Polar Bear Pitch­ing 2026 — the Coolest Start­up Event in the World!

Polar Bear Pitch­ing is not your typ­i­cal start­up event. Here, founders prove their resilience by pitch­ing from an AVAN­TO (Finnish for “ice hole”)! This unique tra­di­tion com­bines the thrill of entre­pre­neur­ship with the spir­it of north­ern cul­ture, cre­at­ing an unfor­get­table set­ting for net­work­ing, deals, and inno­va­tion.

Time: 26.2.2026

Place: Oulu, Fin­land

Day Con­fer­ence: Radis­son Blu, Hal­li­tuskatu 1, Oulu

Book your tick­et

High­lights of our pro­gram:

• 25.2., 18:00–20:00 – Warm-up Recep­tion (Tick­et hold­ers only)
• 26.2., 9:00–15:00 – Day Con­fer­ence “Cul­tur­al Cap­i­tal in Start­up Growth”; includ­ing inter­na­tion­al keynote speak­ers,  work­shops, match­mak­ing, and free lunch (Tick­et hold­ers only)
• 26.2., 17:00–20:00 – Avan­to Pitch­ing Com­pe­ti­tion: includ­ing the out­door sauna vil­lage, ice activ­i­ties, and glob­al livestream (open to pub­lic for Oulu2026)
• 26.2., 20:00–00:00 – After­par­ty (Tick­et hold­ers only)

More infor­ma­tion about the event.

Enjoy free Polar Bear Pitch­ing side events and explore Oulu’s vibrant start­up ecosys­tem. Check them all!

Con­tact per­son

Viera Karam

Head of Polar Bear Pitch­ing

viera.karam@businessoulu.com