The Summer of Startups program is being organized for the second time in Finland. The program is brought to you by Aalto Entrepreneurship Society, and aimed at encouraging students and researchers to create their first startup during the summer.

Unlike other startup accelerator programs in the region (such as the ongoing Startup Sauna) its goal isn’t to create the next big thing, but rather to stimulate the entrepreneurial spirit. Most students in the region do not consider startups a viable career choice. Often, they find themselves in “safe” positions at places such as Nokia, Accenture or Kone. Because of this, it is important to provide active mentoring as well as a way to try out ideas to people who wouldn’t normally do so.

This year, 74 teams applied to participate in the program, including participants from India, China and Russia. Out of these, 11 were selected to participate. The teams will receive funding for the summer, mentoring from 30 entrepreneurs from the Baltic region, as well as working space.

Here is a short description of each selected. However, keep in mind they might very well change during the summer (at least we hope so!).

AntsLab – Builds a biometric sensor for ANT devices (e.g. heart monitors, gym equipment) for Android phones. Currently, such readers are only available on iPhone.

Bus Faster – A routing application for public transports in developing countries. Its goal is to lower upkeep costs by leveraging better algorithms.

Cosmic Music Tools – Offering a variety of music-learning apps for dedicated musicians, which provide punishing but accurate evaluation of your performance (e.g. timing, pitch tracking, etc).

ImproSense – Building a low-cost motion sensor for artists to expand their performance by controlling other devices (e.g. lights, audio).

Labormandi – An SMS-based employment platform for developing countries, which removes the need for middlemen hiring job seekers.

Laser Wigs – Creating a mobile-based audio game where different sounds create the rules for gameplay.

Mukava Music – An open-source and crowdsourced platform to revolutionize the way of discovering and producing music.

SolvingMaze – A SaaS solution for online retailers to estimate the cost of shipping more accurately based on the dimension and weight of merchandise and packaging containers.

Storytally – A publishing solution for brands that enables creative storytelling across multiple platforms.

Stream Dialog – An online video-streaming platform that enables interaction between audiences and users.

Uploud Audio – Building Hi-Fi speakers combining technologies such as a crossbreed of static and dynamic loudspeaker types, RIM cast enclosure parts and wireless audio transmitters.