What will help your company remain competitive five or ten years from now?
On 29 October, TalTech Entrepreneurship Day brings together entrepreneurs, business development managers, investors, researchers and public sector representatives to exchange experiences, build new connections and discover solutions that help organisations strengthen their competitiveness and operate more efficiently.
This year's central theme is Competitiveness and Efficiency. The programme focuses on solutions that strengthen business competitiveness, promote research collaboration and help innovative ideas reach practical application.
Key Tracks:
🤖 AI for Competitiveness
🏭 Industry – Smarter Manufacturing and Higher Productivity
🚀 Prototyping and Product Development – From Idea to Market
👥 Entrepreneur Development – People as the Drivers of Competitive Advantage
💰 Startups and Capital
Throughout the day, participants will discover TalTech's research and development capabilities, laboratories, collaboration opportunities and continuing education opportunities. The programme features company success stories, panel discussions, lab tours, hands-on workshops, and opportunities to meet researchers, entrepreneurs and investors, exchange ideas and build new partnerships.
📍 Venue: TalTech Main Building (Ehitajate tee 5, Tallinn)
🗓️ Date: 29 October, 09:30-17:30
PROGRAMME
09.30
ARRIVAL 📍 Main Building foyer and Assembly Hall
Welcome! Enjoy morning coffee and snacks before the programme begins.
10.10
OPENING REMARKS 📍 Assembly Hall
Vice-Rector for Entrepreneurship Erik Puura and Acting Head of Technology Transfer Office Barbara Agasild.
10.30
THE NEXT DECADE OF ESTONIA’S COMPETITIVENESS: FROM KNOWLEDGE TO ECONOMIC VALUE 📍 Assembly Hall
Andres Sutt - Member of the Riigikogu, Expert in Economics and Finance
10.50
PANEL: DOES ESTONIA’S BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT SUPPORT ENTREPRENEURS – OR DOES TOO MUCH ENERGY GO INTO OVERCOMING OBSTACLES? 📍 Assembly Hall
Sigrid Harjo, a long-serving member of the Management Board of EIS (formerly Enterprise Estonia/EAS) and now Head of Entrepreneurship Programmes at the University of Tartu, and Aleksander Gansen, entrepreneur, investor and mentor. The panel will be moderated by Sirje Ustav (TalTech).
The discussion draws on the latest findings from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) Estonia studies and expert insights. What really supports entrepreneurship in Estonia – and what holds it back?
11.30
LUNCH, MATCHMAKING AND EXPO 📍 Main Building foyer
12.30-15.15
PARALLEL TRACKS
- AI – artificial intelligence for competitiveness (in Estonian, with simultaneous interpretation into English)
- Entrepreneur development – people as drivers of competitive advantage (in Estonian)
- Industry – smarter production and higher productivity (in Estonian, with simultaneous interpretation into English)
- Prototyping and product development – from idea to market (in Estonian)
- Startups and capital (in English)
15.15
COFFEE BREAK 📍 Main Building foyer
15.30
FROM IDEA TO INVESTMENT: WHERE TO FIND FUNDING FOR BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT? 📍 Assembly Hall
Ivar Pae – Member of the Management Board for Service Development, Estonian Business and Innovation Agency (EIS)
16.30
DISCUSSION: WHAT HAPPENS IF WE DON’T COLLABORATE? 📍 Assembly Hall
Aigar Vaigu - CEO of Steiger and Krister Kalda - Head of Industry Cooperation at TalTech
17.00
WRAP-UP 📍 Assembly Hall
Key takeaways and follow-up information.
Host: Silver Tambur, Editor-in-Chief at Trialoog
TRACK PROGRAMMES
12:30-13:00 | AI as Estonia’s Next Productivity Leap
Sirli Männiksaar, Chair of the Management Board of Ericsson Estonia and member of the Eesti.ai Council
13:00-13:15 | The Noise Machine Experience: Can AI Recreate a Guitar Sound?
