HARBOR
Forget job applications, join Harbor.
6 week project with a startup in your field
Harbor pairs early-year students in teams of 2-3 with startups to solve real exploratory problems in product, design, growth, and validation.
FAQ
Harbor connects early-year students with startups for 6-week innovation projects over summer. Teams of 2-3 work full-time on real, explorative problems, for example: market validation, prototyping, customer discovery, or marketing experiments. Not grunt work.
You get real experience on real problems: proof of work, skills you can show, and a story that stands out. For many startups, Harbor is where they find their next hires.
On completion you receive 1,000 € and up to 10 ECTS credits, which also qualifies you for Kela opintotuki over summer, so you can apply yourself to the fullest.
Exploratory innovation work: new markets, pricing and business model validation, feature prototypes, customer discovery, marketing and design experiments. These are real problems startups want to pursue. You learn by doing on real, open-ended work.
- Research enterprise customers and build a pricing model from interviews and willingness-to-pay
- Explore 3-5 adjacent markets for a product and report which are worth pursuing
- Do field research to validate new customer segments so the startup knows where to build next
- Make deep tech understandable and usable for customers: user research, journey maps, data visualization, concept development, pitch materials
Applications are open now and reviewed on a rolling basis. Apply as soon as possible. We match startup needs with student competencies and can match projects to specific competencies in design, research, or technical skills.
Six weeks, May 11 - June 17, before Midsummer.
Applications are open now (rolling review), so apply right away. The program includes orientation, four weeks of full-time project work, and a final wrap-up week.
You're not on your own. Your team has an Account Manager and coaching throughout the program so the project is scoped clearly and supported to completion. Payment is tied to agreed deliverables, not outcomes. Deliver what you signed up for and you get paid, regardless of what the startup does with the results.
Teams work from the Aaltoes space by default, or from the startup's office. You'll also get coaching and an Account Manager who supports your team throughout.
Harbor requires full-time commitment for the entire program period. However, if you have a few mandatory lectures or exams during the period, that's those can be worked around.
If you have other commitments, include them in your application.
Have questions or need to change your application information? harbor@aaltoes.com
Ready to apply?
Work on real startup problems, get coached, and build proof of work in six intensive weeks.