News

Estonian companies made contacts for entering Finnish and Latvian markets

2013-04-30

On the 29^th of April Tehnopol Startup Incubator hosted a “Single CBR Home Market” project partnering and networking event for companies that are focused on Finnish and Latvian markets. The aim of the event was to share market knowledge and experiences.

Business incubators of Kurzeme and Valmiera introduced the cross-border incubation opportunities and terms. The representative of Aalto University Small Business Center from Finland spoke about entering Nordic markets and about business opportunities in Aalto.

Rando Pärna introduced SeedForum opportunities for companies that target neighboring markets and provided insights for attracting investors.

In addition to the presentations of project partners, two companies from Finaland and Latvia shared their export experiences - Neils Kalnins, the representative of Blue Shock Bike from Latvia and Ville Valorinta, the representative of Ecompter from Finland.

After the presentations all the companies had the opportunity for one-on-one coaching sessions with market experts.

“Single CBR Home Market” aims at enlarging the market in which the SMEs operate from local level to the level of the whole Central Baltic region to unite the region to be viewed as one single market area.

The contest of Baltic Innovation Prize 2013 is announced

2013-04-22

The Baltic Innovation Prize (BIP) is established by the Baltic Assembly and the Baltic Association of Science/Technology Parks and Innovation Centres. BIP is an annual prize (statuette) awarded at the Baltic Assembly awards ceremony to the most innovative enterprise in the Baltic States.

The BIP is awarded for innovative, economically successful products, services or business models introduced to the market during the last three years.

The BIP is awarded only to a

company employing fewer than 250 persons and having an annual turnover less than 50 MEUR.
national-capital-based (at least 51%) company registered in a Baltic State.

The basic criteria for assessing the applications for the BIP:

competitive advantage of the product/service/process: uniqueness, added value, competitiveness with analogues, price, time advantage;
market potential: number and size of the target markets, potential market growth and target shares, export potential;
financial data: share and absolute numbers in the turnover generated by the new products/services.

The products, services or business models of the company nominated for the BIP must have been developed at least partially by the company itself.

Innovative products, services or business models developed jointly by several Baltic partners from two or three countries are considered as having extra value from the viewpoint of the BIP.

In order to be nominated for the BIP, the company should fill in the application form(doc, 62 KiB) and submit it before 5 p.m. on September 10^th 2013 to the national representative of Baltic Association of Science/Technology Parks and Innovation Centres. In Estonia he is:

Martin Goroško

Tallinn Science Park Tehnopol
martin.gorosko@tehnopol.ee
Phone +372 56 800 228
6/1 Teaduspargi rd, 12618 Tallinn

Tallinn University of Technology to allocate extra 180,000 euros for Prototron

2013-04-17

Tallinn University of Technology (TTU) allocated Prototron, the funder of the creation of prototypes, extra 180,000 euros aimed at the development and launching of prototypes created on the basis of the university’s industrial property. The sum will be divided between three years: 80,000 euros for this year, 50,000 for 2014 and 50,000 for 2015.

“Prototron is becoming a centre that collects information about all possible new ideas, expertise in the business models related to prototypes and partially also financial channels. This kind of approach and cooperation adds possibilities for implementing ideas and starting successful businesses,” explained Tea Varrak, Director of the Innovation and Business Centre of TTU.

Prototron received 57 smart ideas in its third round of applications, out of which the expert committee selected two ideas that receive financing. The committee allocated 7,000 euros for the High-Mobility team for creating entertainment, navigation and electronics management system for luxury cards that will be replacing today's boring LCD screens. The team has proven its capabilities with the car manufacturers Saab and Volvo and is negotiating with several other car manufacturers regarding the implementation of the first prototype, including Koenigsegg.

The Language Accelerator team will receive 9,900 euros for the development of its prototype. Their idea is to create a program that teaches a foreign language to any learner with 200 hours. The language study programme based on statistical analysis created by top engineers, proceeds from the learner’s knowledge, capability and difficulty of the language acquired in order to create an ideal studying pace and capacity.

Robert Kitt, Head of Corporate Banking at Swedbank noted that there were many high-minded ideas in the last round of applications, but the projects that were selected had most potential for business as well as social benefits. “Language Accelerator has a truly interdisciplinary project – this is exactly the approach we are looking for.”

The panel of expert of Prototron had some new members too: Almar Proos from the non-profit organisation Estonian Business Angels Network or EstBAN, which unites private investors was evaluating the last ideas.

Protorton has received 211 ideas in three rounds of applications, seven of which have received financing in order to make the ideas come to life.

The experts who evaluate the applications are Priit Alamäe (Nortal), Pirko Konsa (Tehnopol), Robert Kitt (Swedbank), Yrjö Ojasaar (Publification.com), Andrus Oks (Estonian Development Fund), Jaanus Tamm (Defendec), Siemon Smid (Tallinn University of Technology) and Almar Proos (EstBAN).

