Entrepreneurship in Finland is currently going through an interesting phase. Despite economic uncertainty, new businesses continue to be established at a steady pace, while the backgrounds of people considering entrepreneurship are changing. According to statistics from the Finnish Enterprise Agencies for the first half of 2026, an increasing number of aspiring entrepreneurs are highly educated professionals seeking a new direction for their careers.
At the same time, starting a business requires more preparation and guidance than before, which is reflected in the growing demand for advisory services. During the first half of the year, 7,558 new clients used the services of the Finnish Enterprise Agencies network, and more than 12,600 advisory sessions were provided.
One particularly interesting observation is that businesses established with the support of business advisory services are increasingly concentrated in expert and service-based sectors. The largest individual sector is professional, scientific and technical activities. This shows that more and more entrepreneurs are building their businesses on a foundation of strong expertise, education and professional know-how.
This development is also reflected in the new partnership between Näe ry and the Finnish Enterprise Agencies. Our collaboration is based on a shared understanding that the optical sector offers excellent opportunities for entrepreneurship, yet these opportunities are not always sufficiently visible to people considering starting a business. Näe ry has in-depth knowledge of the sector’s businesses, market and future needs. Meanwhile, the Finnish Enterprise Agencies network meets thousands of people interested in entrepreneurship every year across almost all of Finland. Together, we can bring these two worlds closer together.
The optical sector is an integral part of Finnish society and the service economy. It combines healthcare, well-being, technology, professional expertise and customer service in a way that provides a strong foundation for entrepreneurship. Our shared goal is to make entrepreneurship in the optical sector a more widely recognised and attractive career option, both for current professionals in the field and for new entrepreneurs. We want to highlight the opportunities within the sector, share entrepreneurial stories and showcase successful businesses, while strengthening understanding of the important role entrepreneurship plays in the future of the entire sector.
At the same time, we also want to highlight business successions and ownership transitions. Finnish companies hold an enormous amount of expertise, customer relationships and business value, and the continuity of this value depends on finding new owners and successors. This issue is becoming increasingly relevant in the optical sector as well. Buying an existing business or taking over an established operation can be just as much an entrepreneurial opportunity as starting a new company from scratch.
Above all, I see our collaboration as an opportunity to build bridges. Näe ry helps us better understand the specific characteristics of the optical sector and its future needs. In turn, we can raise the sector’s profile among a large audience interested in entrepreneurship and help new entrepreneurs find their way into the industry.
Finland’s success is built on businesses. The future of the optical sector is built on skilled entrepreneurs. That is why I believe the partnership between Näe ry and the Finnish Enterprise Agencies is, above all, an investment in the future of the sector. Together, we can make entrepreneurial opportunities more visible, increase interest in the sector and help new entrepreneurs find their place in shaping the next chapter of the optical sector’s success story.
Anneli Komi
CEO
Finnish Enterprise Agencies
