Founders to Finland – Terms & Conditions

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Founders to Finland – Terms & Conditions

These General Terms and Conditions include the most important terms and conditions that apply to Founders to Finland Programme applicants and of which participants should be aware of when applying to the Founders to Finland Programme.

Helsinki Partners and selected participants shall enter into a formal written agreement in which participants and Helsinki Partner’s duties and obligations are agreed. Helsinki Partners reserves the right to amend these terms and conditions in the final agreement.

Organiser:

This Founders to Finland programme is organized by Helsinki Partners Ltd with Business ID 3209009-8, which is Finnish limited liability company incorporated under the laws of Finland (“Helsinki Partners”).

Helsinki Partners is a city-owned company supporting trade and business in Helsinki metropolitan area.

Timetable:

Applicants can apply since 20.6.2023. Helsinki Partners goes through the applications and can make the decision as soon as possible.

Helsinki Partners will choose 5 – 10 participants in 2023. The chosen participants will be interviewed. Organizer can contact the applicants already before the decision, if additional information is needed.

The Founders to Finland programme shall take place starting from September 2023, but timetable changes are possible e.g. due to the chosen participants’ situation. The timetable is non-binding and Helsinki Partners reserves the right at its sole discretion to amend the scheduled timetable.

Who can apply?

To apply you need to fulfil the following general criteria:

applicants shall be over 18 years old at the date of submitting application to Founders to Finland programme;
applicants shall not reside permanently in Finland, nor shall they be Finnish citizens;
applicant shall be responsible for applying and maintaining all travel documents and permits, including but not limited to visa etc.;
applicants shall submit their applications in Founders to Finland and otherwise act during the Founders to Finland programme on voluntary basis; and
applicants’ person’s competency shall not be limited, nor shall he or she be declared incompetent.

Criteria for the decision:

Helsinki Partners has the right to choose freely the participants among applicants. Following criteria will be considered in the decision-making.

Founders to Finland programme is targeted for international entrepreneurs and investors. Participants will be chosen preferably from both categories.
Entrepreneurs with innovative and feasible business plan for Finland are preferred. · Investors with feasible investment plan for Finland are preferred.
In the decision-making process a wide business network is considered as an asset.
The participants will have to have a right to apply for Schengen visa and residence permit.
In the decision process, Helsinki Partners evaluates the reasons provided by the applicants based on the information provided by the applicants.

Helsinki Partner’s responsibilities

Helsinki Partners provides the concept for Founders to Finland programmme and certain support services that may be necessary for participants during the Founders to Finland programmme.

The concept of Founders to Finland programme is provided “as is” and no express or implied warranty regarding it, its suitability for any special purpose or infringement of third-party intellectual property rights are granted.

Helsinki Partners provides following support services for the chosen participants:

PREPARATION PHASE

· Individual initial meeting and needs assessment

· Guidance for preparation of required immigration/arrival documents, but we are not responsible for the decision of residence permit application or the costs of the immigration/arrival

· Connecting to reliable relocation services regarding more detailed residence permit and relocation related matters.

· Virtual introduction programme before the arrival

· Family affair advisory provided by International House Helsinki (e.g. schooling and daycare)

DURING THE STAY

· Welcome gift and settling-in information

· Individual introduction session about work and life in Helsinki and Finland.

· Introduction to suitable co-working space in Helsinki

· Local guide at the beginning of the stay

· A tailored programme for business development and company formation in Finland.

· Information about freetime activities during the programme

· Individual help to build business network in Helsinki

Responsibilities for the applicants and participants:

Applicants and participants need to provide truthful information in the application and during the Founders to Finland programme
Chosen participants will obey all travel conditions which are currently in use in Finland
Participants are willing to share their experiences to their network from Finland
Participants are responsible for their residence permit application, including but not limited to its costs. Helsinki Partners shall not be responsible for the decision of the application from Migri (Finnish Immigration services)
Helsinki Partners can produce content during the stay of the participants e.g. during the get togethers. Participants are willing to give interviews for Helsinki Partners about their stay
Participants are responsible for the travel expenses to Finland and from Finland as well as inside Finland
Participants are responsible for the living costs and other personal expenses during their stay in Finland
Participants are responsible for their business costs and other expenses for third party services before and during their stay in Finland
Applicants and participants shall be responsible for all materials (and that the material does not infringe third party intellectual property rights nor any applicable law in Finland) he or she submits or uploads to social media during the Founders to Finland and/or the application procedure, such as texts, tweets, Facebook posts, data, documents, as well as all material, interviews etc. to be given in any and all newspapers, mass media, or media and other similar functions as may apply from time to time. Applicants and participants represent and warrant that they have permission to disclose such material under applicable legislation
Applicants and participants agree, during the application procedure and/or the course of the Founders to Finland programme, not to store, retain, distribute, or transmit any material in any hosted servers of Founders to Finland or Helsinki Partners that would violate the applicable legislation in Finland and/or good manners, incites or promotes such activities or would otherwise damage Helsinki Partner’s reputation
Applicants and participants undertake to keep confidential their application in Founders to Finland programme and choice as a participant in Founders to Finland programme until Helsinki Partners has announced the subject matter in public
The applicant and participant shall be responsible for compensating damages occurred to Helsinki Partners for the breach of these terms and conditions and the agreement between the parties.