In evaluating the ideas that have been submitted and deciding which ones to support, the panel are guided by the business potential of the prototypes, how innovative they are and the teams that will put them together. There are no maximum limits on the amounts able to be granted. If approved, the prototype receives financing and is built in accordance with the creators’ designs.

The next deadline of applications is 15 October 2013. Prototron aims to give real form to innovative ideas. It was established by Swedbank, Tehnopol Science Park and Tallinn University of Technology. Over the next three years new smart ideas will be financed to a total value of 120,000 euros, plus 180,000 euros.

Estonian health-tech companies amongst the best in Europe

2013-03-25

Two Estonian companies Cognuse and LabToWellness, both from Tehnopol´s health-tech acceleration program, were shortlisted as best companies in European eHealth company competition.

In 2013 TICBioMed organizes the second edition of the EU SME eHealth Competition. This initiative rewards the best eHealth solutions produced by European small and medium size enterprises. This year more than 200 companies entered the competition. Estonian company LabToWellness was selected among 20 top companies and Conguse takes the podium during the competition final. The final round will take place in Dublin on the 13^th of May.

The objective of the competition is to support business success of SMEs by giving them visibility together with marketing opportunities to attract customers, partners and external capital. The best three companies will be awarded with precious feedback from experts and prize money up to 1000 euros.

LabToWellness is developing an interactive visualizing tool for laboratories in order to present the research results. Cognuse is developing diagnostics and training applications for cognitive rehabilitation and preventive care.

Both Estonian companies in final round started in February 2013 in Tehnopol´s health-tech acceleration program, where the teams have access to world class mentors and field specific knowhow.

57 ideas submitted to Prototron’s third round of applications

2013-03-20

Prototron, the fund established for the creation of prototypes, has received 57 smart ideas in its third round of applications. In this round, teams were looking for solutions to repair potholes and to make useful decisions on the open electricity market.

Most applications were in the fields of electronics and mechanics (19) and information and communications technology (14). A record 10 applications were submitted in the field of environmental technology.

“The application round indicated that not all new products created in Estonia are in the IT field, but that clever ideas arise hand in hand with the problems occurring in society," said Pirko Konsa, a management board member of Tehnopol. “So the solutions that stood out were those which would speed up repairs to the potholes that appear in spring and make it more cost-efficient, help consumers understand and make smart decisions in the context of the open electricity market and shorten waiting lists for doctor's appointments using novel methods of telemedicine.”

In the earlier two rounds the experts at Prototron evaluated the following projects as worthy of funding: Qminder (€3100) – a portable queue management ticket dispenser that communicates with smartphones and helps people avoid standing around in lines; Shaka (€11,640) – a wind measurement device that can be connected to smartphones using audio jacks which provides accurate information on the weather; Formula Battery Management System (€10,534) – a battery pack and battery control system to be used in e.g. electric vehicles for increased efficiency; Fabulonia (€9,560) – the world’s very first 3D printing software based on cloud technology; and Flydog (€11,242) – a buoy which will enable automatic retrieval of data from the marine environment.

“The quality of the projects submitted in the third round was as high as the first two,” revealed Robert Kitt, Head of Corporate Banking at Swedbank Estonia. "No idea is protected from failure, but I'm sure the trial-and-error method is much more durable than revolutionary changes made through pseudo-scientific planning. So enabling the creation of prototypes in definitely constructive.“

The applications will now be evaluated by a seven-member panel comprising Priit Alamäe (Webmedia), Pirko Konsa (Tehnopol), Robert Kitt (Swedbank), Yrjö Ojasaar (Publification.com), Andrus Oks (Estonian Development Fund), Jaanus Tamm (Defendec), Almar Proos (Favor) and Siemon Smid (Tallinn University of Technology). The projects that will receive full funding from Prototron will be revealed by 16 April.

Prototron was established by Swedbank, Tehnopol Science Park and Tallinn University of Technology. Over the next three years new smart ideas will be financed to a total value of 120,000 euros. www.prototron.ee

Health-tech companies get the kick out of new cross-border acceleration program

2013-02-19

Tallinn Science Park Tehnopol (Estonia), Tartu Biotechnology Park (Estonia), Accelerace (Denmark) and Enixus (Latvia) announced the start of new cross-border acceleration program to boost the growth of health technology startups and growth companies. The acceleration program brings leading industry-specific mentors to work with the companies and prepares the companies for funding. The acceleration program aims to initiate the growth of 12 health-tech companies in a year.

“Heath-tech is a really fast evolving business area that has attracted the attention of global investments. In Estonia and in the neighboring regions we have a strong competence but we lack of experience and health tech specific investment money. Starting the new acceleration program helps us to solve these problems and bring the heath-tech sector to the global map,” said the Member of Tehnopol Board, Pirko Konsa.

“Our core philosophy at Accelerace is "entrepeneurs helping entrepeneurs to success." Accelerace has a 7 year track record of helping more than 200 new enterprises to success.
Since 2009, more than 50 life science projects have been introduced to the programme, and of these more than 12 are in the program right now. 15 have completed the programme and have in the process attracted funding of about 80 mill dkr (nearly Euro 11 mill).

