Graduating from TalTech does not mean leaving its opportunities behind. Alumni can return to the university as entrepreneurs, mentors, investors or collaboration partners, putting their experience to work in a new role.
These opportunities were the focus of the seminar “Opportunities for Alumni at an Entrepreneurial University”, held on 4 September as part of the TalTech Campus Party. René Jõeleht, Head of the TalTech Technology Transfer Centre, Risto Hansen, Knowledge Transfer Expert for Business Cooperation, and Naatan Johannes Bender, Project Manager at the TalTech Startup Centre, introduced different ways to bring university-developed technologies to market, support students taking their first steps in entrepreneurship, and use TalTech’s expertise and infrastructure to develop a business.
The technology exists. Who will take it to market?
New technologies with the potential to become real products and services are constantly emerging from TalTech’s laboratories and research groups. The university supports researchers from the early stages of an idea, helping them assess its potential and intellectual property, secure development funding and prepare for launching a company.
Teekonnal on abiks näiteks Tech Entrepreneur, Süvatehnoloogia iduettevõtluse võrgustik ja Entrepreneur in Residence programm. Eesmärk on jõuda selleni, et teadustöö tulemus ei jääks ainult laborisse, vaid sellest võiks sündida hargettevõte.
Programmes and initiatives such as Tech Entrepreneur, the Deep Tech Startup Network and the Entrepreneur in Residence programme support researchers along this journey. The goal is to ensure that the results of research do not remain in the laboratory but have the opportunity to develop into spin-off companies.
However, good technology alone is not enough. A researcher may know their solution down to the smallest detail, but building a company also requires an understanding of customers, markets, business models, funding and team building. This is where alumni with entrepreneurial experience can play an important role.
TalTech’s technology portfolio includes solutions from a range of fields that are looking for co-founders with an entrepreneurial background. These include the Hydromast marine technology, the Ubicharge electric vehicle charging solution, the LignoPrint materials technology and the StressSense health technology.
A co-founder does not start from scratch: the company is built on years of research and development. The founders agree on the ownership structure together, and when the company is established, TalTech receives a 5–10% equity stake in return for its intellectual property.
However, more is expected from a co-founder than an interest in promising technology. They need to understand the market and the customer’s problem, be prepared to contribute personally to launching the company, know how to raise funding and be able to build a team. An alumnus can be the missing link that helps a research-based technology make the leap from the laboratory to the market.
Explore TalTech’s technology portfolio
Give the next generation a boost
Getting involved with TalTech does not necessarily mean starting a new company. Alumni can also share their entrepreneurial or industry experience with students who are developing their first solutions and ventures.
One way to contribute is by sharing your experience as a mentor or coach. In the IGNITER programme, university and upper-secondary school students develop their ideas, test them with customers and create MVPs. The aim is to move step by step towards building a real company. Teams such as Integrit, Vivia and SkillCard have emerged from the programme, while Svara AI, Renderable, Charry and several others were also highlighted during the seminar.
There are many ways to contribute to the development of student teams, and the level of involvement can be adapted to your availability. In addition to becoming a mentor or coach, alumni can bring a real business challenge for students to solve, share their expertise in a workshop or expert session, or support a team as an investor. Investment does not have to mean money alone: time, experience and contacts can be just as valuable.
Bring your company’s challenge to TalTech
The third opportunity is for alumni who already work in a company or organisation and are facing a development need or a more complex challenge. At the event, TalTech Knowledge Transfer Expert Risto Hansen emphasised that starting a collaboration does not require a fully developed project plan. Often, a specific problem or question for which a company is seeking a new perspective or solution is enough to get started.
The challenge could involve making production more efficient, developing a new product, using data more effectively, testing materials, reducing energy consumption or taking a technology to the next level. The university’s role is to help identify the expertise, methods and people who can contribute to finding the right solution.
The value of laboratory collaboration is not limited to equipment. Equally important is having an expert who can select the right method, interpret the results and help the company understand what those findings mean in practice. This allows new solutions to be tested and risks reduced before the company makes larger investments in technology or development.
Collaboration does not have to begin with a major research project. For some questions, a laboratory analysis or consultation with a researcher may be enough. In other cases, a student project or prototype can lead to a solution. For more extensive challenges, the collaboration may develop into a research project or an industrial doctorate. This means collaboration can begin with one specific question and grow according to the company’s needs.
You can always return to the university in a new role
The knowledge and experience of TalTech alumni can take many forms within the university’s entrepreneurial ecosystem. For one alumnus, the next opportunity may be bringing a TalTech-developed technology to market; for another, supporting a student team; and for a third, working with researchers to solve a development challenge within their company.
The most important thing is knowing that these opportunities exist. TalTech is open to new ideas for collaboration and can help find the right person and the right form of cooperation even if you are not yet sure where to start.
Do you have an idea, a business challenge or an interest in getting involved?
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