We hear more and more talks about the scarcity of startups and the risk-averseness of young people who will be responsible for a future that seems ever more uncertain. However, there are vast opportunities everywhere, especially in Estonia. Whether it be defence, cleantech or deeptech as a whole, we possess something that big countries lack: agility.
During my time as a bachelors and graduate student at Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech) and especially in the Startup Centre, I have found that for students to achieve their goals, they need a community that educates, encourages and brings them together. When it comes to founding a startup you need to start with a strong team to begin with and that’s where community and networks are essential.
This is why TalTech set up Startup Garage, a student-led initiative to stimulate entrepreneurial minds, generate new ideas, and share experiences. It was first active some 10-15 years ago, when Estonia was presenting its first wave of technology success stories.
Being at the very top of the startup funnel, in Startup Garage, we are empowering the next tech wave with three simple steps:
- Inspiring students through events, workshops, and one-on-one mentoring
- Bringing in successful Estonian entrepreneurs to tell their stories
- Sending our students abroad to learn from other ecosystems
Even undergraduate students are an excellent source of energy, enthusiasm and even expertise in areas such as AI (Artificial Intelligence). This is especially useful for early-stage startups who do not yet have the resources to hire expensive consultants.
In TalTech there are several incubation and acceleration programs and even funds in the ecosystem to support ambitious companies. You might ask, what have we done so far?
Recently we started IGNITER, a business idea development program to help students validate their ideas and bring them to market.
We have brought in various founders like Martin Sokk (Lightyear), Martin Villig (Bolt) and Kaidi Ruusalepp (Funderbeam) to host inspirational events like the Youth Startup Summit.
Finally, a team went out to Finland to learn about their ecosystem and forge meaningful connections between the two regions. These are just some examples of how students can make a change.
In these difficult economic times, larger organizations have to innovate to survive. The perfect solution to this problem is to connect with and bring in some of the brightest young minds in Estonia. All of our students are anxious to find mentors, develop their interpersonal skills and pass on the knowledge that they already have. You are more than welcome to come and meet our students. We are sure you will consider offering many of them useful work experience and internships. As a result it will not only be beneficial for your organization but also to the economic growth of Estonia.
Author: Mike Southton
