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What is common between Finland and Los Angeles? Both are holding the pioneer position in fighting climate change, especially through smart technologies. They both also have set ambitious goals. L.A. is aiming for decarbonizing the city by 2050, and Finland is thriving for carbon neutrality by 2035.
This creates fruitful grounds for finding synergies. L.A. is investing heavily in creating and deploying solutions (read more about Los Angeles New Green Deal), and Finland is one of the global forerunners in creating cutting-edge smart solutions.
In order to turn the synergies into concrete cooperation, SCIC visited L.A. together with the Team Finland delegation, led by Business Finland and the Consul General of Finland in Los Angeles. L.A. is part of the recently launched Business Finland Decarbonized Cities Program.
Embracing on the opportunities
The biggest potential is found in the fields of mobility and transit, renewable energy, and the built environment. Solutions in these fields cover energy-saving systems, the electrification of transit, green construction, smart building management, and utilizing data for improving city services and planning, to name a few.
To get the cooperation ball rolling, the visit included meetings with the LA Mayor's Office, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, and LA Metro, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority and LA World Airport. These departments are highly notable in size and in need of new solutions. This creates outstanding opportunities.
Taking on these opportunities requires careful preparation and planning. When solutions are offered for departments of this scale, policies, regulations, and bureaucracy pose significant demands for solution providers. Not to mention US standards and terms of procurement. SCIC and its network assist in this process, helping in building the bridge to the market.
For example, SCIC has started negotiations with Architect and Engineer Offices in the West Coast areas, which have won calls of tender regarding L.A. New Green Deal investments and also Seattle area development projects. The referred offices are located mainly in Los Angeles, Seattle and San Diego areas.
SCIC as an integrator to L.A.
SCIC works as a neutral integrator between L.A. operators and Finnish companies. The process of exporting solutions to the US holds great potential, but it requires commitment, local knowledge and also many times; local partners or even legal entities. The path to entering the market is not short nor straightforward, but SCIC works to pave the way for its members.
To make a bigger impact, SCIC is collecting a Focus Group dedicated to cooperation between Finland and the US. The Focus Group is a cross-sectoral group of organizations from both countries with interest and commitment to doing business in larger scale.
In case of questions regarding the US markets Focus Group or business opportunities in the West Coast, please be in contact with CEO Pertti Kortejärvi.
Pertti Kortejärvi
pertti.kortejarvi@scic.io
CEO
Smart City Innovation Cluster