Ideas Were Put to the Test

During the IGNITER program, participants had to answer the questions that determine whether an idea can become a viable business. Who is the solution for? What problem does it solve? And most importantly, are there customers willing to pay for it?

These questions were not answered only through pitch decks. Participants spoke with potential customers, tested their assumptions, and gathered feedback to evaluate whether their solution addressed a real problem. This approach helped quickly distinguish ideas with genuine potential from those that remained at the concept stage. The focus was not only on developing a solution, but on understanding whether the problem was important enough and whether the solution was truly needed.

Jury Evaluated Diverse Solutions

This year’s Pitching Day jury included Henri Olavi Suomalainen, Jörgen Martin, Angelina Mölder, Tim Vaino, and Olga Luštšik.

The jury brought together a wide range of experience in entrepreneurship, investing, and startup growth. Representatives from academia, banking, venture capital, angel investing, and former IGNITER alumni gave teams feedback on their business models, market potential, technical feasibility, and investment readiness.

The solutions presented ranged from technology-based platforms to physical products. The strongest teams stood out through clear focus, realistic assumptions, and well-thought-out business logic.

Best Teams and Awards

The most outstanding teams at Pitching Day were recognised with several awards and development opportunities:

• The 2500€ Swedbank grand prize was awarded to Integrit, which develops software to automate routine audit work and reduce the time required for audit projects by up to 50%.
• The TalTech Student Ventures program and a 2000€ scholarship were awarded to Integrit, Renderable, and Nautical Clean. Renderable is building a platform that allows real estate brokers to create interactive 3D tours using just a smartphone, enabling buyers to better understand properties before visiting in person. Nautical Clean is developing an environmentally friendly solution for cleaning ship hulls without chemicals.
• Latitude59 tickets and pitching stage opportunities were awarded to Integrit, Renderable, Nautical Clean, and SkillCard. SkillCard is building a system to measure young football players’ technical skills and provide objective performance feedback to players and clubs.
• A Ruum hackathon pass was awarded to SkillCard.
• A Ruum accelerator spot was awarded to Integrit. 

The results showed that the most successful teams were those that combined a clearly defined problem with a validated solution and a credible business model.

What’s Next for the Teams?

Pitching Day is not the finish line, but the beginning of the next stage. Many teams continue developing their ideas in other programs, run pilot projects, and look for their first customers and investors. In many cases, progress comes through hands-on testing, making first sales calls, trying out the product with real users, and gathering data to further refine the solution.

The prizes and program access, especially Student Ventures, the Ruum accelerator, and Latitude59, provide teams with opportunities to continue testing their ideas within a broader startup ecosystem. These programs offer funding, mentorship, networks, and visibility, all of which are critical in the early stages. 

IGNITER is one of Estonia’s leading pre-accelerator programs for young people and is once again looking for new participants. The program welcomes both those who already have a concrete idea and those who are still searching for one. No previous entrepreneurship experience is required.

For many participants, IGNITER is their first introduction to the startup world — a place where ideas are tested, teams are formed, and new directions are discovered. It is an opportunity to test ideas, find like-minded teammates, and gain first-hand experience in building a startup.

TalTech Startup Centre, Startup Garage, and Swedbank organise IGNITER with the aim of giving young people the opportunity to test and develop ideas while learning in a professional yet supportive environment.

Apply to IGNITER’s Autumn Round