Survey: Experiences of inappropriate behaviour in the Finnish startup industry

In the fall of 2023, Startup Foundation, The Finnish Startup Community, Finnish Venture Capital Association, Finnish Business Angels Network FiBAN, Slush, and Aalto Entrepreneurship Society, conducted a survey to investigate and address inappropriate behaviour and practices within the Finnish startup ecosystem, and to identify ways to promote equality, inclusion, and diversity.

This survey is the first of its kind in the Finnish startup ecosystem and received a total of 526 responses.

Startup Foundation, The Finnish Startup Community, Finnish Venture Capital Association, Finnish Business Angels Network FiBAN, Slush, and Aalto Entrepreneurship Society have established an Ethics Committee to foster diversity, equality, and inclusion in the Finnish startup ecosystem. The Ethics Committee will provide guidance and process for using anonymous reporting channels, compile best practices for preventing and intervening in inappropriate behaviour in the Finnish startup ecosystem, and regularly monitor and measure how diversity, inclusion, and equality are experienced in the Finnish startup ecosystem.

Josefiina Kotilainen, CEO of the Startup Foundation and Chair of the Ethics Committee: "I want to thank everyone who responded to our survey and the participating organisations. As a community, we must do more to address and prevent inappropriate behaviour. The survey responses provided us valuable insights into our field, helping us identify the necessary actions for becoming a more equal and fair community for all.”

About the Survey

The survey was conducted anonymously online in collaboration with the DEI organisation Inklusiiv from October 17th to November 5th, 2023. In total, it received 526 responses.

The survey results are available in the link below.