SILTA Program Spring 2027 Cohort

About

Early-stage Finnish founders can join a three-month San Francisco founder-house program with housing, mentorship, and access to Silicon Valley investors and customers.

Benefits

• 🏠Housing
  SILTA provides housing in central San Francisco.
• 🌐Mentor network
  Access to SILTA's extensive network of mentors, including unicorn founders, YC partners and founders, top-tier VCs, and industry experts.
• 🤝Peer community
  Participants live and build alongside other Finnish founders in the SILTA House.
• 🚀Silicon Valley immersion
  A Silicon Valley immersion in the San Francisco startup ecosystem, with a six-week option available in certain cases, and direct access to investors, customers, and partners.
• 🧭Lightly structured program
  The program is designed to help participants achieve their objectives during their time in San Francisco.
• 💸No equity
  SILTA states that it does not take equity.
• 🎟️ Reduced fee
  A limited number of reduced participation fee spots are available for qualifying founders at €1,000 for the three-month program or €500 for the six-week track.

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicants must be Finnish citizens or residents.
• Applicants must have a company registered in Finland with a Finnish business ID by the time of departure, or register it before the program.
• R2B spin-outs may participate without incorporation if they have approval from their technology transfer office.
• Applicants must be over 18 years old.
• Applicants must have a valid ESTA or US visa for the duration of the program.
• The program is aimed at early-stage companies, typically at pre-seed stage or earlier.
• The program is intended for founders building a global company.
• The program is aimed at founding teams with deep technical expertise.

Participation Commitments

• The program runs from 15 February 2027 to 7 May 2027.
• The application period is 10 November 2026 to 6 December 2026.
• The participation fee is €3,000 per founder for the full three-month program or €1,500 for the six-week track.
• A limited number of reduced participation fee spots are available at €1,000 for the three-month program or €500 for the six-week track for qualifying founders.
• SILTA does not take equity.
• Participants are responsible for flights and food expenses of approximately $1,000–1,500 per month.
• Participants must be available for the orientation week in Finland.
• Participants provide clear goals and objectives for their time in San Francisco.
• Participants are based in San Francisco for the program, with a six-week option available in certain cases.

Target Sector

Sector agnostic, Agriculture & Food, Defense & Security, Education, Energy & Utilities, Financial Services, Government & Public Sector, Healthcare & Life Sciences, Manufacturing, Media & Entertainment, Real Estate & Construction, Retail & Consumer, Semiconductors & Electronics, Sports & Fitness, Telecommunications, Transportation & Logistics, Travel & Hospitality, Other

Target Location

Finland — Finnish citizens and residents are eligible; the company must be registered in Finland or qualify as an approved R2B spin-out.