Force majeure

Force Majeure means any and all events beyond Helsinki Partner’s control, the consequences of which could not have been avoided, even if all reasonable measures had been taken.

Examples of Force Major include, but not limited to, war, acts of terrorism (or the threat thereof), strike, significant risks to human health such as the outbreak of serious disease or pandemic (including COVID-19), any governmental or municipal actions, Act of God, which make it impossible or extremely difficult or otherwise significantly prevents the applicant and/or participant to travel safely to, or stay in Helsinki during the Founders to Finland programme, or influence significantly Helsinki Partner’s possibility to organise the Founders to Finland programme as scheduled.

In case of Force Majeure, Helsinki Partners will try to provide a postponement of the Founders to Finland programme where possible. If the delay would exceed 14 days or more, Helsinki Partners will have the right to cancel the Founders to Finland programme without any liability to the applicants and/or participants.

Compensation for participation in Founders to Finland programme

Helsinki Partners shall not be liable or pay the applicants and/or participants any compensation based on their participation and/or apply in the Founders to Finland programme.

Withdrawal of applicant’s application and/or conduct in Founders to Finland programme

The applicant can withdraw his or her application in Founders to Finland programme at any time by contacting Helsinki Partners in writing.

The selected participant can withdraw his or her participation in the Founders to Finland programme at any time by informing Helsinki Partners in writing.

Intellectual Property Rights

Intellectual Property Rights to Founders to Finland shall belong to Helsinki Partners or to a third party. Helsinki Partners shall retain ownership of all its intellectual property rights and nothing

herein shall grant to applicant and/or participant title, license or any other right to any intellectual property rights of Helsinki Partners.

Helsinki Partners’ rights cover, including but not limited to, the right to distribute, promote, utilize, present, modify and/or combine material filmed or otherwise associated with the participants (“Recorded Material“) worldwide either publicly or privately in different medias for commercial and non-commercial purposes in the manner as may be deemed appropriate by Helsinki Partners from time to time.

The applicants and participants acknowledge Helsinki Partner’s intellectual property rights, title to its trade name, trademarks, domain names, know-how and other intellectual property rights and refrain from all actions that may infringe the rights of Helsinki Partners.

The applicants and participants accept that their intellectual property rights relating to Founders to Finland and Recorded Material shall transfer to Helsinki Partners without compensation.

If the applicant or participant is in any breach of this clause, which rectifiable breach is not rectified within thirty (30) days from the applicant or participant becoming aware of such a breach, the applicant or participant shall be liable on first demand of Helsinki Partners to pay liquidated damages in the amount of fifty thousand (50.000,00) EUR for each breach of this clause. In addition, the applicant or participant is liable to reimburse and compensate to Helsinki Partners for all damages that exceed the liquidated damages.Data protection

Helsinki Partners shall act as a Data Controller as stipulated in the EU General Data Protection Regulation (679/2016, “GDPR“).

By applying and/or participating in Founders to Finland programme, the applicants and participants agree to give their consent for the use of his or her personal data as described in Helsinki Partners’ Privacy Policy.

Limitation of liability

IN NO CASE SHALL HELSINKI PARTNERS, ITS DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, AFFILIATES, AGENTS, CONTRACTORS, OR LICENSORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, PUNITIVE, SPECIAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING FROM APPLICANT’S APPLICATING AND/OR PARTICIPANT’S PARTICIPATION IN THE FOUNDERS TO FINLAND PROGRAMME.

APPLICANTS AND PARTICIPANTS EXPRESSLY AGREE THAT HIS AND/OR HER APPLICATION AND PARTICIPATION IN FOUNDERS TO FINLAND PROGRAMME IS AT HIS OR HER OWN RISK.

Insurance Applicants and participants are responsible for maintaining an insurance covering expenses for travel liability, acute illness and accidents for the duration of participant’s stay in Finland.

Confidentiality

The applicants and participants shall keep strictly confidential all confidential information disclosed or communicated to them by Helsinki Partners or that otherwise becomes known to them directly or indirectly. The applicants and participants shall not use for their own purposes or to disclose to any third party any confidential information. The applicants and participants shall comply with special diligence when handling and maintaining confidential information.

The obligations on confidentiality set forth in this clause shall be valid regardless of any termination of Founders to Finland programme or withdrawal of the applicant or participant.

No partnership

Nothing in these terms and conditions shall be construed to create any agency, employment, partnership, joint venture or similar relationship between Helsinki Partners and the applicant/participant. Neither party shall have any right or authority whatsoever to incur any liability or obligation (express or implied) or otherwise act in any manner in the name or on the behalf of the other, or to make any promise, warranty or representation binding on the other.

Termination of Founders to Finland programme

Helsinki Partners shall have right to terminate the Founders to Finland programme for cause, e.g. breach of agreement of applicants and/or participants, and for convenience without any liability to applicants and/or participants.

Governing law

These terms and conditions and any action related thereto will be governed, controlled, interpreted and defined by and under the laws of Finland, without regard to the conflicts of law provisions.

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