Venture Nordics – Terms & Conditions

Venture Nordics – Terms & Conditions

These General Terms and Conditions include the most important terms and conditions that apply to Venture Nordics Programme applicants and chosen participants, and which the applicants should be aware of when applying to participate in the Venture Nordics Programme.

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

Organizer:

This Venture Nordics 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:

Application period: 30 November 2023- 18 February 2024

Selection period: 19-25 February 2024

Interview period: 26 February – 7 March 2024

Final confirmation with contracts signing: 8-22 March 2024

Onsite program in Helsinki: 30 May-7 June, 2024

Helsinki Partners will choose 3 – 10 participants upon its sole discretion in 2024. The chosen participants are informed during February 2024, after which the chosen participants will be interviewed. The purpose of the interview is to further evaluate the suitability of each participant and ensure that the participant is suitable for the goals and target group of the Venture Nordics programme. Helsinki Partners shall have the right to refuse a participant without any liability whatsoever, if a participant proves to be clearly unsuitable for the Venture Nordics programme during the interview.

The organizer can contact the applicants already before the decision if additional information is needed.

The Venture Nordics programme onsite part shall take place during 27 May-8 June 2023, but timetable changes are possible e.g. due to the chosen participants’ situation. The timetable presented above 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 fulfill the following general criteria:

applicants shall be over 18 years old at the date of submitting application to Venture Nordics 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 Venture Nordics programme and otherwise act during the Venture Nordics 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 the applicants. For example, following criteria will be considered in the decision-making.

Venture Nordics programme is targeted for international private equity/venture capital firm fund managers and their investors (LPs). Applicants will be considered only if they are one of these two categories or both.
Investors with feasible investment and expansion plan for Europe are preferred.
In the decision-making process a wide business network is considered as an asset.
To be considered, the applicants shall have to the right to apply for a Schengen visa and residence permit in Finland.
In the decision-making process, Helsinki Partners evaluates the reasons provided by the applicants based on the information provided by the applicants, whereby the applicants are solely responsible for providing complete, truthful and accurate information.

Helsinki Partner’s responsibilities

Helsinki Partners provides the concept for the Venture Nordics programme and certain support services that may be necessary for participants during the Venture Nordics programme. All the planned program is provided for free for the participants. However, participants are responsible for all their own expenses and costs including, but not limited to, travel, visa applications, living costs, and personal expenses.

The concept of the Venture Nordics programme is provided “as is” and no express or implied warranty regarding it or its suitability for any special purpose of the participants are granted.

Helsinki Partners provides following support services as a part of the programme free of charge for the chosen participants:

PREPARATION PHASE

Individual initial meeting and needs assessment
Support for preparation of required immigration/arrival documents, however observing that Helsinki Partners is not responsible for the decision of visa application or the costs associated with or relating to the immigration/arrival.
Connecting to reliable relocation services regarding more detailed residence permit and relocation related matters.
Virtual introduction before the arrival

DURING THE STAY

Arranged Airport pick-up
Public transportation tickets for Helsinki during onsite program period.
Program designed and prepared for the participants during the program period, no extra cost for the participants.
Co-working space available for the participants during the program period.
Other programs and meetings that are tailored to the participants’ business interests as separately agreed upon between Helsinki Partners and the participant.

Responsibilities for the applicants and participants:

Applicants and participants are obliged to provide truthful information in the application and during the Venture Nordics programme, and Helsinki Partners shall have the right to refuse applicants and/or participants from applying to and/or participating in the Venture Nordics programme, if incorrect information, based on which the applicant has for example been interviewed or participant has been chosen, have been provided.
Chosen participants shall follow all travel conditions which are in use in Finland from time to time
Participants are willing to share their experiences to their network from Finland
Participants shall solely be responsible for their visa 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. By enrolling to this programme, the participant gives Helsinki Partners its consent to use the content created during the program for an unlimited period of time and free of charge, including but not limited to materials such as videos, pictures and quotes including participants’ faces and their names.
Participants are responsible for the travel expenses to Finland and from Finland as well as any expenses and costs in Finland that are not covered by the public transportation tickets provided by Helsinki Partners.
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 relating to the Venture Nordics 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 in the course of the Venture Nordics programme, not to store, retain, distribute, or transmit any material in any hosted servers of Venture Nordics program 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 Venture Nordics programme and choice as a participant in Venture Nordics programme until Helsinki Partners has announced the subject matter in public

The applicant and participant shall be responsible for compensating all 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 foreseen and/or avoided, even if all reasonable measures had been taken.

Examples of Force Majeure include, but are 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 Venture Nordics programme, or influences significantly Helsinki Partner’s possibility to organise the Venture Nordics programme as planned and/or scheduled.

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

Compensation for participation in Venture Nordics programme

Helsinki Partners shall not be liable or pay the applicants and/or participants any compensation based on their participation and/or application in the Venture Nordics programme.

Withdrawal of applicant’s application and/or conduct in Venture Nordics programme

The applicant can withdraw his or her application in Venture Nordics programme at any time by contacting Helsinki Partners in writing.

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

Intellectual Property Rights

Intellectual Property Rights to Venture Nordics programme shall belong to Helsinki Partners or to a third party participating in providing the Venture Nordics programme. Helsinki Partners shall retain ownership of all its intellectual property rights and nothing herein shall grant to the 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 Venture Nordics and Recorded Material shall automatically 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 Venture Nordics 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 Venture Nordics programme.

Applicants and participants expressly agree that his and/or her application and participation in Venture Nordics 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 Venture Nordics 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 Venture Nordics programme

Helsinki Partners shall have right to terminate the Venture Nordics programme in respect of the applicant and/or participant 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 and dispute resolution

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

Any dispute arising from or related to these Terms & Conditions or the Venture Nordics -programme shall be finally settled by a sole arbitrator in arbitration in Helsinki in accordance with the Arbitration Rules of the Finland Chamber of Commerce. The language of the arbitration shall be Finnish, but evidence may also be presented in English.

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