Building a Stronger Ecosystem in the New Nordics

Heidi Kakko has been developing the Estonian venture capital market and startups since 2008. She is a professional in early stage investments and developing startups and growth companies. Heidi Kakko is Chair of the Board of UniTartu Ventures (UTV), the investment and asset management company of the University of Tartu. In order to unlock the commercial potential of research at the University of Tartu, UTV invests in ‘IP-for-equity’ transactions and seeks private co-investors in supporting early stage spinoff teams building viable companies. UTV plays an important role in developing the university/investors ecosystem, and is further developing cooperation opportunities with private investors to accelerate the emergening of deep-tech companies in Estonia.

Interests in the Swedish deep-tech ecosystem: to expand the operations of UniTartu Ventures and therefore, to take the next step in learning the whole model of growing deep techs in more developed eco-systems.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heidikakko/

Mart is an executive with extensive international corporate business development experience in the financial sector in the Baltics and Nordics. His expertise focuses on shifting business models, creating collaborative leadership, and applying his studies of innovation management at Stanford Graduate School of Business. Mart is an experienced entrepreneur, board member, and angel investor, and co-founded the Innovation Leaders Club in Estonia, among other ecosystem movements. As of spring 2021, Mart has focused on creating a platform where research-based entrepreneurship and early-stage investors meet and was helping build up the UniTartu Ventures portfolio.

Interests in the Swedish deep-tech ecosystem: Continuing to learn and build new relationships with Nordic partners and finding new collaboration touchpoints is critical for our local success. Having worked in Stockholm and connected with the ecosystem from 2016 to 2020, I, as part of the team, can contribute to ensuring that the next steps after the visit are actionable and that we create value for the Estonian ecosystem. On a macro level, I believe that we are more attractive and meaningful to the rest of the world as a joint region.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maasik/

Triinu Lööve is an experienced former B2B and B2C Sales and Marketing Manager in the furniture industry focused mainly on European and Asian markets. Currently acting as Pre-Incubation Lead at the University of Tartu, managing incubator programs for research-based deep-tech start-ups. She has experience working both in the private and public sectors. She is skilled in team leadership, business development, client relations, project and financial management (Horizon), consulting, and managerial and digital communication.

Interests in the Swedish deep-tech ecosystem: From the perspective of business creation and research commercialization we need to build cross-border partnerships, strengthen insights into the Swedish deeptech ecosystem and enhance the creation of the New Nordic ecosystem; to identify possible new funding opportunities and widen UT pool of entrepreneurial experts and mentors ready to work with us.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/triinu-l%C3%B6%C3%B6ve-5791702b/

Ermo Tikk is the Director of Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) Estonia, running a Digital Society stream. CDL is a non-profit global mentorship program for deep-tech startups, operating in 13 locations in the US, Canada, Europe, the UK, and Australia, with 20 different stream focuses. Ermo has been part of the core team of sTARTUp Day Festival since 2017 and was the main organizer from 2017 to 2019.

Interests in the Swedish deep-tech ecosystem: His focus is both strategic and operational and he is happy to discuss collaboration, mentorship and partnership in fields like cybersecurity, data-based digital solutions, AI, e-governance, and dual-use technologies.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ermotikk/

Andrus Kurvits has more than 25+ years of experience in business and sales development and management in the corporate and startup world. He has been involved in numerous successful projects, bringing him recognition from my colleagues and clients. He supports startups from science to business and aims for a first deep-tech unicorn in Estonia. In Tartu Science Park, he will help to access business development units such as S2B Launchpad, ESA BIC Estonia, SPARK Demo, Buildit Accelerator and an extensive network of mentors, and investors and other startup-minded people.

Interests in the Swedish deep-tech ecosystem: Access to the Swedish innovation ecosystem; collaborative opportunities between startups, academia, and corporates; expanding networks for cross-border projects.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andruskurvits/

Jana Saastamoinen is driven by seeing people’s eyes sparkle at events, supporting the startup ecosystem and designing opportunities for organizations to grow. As Head Organizer of sTARTUp Day 2025, she is excited to have the opportunity to bring all of this together and celebrate entrepreneurship with 4000 startup-minded participants in the heart of the sTARTUp City. DeepTech is one of the main focus topics of the sTARTUp Day 2025, which brings together investors, startups, executives and startup-minded participants in Tartu on 29-31 January.

Interests in the Swedish deep-tech ecosystem: We are interested in learning more about Sweden’s experiences, successes, and challenges in various sectors of DeepTech. This knowledge will help us incorporate key learnings into our program and support the growth of the DeepTech sector in Estonia. Since the sTARTUp Day program will be finalized in December, we are also open to speakers or topic suggestions.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janasaastamoinen/

Martin Rebane is working at Tartu Science Park as Head of AI since January 2023. He is leading the creation of the Artificial Intelligence Center to support SME’s in implementing and using AI. He has PhD degree from University of Warwick, UK. He studied machine learning algorithms for collision avoidance for autonomous vehicles and robots. His PhD project was part of a joint research between Warwick School of Engineering and deep tech startup Dynium.ai.

