A new batch of startups have started their SILTA journey in San Francisco

Insights|April 29, 2025

A new batch of Finnish startup entrepreneurs – touched down in San Francisco earlier this spring. The arrival marked the start of their three-month immersion in the world’s leading innovation hub.

These seven promising early-stage companies are now building momentum within the heart of the U.S. startup ecosystem – continuing the journey that began with the first SILTA cohort in early 2024. SILTA is a non-profit initiative designed to accelerate the growth of Finnish startups by providing mentorship, resources, and access to global networks.

“The current spring program has shown how getting feet on the ground in San Francisco helps our program’s participants reach new heights. For the business side, the benefits are plenty, e.g. finding market demand, getting access to the world’s top specialists, and meeting new investors. But more importantly, it allows the participants to grow as founders, to continue with a clearer vision and more clarity in their efforts once they return to Finland,” says Pihla Päivänsalo, Program Lead at SILTA.

Roschier started the journey with SILTA in early 2024 with a clear mission: to help build the future of Finnish entrepreneurship by offering legal support where it matters most. Through legal workshops and one-on-one sessions, Roschier lawyers support SILTA participants in navigating core legal challenges – from corporate governance and funding structures to IP strategy and cross-border operations. During the partnership Roschier has been helping three batches of entrepreneurs and providing them with legal training.

This partnership is part of Roschier’s long-term commitment to strengthening the Finnish economy through innovation and entrepreneurship. As startups take their first international steps, legal guidance is essential for sustainable growth.

“Having now had the pleasure of coaching three batches of SILTA start-ups, what keeps amazing me the most is how fearless and eager the founders are to conquer the market with their innovation. It is great to be able to help the founders in the legal matters that really matter – which at early stages of a company are very value accretive and yet surprisingly commonsense to navigate,” says Tero Jormanainen, Partner at Roschier.

The startups in the third batch supported by Roschier are:

  • DeepScan Diagnostics & Anssi Rantanen – Developing cfDNA-based diagnostic tests to assist veterinarians uncover hidden diseases such as cancerOtos – Empowering clinicians with new diagnostic platform for early detection of hearing loss.
  • Clarvo & Mark Szucs – An AI-powered HR tech platform that analyzes career patterns to match job seekers and employers.
  • Tree & Kasper Karimaa – Creating a commercial product data network to drive data sharing for the circular economy.
  • Mobal & Alexander Silén – Improving accuracy and reach of location data across major navigation and review platforms.
  • Otos & Tanja Tervonen – Empowering clinicians with a new diagnostic platform for early detection of hearing loss.
  • Comparables.ai & Martin Kangasniemi – Accelerates company and market research for M&A professionals with AI trained on 360M+ profiles.
  • Superify & Otto Mäenpää – Consolidating tools and automating workflows for solo entrepreneurs with an AI-based platform.

We also caught up with one of the companies, Robes Rental’s, from the Autumn 2024 batch to hear how their SILTA experience has shaped their growth – and what’s next as they continue their startup journey beyond San Francisco. Read more here.

Read more about SILTA here and here.