Jüri Bogatkin, CTO and Electronics Engineer at Noise Machine
13:15-13:30 | From a Business Challenge to an AI Solution: Collaboration with TalTech
Ago Luberg, Head of the Applied Artificial Intelligence Research Group and Senior Lecturer at TalTech
13:30-13:45 | AI in Healthcare: From Opportunity to Real-World Solution
Elli Valla, Researcher at TalTech’s Centre for Digital Health
13:45-14:00 | How AI Is Changing the Role of People in Business?
Tarmo Koppel, Senior Lecturer in Organisation and Management at TalTech
14:00-15:00 | Workshop: From Bureaucracy to Better Services:
Designing AI-Powered Government (ENG)
Dr Eric Blake Jackson, Lecturer at TalTech’s Department of Software Science
Host: Silver Tambur, Editor-in-Chief at Trialoog
The talks will be held in Estonian with simultaneous interpretation into English. The workshop will be held in English.
At Entrepreneurship Day, you can take part in one of five parallel tracks. Registration for the tracks OPENS ON 21 OCTOBER, when you can choose and register for the track you would like to attend.
12:30-13:00 | What Will Take Estonian Industry to the Next Level?
Oliver Mets, Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Federation of Estonian Engineering Industry, Founder and Development Manager at Insero.
13:00-13:15 | R8 Technologies Experience: Working Together Towards More Energy-Efficient Commercial Buildings
Siim Täkker, Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at R8 Technologies.
13:15-13:30 | Digital Twins in Manufacturing
Karle Nutonen, Head of the Industry 5.0 Future Test Laboratory at TalTech Virumaa College
13:30-13:45 | Smart Sensors in Manufacturing: How to Turn Machine Data into a Competitive Advantage?
Alar Kuusik, Full Professor and Director of the Thomas Johann Seebeck Department of Electronics at TalTech.
13:45-14:00 | Smart Industry Centre of Excellence: Services for Industry
Alar Niidas, Business Development Specialist at TalTech's Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering.
14:00-15:00 | Bridging Cybersecurity Research and Industry Practice
Shaymaa Mamdouh Khalil, Early Stage Researcher in the Cybersecurity Research Group at TalTech's Department of Software Science.
14:00-15:05 | Smart Industry Centre of Excellence & IVAR Lab Tour: Collaborative Robots, Humanoid Robots and Robot Dogs, XR Technologies, ProtoLAB, Flexible Manufacturing and Robotics Demonstration Centre, and Autonomous Vehicles Laboratory (in Estonian)
Alar Niidas, Business Development Specialist at TalTech's Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering.
Host: Andreas Unt
Presentations will be held in Estonian with simultaneous interpretation into English. The workshop will be held in English. The lab tour will be conducted in Estonian.
Please note: Participants in the Industry track can choose between the lab tour and the workshop. This choice must be made when registering for the track. Places on the lab tour are limited.
At Entrepreneurship Day, you can take part in one of five parallel tracks. Registration for the tracks OPENS ON 21 OCTOBER, when you can choose and register for the track you would like to attend.
12.30-12.50 | From Prototype to Production: What Determines Product Development Success?
Heigo Mõlder, Researcher at TalTech’s Department of Electrical Power Engineering and Mechatronics, Co-founder and R&D Manager at Skeemipesa, and Founder and CEO of MindChip.
12.50-13.10 | From Idea to Taste: How Is a New Food Product Developed?
Mariliis Mia Topp, Co-founder and CEO of Raw Edge
13.10-13.25 | From Development to a Successful Product: SunGate and TalTech Collaboration
Karl Ždanovitš, Head of SunGate Group
13.25-13.40 | 3D Printing in Product Development: What Opportunities Does TalTech Offer?
Lauri Kollo, Tenured Associate Professor at the Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, TalTech
13.40-14.00 | Circular Economy or Valorisation – Are We Talking About the Same Thing? Where Will the Next Value Chain Emerge?
Riina Aav, Tenured Full Professor at the Department of Chemistry and Biotechnology, TalTech
14.00-15.00 | Wood Valorisation Laboratory Tours
Three parallel laboratory tours introducing mechanical, biochemical and chemical wood valorisation:
- Mechanical Wood Valorisation – Explore how wood and other natural materials can be transformed into high-value products, including glued laminated timber, CLT panels and fire-resistant materials
- Biochemical Wood Valorisation and Lignin Technologies – Discover how biochemical wood processing and lignin technologies enable the development of new bio-based products.
