Tehnopol

Congratulations to this year’s Tallinnovation winners! The City of Tallinn (Business Tallinn) and Tehnopol have awarded a total of €150,000 to six Estonian companies to develop and test smart city solutions that help make the urban environment safer, more resilient and more efficient. This year’s winning solutions focus on urban resilience, safety, data-driven decision-making and crisis preparedness. The supported companies are: 🔹 ValueSpace (€30,000) – satellite data and remote sensing solution for identifying hidden risks in bridges and urban infrastructure 🔹 Solintel Ltd (€30,000) – energy-independent smart bus stops combining renewable energy, real-time public transport information and IoT-based remote management 🔹 Minudoc.ee (€27,370) – digital mental health platform to support the well-being of public sector employees 🔹 LiTech (€21,000) – data governance framework for the City of Tallinn 🔹 Tehisintellekt OÜ (€21,630) – AI agent to streamline building permit processes 🔹 HexTech Solutions (€20,000) – data exchange solution to improve drone traffic visibility and coordination “The winning companies were able to clearly demonstrate the value and economic viability of their pilot projects for the city, as well as the potential for future commercialisation in the private market. We wish the winners success in implementing their pilots and hope to see these solutions, following successful pilots, grow in international markets,” said Martin Gorosko, Business Development Manager at Tehnopol. This year, Tallinnovation received 27 ideas, with 15 companies invited to present their solutions to the jury. We wish all winners success in bringing their pilots to life!

⚙️Yesterday, the Tehnopol campus became a working demo ground for NATO DIANA dual-use and defence innovation. Co-organised with the Estonian Defence and Aerospace Industry Association, 22 companies stood next to their technologies, screens, systems and prototypes, demonstrating capabilities built for the people working on our defence, security and resilience every day. The Demo Day opened with remarks from our very own Anne-Liisa Elbrecht, Kadri Bussov (Sparkup Tartu Science Park), Kalev Koidumäe (Estonian Defence and Aerospace Industry Association), Sigrid Rajalo (Majandus- ja Kommunikatsiooniministeerium / Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications), Angelica Tikk (Kaitseministeerium / Ministry of Defence of Estonia), Ilmar Branno (EIS | Enterprise Estonia - also one of the funders of this event), as well as Kadri Tammai (NATO DIANA). Hosted by Sabina Sägi (Tehnopol). That mix of voices captured the point of the day: it takes a village. Defence and dual-use innovation needs companies, public-sector partners, investors, end-users and international networks in the same space, looking at practical technologies and asking practical questions. The Demo Day was also part of the official Latitude59 programme of side events, which helped bring a wider international audience to campus. 🌍 Across two open-air demo tents, the companies presented technologies relevant to current operational needs, including AI-supported intelligence and decision-making, behavioural modelling, deepfake detection, data fusion, geospatial intelligence, digital twins, airspace management, secure operational communications, maritime navigation and threat detection, autonomous systems, sensing, robotics, energy solutions and situational awareness. ⛺ The event combined the power of our 12 NATO DIANA Estonian accelerator companies: Aereus, CulturePulse, DATAMBIT, Hightek S.r.l., Datifex, Inc., SkyFi, Vig Sec Drone S.L., Blue Team Intelligence, MAPS Messaging BV, Eye2Drive, Quantum Quest and Unplugged™; with the local know-how of the 10 companies from the Estonian Defence and Aerospace Industry association: CrystalSpace, Thistle OÜ, TowerHouse Studio, GaltTec, 5.0 ROBOTICS, Tempterno Defence, Vaal Technologies, Rollo Robotics, Wayren and Vegvisir. The audience was varied with defence investors and end-users such as Kaitsevägi | Estonian Defence Forces, Politsei- ja Piirivalveamet, Päästeamet | Estonian Rescue Services Agency. Since defence innovation cannot occur in isolation, we also brought test centres, mentors, government representatives and ecosystem partners into the same space. The Accelerator is led by Tehnopol together with Sparkup Tartu Science Park and funded by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, with support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia, the Ministry of Defence of Estonia and the City of Tallinn. 📷 by Eiko Lainjärv. This is only the first look from the week, with more moments to follow.