Interests in the Swedish deep-tech ecosystem: looking for a motivated partner with AI competence to apply together to EU projects to fund the unit in the future and collaborate on technical services.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martin-rebane/

With extensive experience in startup development, communications, and digital marketing, Kertu Tombak currently leveraging her skills as a Venture Scout at CDL-Estonia, where she supports early-stage founders, who are building science-based products/services in digital innovation areas. Kertu’s role involves connecting startups with mentorship opportunities to accelerate their growth. Previously, she served as a Development Manager for Start-up and IT Businesses at the City Government of Tartu. In this capacity, she focused on fostering innovation and collaboration among tech startups and the government, enhancing their business models and market strategies.

Interests in the Swedish deep-tech ecosystem: developing cooperation with the Nordic countries, this year especially with Sweden, trying to find research-based startups from the Universities there to participate in the program, but also to make our community of mentors more versatile.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kertutombak/

The Tallinn Science Park Tehnopol foundation is a science and business campus which aims to advance technology-based entrepreneurship in Estonia, bring scientists and entrepreneurs together and provide suitable services and a suitable environment for the realisation of breakthrough business ideas. Kristiina Libe has been working in the Tallinn Science Park since 2020, starting his journey in the field of green technology as a project manager. Today, she is coordinating various deep tech-focused projects, including 2 national acceleration programs (AI and space tech) and also one international deep tech acceleration program that focuses on startups from all over the EU.

Interests in the Swedish deep-tech ecosystem: to learn how the local investment scene does their due diligence on the companies, also what is their experience so far investing into deep tech startups and how have they become Europe’s leading country investing in deep tech.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristiina-libe-b62b12122/

Kristo Reinsalu is the Head of Technology Transfer Office at Tallinn University of Technology. He has a long experience of working in leading positions in the aviation to energy sectors.

Interests in the Swedish deep-tech ecosystem: to explore the latest trends and innovative solutions in the deep tech field. This is a great opportunity to network, exchange ideas with other professionals and researchers, and discover ways to advance our university’s research and entrepreneurship. Additionally, I aim to enhance the university’s visibility on an international level and seek new funding opportunities for collaborative projects.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristoreinsalu/

Reesi Lepa is the Team Lead of International Projects and an experienced Project Manager with a demonstrated history of working in the policy and strategy development and management consulting industry. Skilled in Business Development, Strategy, International Relations, Analytical Skills, English, Management, and Policy Analysis. Strong consulting professional with Master of Arts (MA) in Entrepreneurship and Technology Management (2020) and Master of Arts (MA) in Political Science (2003) from the University of Tartu. Civitta is preparing and designing projects to develop deep-tech ecosystems in Europe. We are running a Horizon Europe project Ready2Scale, which focuses on the support for Central and Eastern Europe deep-tech startups. In addition, we’ve been involved in the Nordic Deep Tech Valley concept and project preparation and have also prepared other AI, defence, health tech etc projects to support the ecosystem stakeholders, provide them funding, mentoring, etc and do it together with European partners.

Interests in the Swedish deep-tech ecosystem: to learn about the Swedish deep-tech ecosystem more in-depth to know how to best collaborate with and what are challenges and obstacles in this topic.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reesilepa/

Harri Tallin is a Partner at CIVITTA, which is a leading innovation consultancy in CEE with 30+ offices in CEE and Nordics (22 countries), headquartered in Estonia. It provides services to corporations, startups, SMEs, governments and NGOs with extensive startup ecosystem building capabilities, incl attracting funding.
Harri has been running SME and corporate innovation programs for over 12 years, particularly accelerator programs for startups (including a unicorn), and he works actively with business angel communities, being a business angel himself.

Interests in the Swedish deep-tech ecosystem:

Defense-related Accelerators, Primes, and Umbrella Organizations Active in Innovation (including EDF): We are currently engaged in the EUDIS hackathons and mentoring program under a four-year framework contract.

AI: We are seeking synergies to explore AI opportunities and strengthen the AI ecosystem by attracting greater interest from major players like OpenAI, Meta, Google, Intel, Nvidia, and others to engage more actively with the New Nordics ecosystem. Civitta is launching the 3rd international batch of its AI/ML accelerator (ChallengerAccelerator.com).