- Chemical Wood Valorisation – Explore how wood can be transformed into biopolymers and sustainable materials that offer alternatives to conventional plastics.
14.00-15.00 | Baltic Circular Hotspot (BCH) Launch Event
Baltic Circular Hotspot is a joint circular economy collaboration platform connecting businesses, researchers, public sector representatives and other circular economy stakeholders across Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The launch event will introduce the platform's objectives, cross-border collaboration opportunities, thematic working groups and upcoming activities, as well as examples of circular economy cooperation across the Baltic states.
Host: Henrik Urbanik
The track will be held in Estonian.
Please note: Participants in the Prototyping and Product Development track can choose between a laboratory tour and the BCH launch event. Please make your selection when registering for the track. Places on the laboratory tours are limited.
At Entrepreneurship Day, you can participate in one of five parallel tracks. Registration for the tracks OPENS ON 21 OCTOBER, when you can select and register for your preferred track.
12:30-13:00 | People in the AI Era: How to Lead Work Reshaped by AI?
Mari-Klara Stein, Tenured Associate Professor at the Department of Business Administration, TalTech
13:00-13:30 | Intentionally Enabling Human Potential
Maris Zernand-Vilson, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Business Administration, TalTech
13:30-14:10 | How Does TalTech Support the Development of Businesses and People?
Hanno Tomberg (Head of Open University, TalTech) and Risto Hansen (Expert of Knowledge Transfer, TalTech)
14:10-15:00 | 66% Fail Due to Management Mistakes – What Can Be Done Differently?
Sirje Ustav, Senior Lecturer and Manager of Studies at the Department of Business Administration, TalTech
Host: Karoliina Konno
The track will be held in Estonian.
At Entrepreneurship Day, you can take part in one of five parallel tracks. Registration for the tracks OPENS ON 21 OCTOBER, when you can choose and register for the track you would like to attend.
12:30-12:40 | From University to Startup: The TalTech Path
Rasmus Kalep, TalTech Start-up Manager
12:40-13:30 | What Makes Investors Say Yes?
Investor panel discussion: Heidi Kakko (EBAN Business Angel of the Year 2024), Jaan Kokk (Archangel Capital Partners & Superangel) and Martin Sokk (Lightyear CEO and co-founder)
13:30-14:00 | From Pitch to Funding: How We Raised Capital
Kristjan Lind (DCR Technologies), Jekaterina Mažina-Sinkar (SafePas), and Karl-Gustav Tamberg (UP Catalyst)
14:00-14:30 | Pitch Session
Early-stage startups and teams will take the stage to present their business ideas and solutions. Want to pitch your idea too? Let us know you're interested – get in touch!
14:30-15:00 | Matchmaking & Networking
An opportunity to connect directly with investors and early-stage teams, share ideas, discuss potential investments, and build new connections.
Host: Rasmus Kalep
The track will be held in English.
At Entrepreneurship Day, you can take part in one of five parallel tracks. Registration for the tracks OPENS ON 21 OCTOBER, when you can choose and register for the track you would like to attend.
REGISTRATION
Participation is free of charge and includes the full programme and catering. Advance registration is required. Register early, as places are limited. Registration is open until October 25.
🗣️ The event will be held primarily in Estonian. Selected sessions will feature simultaneous interpretation into English.
Until then, you can stay up to date with the latest entrepreneurship and research news through TalTech's business and research portal Trialoog
For further information: [email protected]
The organiser reserves the right to make changes to the programme if necessary.
TalTech Entrepreneurship Day is organised by the TalTech Technology Transfer Office. The event is carried out within the framework of the European Union co-funded ASTRA+ Activity 4 project "Enhancing TalTech's Knowledge Transfer Capacity" (Project No. 2021-2027.1.01.24-0811).
Please note that the event will be photographed and filmed. The materials may be used in Tallinn University of Technology's communication and marketing activities, including on social media channels.