⚡ Tehnopol Startup Incubator is now Tehnopol Accelerator! The change reflects the substantive development of the service and supports Tehnopol’s ambition to offer technology companies cohesive support throughout all stages of growth. Tehnopol’s services for early-stage startups have changed significantly over the years. While the original focus was mainly on incubation, the programmes have now become more intensive, shorter and more growth-oriented. Tehnopol runs several specialised accelerators, provides funding to startups, takes equity stakes and helps teams move faster towards validation, market entry and investment readiness. Tehnopol Accelerator brings our startup programmes, specialised accelerators, expert network and international opportunities more clearly under the shared Tehnopol brand. The name is new, but the goal of Tehnopol Accelerator remains the same: to help early-stage technology companies grow faster, smarter and with stronger foundations.

💬 Bold mistakes and honest stories from behind the scenes of innovation   Innovation rarely follows a straight path. Sometimes the most useful lessons come from moments when plans fail, decisions need to be rethought and leaders have to find a new way forward.   At our recent Innovation Leaders Club event, Bold Mistakes: Honest Stories from Behind the Scenes of Innovation, we had the chance to hear exactly those kinds of stories.   A warm thank you to Martti Kuldma, CEO of Omniva, Kalev Pihl, CEO of SK ID Solutions, and Madis Sassiad, CEO of GoSwift, for sharing open and thoughtful reflections on the moments when things did not go as planned and what those moments taught them about leadership, teams and innovation.   Thank you to all Innovation Leaders Club members who joined us and contributed to the discussion.   Next time, we will meet at T1 to explore strategic adaptation and customer-centric design. Together with Tarmo Hõbe, CEO of T1, and Maire Milder, branding and retail expert, we will look at how data, design and customer experience can help reshape business value in practice.   The Innovation Leaders Club is a network of innovative companies. Interested but not yet part of the club? Get in touch with our wonderful Tiiu Treier. 

It’s Latitude59 week! ⚡ From 20–22 May, Tallinn will host one of the region’s key startup events, Latitude59, and Tehnopol will of course be there. We are bringing along a strong lineup of startups, ideas and energy. Throughout the conference, startups from Tehnopol’s accelerators and projects will take the stage for demo days, pitches and discussions. 📍Wednesday, 20 May The NATO DIANA Estonian Accelerator side event will showcase dual-use solutions from the accelerator startups. This is an invite-only event. 📍Thursday, 21 May From 13:00–14:00, the NATO DIANA Estonian Accelerator Demo Day will take place on the Pitching Stage. On stage: SkyFi, Hightek S.r.l., DATAMBIT, Aereus, Vig Sec Drone S.L., Unplugged™, CulturePulse, Eye2Drive, MAPS Messaging BV, Quantum Quest, Blue Team Intelligence and Datifex, Inc. From 15:00–15:30, the Tehnopol Accelerator Demo Day will take place on the Pitching Stage. On stage: Ethos, KIBO, Evelyn, DuoTale, Spiiker and IRIS. From 15:30–16:20, the Zebra ScaleUP Demo Day will take place on the Pitching Stage. On stage: Akuvool, KULG - Running app, Spiiker, Urban Farmer, WiseClean, Avolve Nordic Finland, Test2Deploy and WAB Electronics. 📍Friday, 22 May From 12:50–13:10, join the discussion “Science Doesn’t Scale Itself – And Not Every Breakthrough Should” on the Bold Stage, featuring Anu Puusaag from Tehnopol and Kärt Tomberg from ExpressionEdits. From 12:50–13:50, the Prototron fund Demo Day will take place on the Pitching Stage. Coming to Latitude59 too? Stop by our booth, say hello and let’s have a chat. We also have some exciting changes to reveal… and you can climb out of your comfort zone. Quite literally. 🧗♀️ You know, be #bold. 🙃 See you at Latitude59!👋

🌱 Startup Story: Askara Solutions X Cyber Accelerator Askara Solutions provides agentic cybersecurity compliance for European SMEs. Their AI agents reason through a company’s information security management system – covering risks, incidents, contracts, and business continuity – and do the real compliance work, so evidence becomes an outcome rather than the goal. Behind the agents sits a shared compliance “brain” that maps every risk, control, and decision, improving with every engagement. Founded by Ben Visser (CEO & Founder) and Simon Scullion (COO & Co-Founder), Askara combines deep expertise in ISO management systems and software development with a focus on making compliance practical and usable. Their Risk Investigation Agent is live with launch client Qwello, and three more agents are ready to deploy. Why they chose Cyber Accelerator? “We applied for the people – the interaction with other participants and mentors, and access to the wider community Tehnopol opens up. That’s played out exactly as we’d hoped,” they share. Connections with National Coordination Centres, Connect4Cyber, RIA cyber meetups, and international conventions have expanded their network and perspective on funding. 🔗 Read the full Askara Solutions story on our website to learn about their journey, the biggest challenges they have faced, and where they see themselves in 5 years. Link in the comments. 🔔 Applications for the Cyber Accelerator are open! If you are developing a cybersecurity solution and want to accelerate its growth, the Cyber Accelerator helps teams move from idea to functional product with top-level mentoring and up to €60,000 in funding. 👉 Read more and apply: link in the comments.