HealthTech: We are looking for ecosystem synergies, scaling opportunities, and VC perspectives for startups in our acceleration and post-acceleration programs. We are also keen to network with corporates interested in cross-regional collaboration within the New Nordics. For example, we are currently running HealthCareLab.eu for Roche.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tallinn/

Anton’s experience in work with startups began at BASIS ID, where he was responsible for marketing and customer acquisition, helping the company grow and eventually get acquired by ZignSec Group. He joined Prototron as a marketing manager and mentor, where he evaluated over 700 startup projects and helped more than 60 teams develop marketing strategies, build pitch decks, and raise early-stage funding. Currently, Anton Ossipovski works at Beamline Accelerator, where he supports cleantech and greentech startups in their marketing and outreach efforts.

Interests in the Swedish deep-tech ecosystem: business angel investors network, specifically those who invest in DeepTech. How accelerators are structured and how they work with their LPs, such as Antler, for example.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ossipovski/

Vattan is a startup influencer deeply involved in the startup community. From founding Founderly to venture investing, mentoring, and speaking at various startup conferences, he envisions that now is the time for the Baltic and Nordic regions to seize this transformative moment in AI. He believes that by uniting our efforts, we have the power to address the AI talent shortage, strengthen the AI ecosystem, and encourage ethical AI development, ultimately bringing economic and societal impact to the EU. Vattan has led initiatives such as New Nordics AI Week and Tallinn AI Week to further these goals.

Interests in the Swedish deep-tech ecosystem: Exchange knowledge with Sweden’s thriving tech scene, learning from their experiences while sharing our insights. Enhance our initiative by engaging Swedish AI leaders and organizations to participate in New Nordics AI Week and join our coalition to accelerate AI development in the region. Facilitate cross-border resource sharing in AI education, research, and industry applications, enabling more efficient use of expertise, infrastructure, and funding. Explore intersections of AI with other priority areas: defence, health, and green technologies.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vattan/

As an experienced startup/VC focused transactional legal adviser, with a particular military interest/experience (in addition to mandatory conscription service (on Swedish (SAAB) produced mobile radar systems) 6.5+ years Estonian Defence League, currently in military school for 1-year non-commissioned officer training) and therefore with a particular focus on DefenceTech related legal matters, I’m eager to both develop collaboration with Swedish defence technologies players as well as contribute to development of this sector in Estonian startup ecosystem. That said, as our firm is also heavily focused on health technologies-related matters, I’m also interested in gaining better insights into issues and challenges faced by Swedish market participants.

Interests in the Swedish deep-tech ecosystem: interested in gaining better insights into issues and challenges faced by Swedish market participants. I would like to further contribute to DeepTech, particularly DefenceTech ecosystem development in collaboration with Swedish co-partners.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mirko-kikkam%C3%A4gi/

Vaido Mikheim has been 10+ years in the startup ecosystem development sphere and 8 years before that in the manufacturing industry. And a few years in sales here and there. He works at the intersection of academia, industry, and the public sector to create an environment in Estonia where novel deep technology solutions could thrive. He has been on and behind the stage of many public events from small-scale hackathons (Garage48) to large business festivals (sTARTUp Day 2016-2021). He knows a thing or two about incubation, acceleration, mentoring, pitching and strategies.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vaidomikheim/

Inga Kõue has focused on education and science, bringing these important topics closer to business in Startup Estonia. She has been involved in educational innovation for the past twelve years when she had the opportunity to influence the education system towards digitalization. She believes in the power of community and networks, being part of one and helping to coordinate today’s deep technology ecosystem in Estonia.

Interests in the Swedish deep-tech ecosystem: technology transfer from universities, the role of public institutions in supporting the growth of the deep-tech sector.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/inga-koue/

Kati Pärn is an experienced project manager with a proven track record of driving innovation through international partnerships, network-building, and shaping innovation policies within deep tech startup ecosystems, technology, and public policy. At Startup Estonia she leads the New Nordic Deep Tech Valley initiative to boost the region’s attractiveness. She specializes in fostering cross-border collaborations that connect the tech and public sectors, with a strong focus on building strategic partnerships across the Nordic countries. Kati has also extensive leadership experience and expertise in EU policymaking. She has successfully led cross-functional teams, advised on regulatory frameworks, and supported business development through strategic analysis and advocacy in Brussels.

Interests in the Swedish deep-tech ecosystem: to find cross-border cooperation projects and learn initiatives that could benefit the whole region.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiparn/

Based in Stockholm, Piret Ree is responsible for marketing and sales of the Estonian economic environment and investment opportunities in Sweden. Also, the development of an international contact network and management of foreign investments in Estonia is one of her duties.

As the Director of Business Development in Sweden, her work revolves around finding new leads and making sure that our current partners continue to expect only the highest quality standards from us. This includes supporting developments on the ground to make sure that everything is going as well as brand Invest in Estonia’s demands.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/piret-ree/