Favorable winds are blowing across the entrepreneurial landscape of Estonia’s only university of technology: the state is placing greater emphasis on science-based business. Caroline Rute, the new head of the university’s entrepreneurship department, calls it a “positive problem” – there is more interest and support than before, and now it’s time to turn those opportunities into tangible results.
startup
Europe needs more courage, structure, and collaboration for science to generate new companies, emphasised Stefan Drüssler, CEO of UnternehmerTUM, Munich’s centre for business development, at the university’s engineering academy conference.
C2Grid, a spin-off company that emerged from TalTech's research activities, is developing digital twins based on drone videos, enabling the practice of crisis response and the planning of battlefield operations. Less than a year after its founding, the company has secured its first investment and is preparing to enter the market.
TalTech spin-off SafePas recently received a €2.5 million grant from the Enterprise and Innovation Foundation to further develop Drug Hunter – a portable analyser capable of detecting the composition and quantity of illegal substances from a saliva sample in just a few minutes.
Estonia’s startup sector has enjoyed international success over the years, but lately there’s a sense that the ecosystem needs a refresh. Much of the earlier success came from those who dared to take the first step – to venture into the unknown, take risks, and believe in their ideas. Today, we urgently need that same courage again, so the next wave of startup success stories can rise.
The Estonian startup R8 Technologies has created a virtual colleague who keeps buildings warm, wallets full, and energy consumption under control.
Until 8 May, applications are open for the European Space Agency’s business incubator in Estonia – ESA BIC Estonia. The programme welcomes startups that are using or developing space technology – or discovering that their solution might work beyond Earth’s atmosphere.
An idea born in the lab can change the world – but only if it makes it out of the lab. Mart Maasik, a TalTech alumnus, partner at Nordic Science Investments and an experienced developer of science-based entrepreneurship, knows just how challenging that journey can be.
Olesja Bondarenko, co-founder and CEO of the Estonian startup Nanordica Medical and a TalTech alumna, won second place in the European Union Women Innovators Competition in the Women Leaders category, organised by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT). She was awarded for her special therapeutic wound dressing.
The Estonian startup landscape is constantly evolving, shaped by emerging technological directions and trends. Anne-Liisa Elbrecht, Head of the Tehnopol Startup Incubator, shared her thoughts on the current state of Estonian startups, the challenges they face, and their future prospects.