At the beginning of the year, the Sotsiaalministeerium / Ministry of Social Affairs of Estonia launched a €16 million Welfare Technology Programme to bring smart solutions into the daily lives of older people and adults with support needs. Together with Civitta, and Estonian Academy of Arts we are implementing the development programme, supporting participating projects throughout their development journey with methodology, tools, and expert guidance. In the first application round, 52 projects were submitted, and 20 were selected for funding. Among the 20 funded projects: * 7 projects focus on solutions that help elderly people maintain and restore functional ability, prevent falls, support independence in daily activities, and provide home-based rehabilitation. 🏡 * 5 projects are developing services for remote monitoring at home and medication adherence support for people with chronic illnesses. * 4 projects work on data-driven remote care and early intervention solutions in home services. * 4 projects aim to reduce loneliness by supporting participation in social life and connecting people with the community. Yesterday, all 20 project teams met for the first time to move forward with their ambitious ideas – wishing them great success and inspiring progress!

Capital raising: why it’s more crucial than ever for startups With access to private capital becoming more selective in recent years, understanding how to effectively raise funds has never been more crucial. At our recent event, industry experts shared their insights on how startups can tap into both public funding and venture capital to drive growth. What was discussed: • Eero Liivandi from EIS | Enterprise Estonia provided insights into available grants and their role in business development. • Samela Kivilo from Specialist VC explained when and how to raise venture capital. • Kristi Lember from ÄIO shared how grants helped bring new products and technologies to life. • Henry Härm from Wayren discussed the importance of development grants for early-stage deep-tech companies. A big thank you to all the speakers and attendees!

🔍For Eye2Drive, a company in the NATO DIANA Estonian Accelerator, dependable autonomous navigation starts with reliable machine vision. Drones, robots and driverless vehicles need to read their surroundings in real time, including when they move between bright sunlight and shadow or face LED flickering and motion artefacts. 📍 Based in Tuscany, Italy, Eye2Drive develops bio-inspired image sensors that help autonomous systems see more reliably in challenging lighting conditions. ⚙️ Its key difference is where the adaptation happens. Instead of relying mainly on software to correct images after they are captured, Eye2Drive’s sensors are designed to adjust to changing light directly at hardware level, frame by frame. The approach is inspired by the way the human eye adapts between brightness and darkness. For dual-use applications, this is relevant for autonomous logistics, drone systems, robotics and mobility platforms operating in complex environments. Founded by Monica Vatteroni as a spin-off from Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, Eye2Drive has secured international patents for its adaptive HDR technology and raised €1.5 million in funding led by RoboIT, CDP Venture Capital SGR and Pariter Partners. Find out more about the company in the Tehnopol article linked in the comments. 🔗 The NATO DIANA Estonian Accelerator is run by Tehnopol Startup Incubator together with Sparkup Tartu Science Park. It is funded by Majandus- ja Kommunikatsiooniministeerium / Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, with support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia, Kaitseministeerium / Ministry of Defence of Estonia, and Tallinna linn | City of Tallinn.

The 6th batch of the AI Accelerator is reaching the finish line. 🙌 Join us for the AI Accelerator demo day and AI & Robotics Estonia AIRE networking event to meet the teams, explore their AI-powered solutions and hear how artificial intelligence is being applied across different sectors. During demo day, the participating teams will pitch their solutions and compete for a €10,000 grant to further develop their products. Up to three teams will be selected to receive the grant. 🎤AI Accelerator teams pitching on stage: Passer Systems, Asvel, Scopeful, Duotale, Interactive Archive, Evie | Women's Health, EVLYN.ai, KULG - Running app and AI Solutions Center. The programme will continue with the AI & Robotics Estonia AIRE networking event, focusing on AI in defence and dual-use innovation. The evening will include insights from: • Miro Popovich, Relations Manager, Ukrainian Council of Defence Industry • Denys Tiasko, Co-founder of Passer Systems • Vladimir Kuts, CEO and Co-founder of C2GRID They will share experience stories on AI-guided interception, AI in the defence sector and how emerging technologies are being built, tested and deployed to support real needs on the ground. The event is free, but registration is required. 🔗 Registration link in the comments. 👇