems little confusing at first. When entering from a massive entrance into the courtyard of the biggest startup hub in the Nordics, you get the vibe of a hospital even though the main entrance says “not a hospital”.

Faces of Maria 01: Erika Halonen and Voitto Kangas

Erika aka the Willy Wonka of the Maria 01 factory

I got the chance to talk with Erika and Voitto for the first blog series with one day’s notice. I loved how quickly and easily it all happened, very startup like.

Erika has always had her hands on the things she loves and is passionate about, and she’s not afraid to take actions. This shows in the beginning of our talk, when I ask her about what she’s been up to until now:

“I have never had the problem of not knowing what I want to do. It’s more like I easily find new interests and I tend to act fast when I do.”

“I spent my adolescence in Stockholm. After studying ethnology and marketing in the university, I started my cirkus studies in Turku Arts Academy. After a while I figured, maybe I need to do something else than jump around for the rest of my life. That’s when I started management studies in Åbo Akademi. Quite quickly, I was drawn to get my hands on, and currently I find myself here in Maria 01 as a CXO.”

“I’ve always loved to do gymnastics, that’s why I started circus studies. Later I found capoeira, which also took me to Brazil for a couple of months.”

Voitto Kangas CEO of Maria 01

When asking Voitto about his path becoming the CEO of Maria 01, I get a quick sum up:

“I studied business, worked for Slush and an investor company, and now I’m here.”

In the midst of our talk, Voitto greets people entering Maria 01 restaurant (which by the way offers tasty food and also looks pretty awesome!), next he explains how he should run more on his spare time but instead he watches movies. (I hear Ozarks is worth watching.)

After renovation, one of the most challenging things has been estimating the cash flow that comes from the rental income

The initial idea about an innovation center has transformed quite a lot along the way. Currently, Maria 01 startup hub is a home base for 600 people and almost for 100 startups and investors.

“This year we’ve organized over 200 different events. It’s been surprising to see how small companies, who have very limited money, have put such an effort in renovating the spaces to make it as it is now.”

“As one might guess, the biggest challenge has been the renovation. To fix hospital rooms into office space has taken a lot of money, effort and time. The only thing we knew in the very beginning was, where the toilets and restaurant would be.”

“One of the most challenging things has been how to estimate the cash flow, that comes from the rental incomes. As there’s a constant renovation going on, it’s been impossible to know if we’re able to fix all the spaces for the companies in need. The city gave us money for renovating the space, the companies have invested more or less the same amount, not to speak of all the work. Currently we get 2 to 3 applications per week from startups wanting to operate under Maria 01 roof, so the situation is pretty good now.”

What’s on the horizon?

Indeed, Maria 01 is a unique concept, as both companies and investors are under the same roof.

“Naturally, we’re going global. We’re already the biggest startup hub in the Nordics. Currently we’re organizing an event for embassies to promote the international collaborations. We’re also constantly looking for other startup hubs abroad to increase our global networks.”

Location: Maria Hospital / Maria 01

Transforming hospital into A biggest startup hub in the Nordics

• Maria (currently Maria 01) was the first public hospital in Helsinki. It was found due to the growing city population and the increase of epidemics in the capital.
• Maria Hospital stopped its operations in 2014.
• In the summer of 2016, the first companies moved to Maria 01.
• Currently Maria 01 is a home base for almost 100 startups and investor companies, in total for 600 people!

A big force behind the establishment of Maria 01 was the city of Helsinki, who initially had an idea of a center for promoting innovations that would have a global impact. In the Helsinki startup scene, there was a big demand for a venue or restaurant where people could meet up. The city called for startup people for action, and so it all started. The city of Helsinki put money on renovating the former hospital venue to fit better for the purpose of a startup hub. Other than that, it pretty much let Maria 01 staff and companies do what they wanted with the space.

The author gets a kick out of discovering exciting stories & sharing them. She matches her interests in startups by blogging for Backed byCFO & in plants in her day job.