A’Pelago’s 2027 Accelerator Programmes – Four Programmes & One Growing Ecosystem

As we look towards 2027, A’Pelago is expanding its accelerator and innovation offering and building new connections across Finland, the Nordics and the Baltic Sea region.

Next year, four programmes will be part of the A’Pelago ecosystem, creating pathways from research and early stage innovation to international growth and scale. Each programme has a distinct focus and target group, while contributing to the same wider network of companies, researchers, investors, industry and ecosystem partners.

🌊 A’Pelago Northern Blue

Building on the success of this year’s Nordic Blue Accelerator, A’Pelago Northern Blue continues our work with ambitious blue economy scaleups, with a stronger focus on scaling across the Baltic Sea region.

Domiciled in Turku, Northern Blue is A’Pelago’s most international and scale focused programme. It helps companies move beyond their home markets by connecting them with potential customers, strategic partners, investors and relevant ecosystems across the region.

The five month programme combines practical market development with international connections, including bootcamps and investor meetings in selected Northern European cities. The aim is to turn market exploration into concrete opportunities for regional growth.

🌐 Nordic Ocean Accelerator Programme (NOCA)

The Nordic Ocean Accelerator Programme is a focused one week cross border growth sprint for ambitious ocean economy startups and SMEs looking to grow in Nordic markets.

The programme is part of the three year Nordic Ocean Cluster Accelerator (NOCA) project, co funded by Nordic Innovation. In 2027, A’Pelago will organise the one week programme in Finland, bringing together companies, industry experts, investors and ocean innovation clusters from across the Nordics.

During the intensive sprint, participating companies will have the opportunity to test their strategy, explore Nordic market opportunities, build connections and identify potential customers, partners and investors.

Applications for the 2027 cohort are now open here.

📍 Helsinki Blue Economy Studio by A’Pelago

Helsinki Blue Economy Studio is a new programme created together with Business Helsinki, connecting local blue economy startups with established companies, investors, researchers and other ecosystem actors.

The Studio creates a new connection between Helsinki’s maritime ecosystem and the wider A’Pelago network, opening opportunities for companies and partners to connect across Finland, the Nordics and international markets.

Through matchmaking, expert sessions, company visits and business development activities, the programme will help growth companies develop relationships with established players and explore new opportunities for growth.

The Studio is part of A’Pelago’s wider ecosystem and brings new connections and expertise into the network while strengthening collaboration with Helsinki’s blue economy community.

Applications for the 2027 programme are now open here.

🔬 Lab2Impact

Lab2Impact is A’Pelago’s incubator programme for researchers and research based innovations.

The programme creates bridges between research, entrepreneurship and the wider blue economy ecosystem, helping participants explore how research and new knowledge can develop into applications, ventures and future growth opportunities.

Lab2Impact provides an early entry point into the A’Pelago ecosystem. From there, research based innovations can connect with companies, investors and other ecosystem actors and, as they develop, progress towards accelerator programmes and international markets.

Different programmes and different entry points, but one connected ecosystem.

Together, the four programmes create pathways across different stages of development, from research and incubation to market entry, regional growth and international scale.

They also strengthen connections between different parts of the Blue Economy ecosystem, bringing together companies, researchers, investors, established industry and public and ecosystem partners across Finland, the Nordics and the Baltic Sea region.

For A’Pelago, this means creating more opportunities for companies to find the right people, markets, knowledge, capital and partnerships at the right stage of their journey.

And ultimately, the programmes connect back to Turku and A’Pelago Initiative 2027, taking place 18–19 August 2027, where the wider A’Pelago ecosystem comes together each year.

Applications are now open

Applications are currently open for the Nordic Ocean Accelerator Programme and Helsinki Blue Economy Studio. Read more about the programs here.

More information about A’Pelago Northern Blue and Lab2Impact will be shared soon.