"The dedicated teams in Tallin, Riga and Accelerace seek to form a strong alliance combining method and expertise to create a broader critical mass and thereby offer a strong and viable portfolio to create a richer future for new life science enterprises in this region,“ said Accelerace partner, Morten Heide.

The acceleration program solves two of the most common problems that occur when a successful health-tech business is launched. Firstly, the entrepreneurs often lack the industry specific competences needed for so success. So, the acceleration program brings together leading competences through the experienced mentors to coach the companies. Based on their skills mentors join the teams of the companies and help them through the crucial phases of growth, starting from the product development to closing investor deals.

Secondly, because they don’t have strong industry networks, they often don’t have access to appropriate investment. To counteract this, the program focuses on finding and attracting health tech specific investments. All the companies in the programme will be prepared for investor panels to raise the needed capital for global breakthrough.

One program cycle lasts up to 18 month. During the period companies go through the high-value process of mentoring, trainings, team-work and investor panels. All the mentors in the program have at least 10-years’ experience in building and managing health-tech companies.

“In order to turn scientific knowhow into marketable product you need to know how the market works. Health-tech as a specific business requires more time for testing and product development compared to ICT for example. To carry out these procedures, long-term investments are really crucial. That’s the main reason we are focusing on bringing the investments on board as soon as possible,” said Pirko Konsa.

The first batch of companies in the acceleration program have been hand-picked by health-tech experts and starts with five teams from Estonia and Latvia. The Estonian teams are LabToWellness (visualizing tool for laboratories), Cognuse (cognitive rehabilitation solutions) and Biodiscovery (contract manufacturing and development of products for pharma/biotech companies). The Latvian teams are launching a new effective method for the treatment of sinus tachycardia and developing effective ways for early diagnosis of stomach cancer.

“These five teams are our first attempt to try out the benefits of the program and build sustainability. In the next phase of the acceleration program development we are working on raising capital for seed investments. Seed money helps us to make the development cycle of teams more effective and present more advanced companies to VC-s,” said Pirko Konsa.

The first batch starts in the acceleration program in February 2013 and will present their progress in September 2013.

Startup Incubator new team member Mike Reiner

2012-08-01

Startup Incubator is happy to announce that Mike Reiner joined Incubator team and will be coaching startups starting from August.

Surface Labs International raised money

2012-07-27

According to the CEO Raul Sõmer the contract with investors who use hands-on strategy will take company to the next level. Startup Incubator team member Raido Pikkar`s help gave the startup a chance to enter the global world thanks to restructuring the company and raising money.

Surface Labs International OÜ was established in 2011. They develop different multi-touch solutions that includes usingbreakthrough technology in the hard and software environment. The team consists of professional engineers and designers from all over Europe.

They offer custom software and hardware solutions for entertainment sector and for advertising sector. To offer the highest quality and use the latest technology, Surface Labs International Ltd is working together with TAMRON Europe GmbH and Point Grey Research Inc.

Startup Incubator mediapartner is Director Meedia

2012-07-27

The magazine Director is the only management magazine in Estonia that brings to the audience inspiring news and motivating stories of entrepreneurs. As Startup Incubator team works daily with startups the cooperation was considered as a logical step.

TapTender now in SushiCat and Pizzapoistes

2012-07-03

Startup Incubator company TapTender is inviting all of you who like to eat in SushiCat or Pizzapoistes (in Tallinn) use TapTender mobile app which will make it easier to get what you want (food). By the way, for example on Wednesday if you want to have lunch lets say in SushiCat and you are on your way, don`t waste time, just order your food via TapTender and you save time by not waiting in the queue.

For more info, visit www.taptender.com

Experts in mobile industry will take the stage on Tehnopol Networking Night

2012-02-15

On Wednesday, 15th of February Tehnopol holds a third event from the series of Networking Night. This time we are focusing on mobile technologies and business. Networking Night is excellent opportunity to meet entrepreneurs, investors and experts.

The theme of third Networking Night is „Mobile – what are the future trends?“. Presentations will be made by Tobias Endström and Mads Mathiesen.

Tobias Edström - Before joining Business Models Inc., Tobias was CEO Spotify Netherlands and worked at Schibsted and Expressen. Tobias’ specialization is the valorisation and monetization of new products and services in an ever-changing market.

Mads Mathiesen – Mads is a co-founder of several startup companies, partner and mentor. He is helping to build up startup companies and involve investors in Rainmaking.dk, in which portfolio he has 8 companies today and 2 successful exits.

Also there will be other well-known experts taking part Networking Night, like Chris Burry (US Market Access Center), Sunil Gunderia (Disney) and Jesper Knudsen (ScanMailX, KaDonk).

Participation is free, registration is required. Additional information can be found in here or on Tehnopol`s Facebook page.

Networking Night is supported by:

Tehnopol Morning Club talked about shareholders agreements

2012-02-13

On 7th of February Tehnopol held a Morning Club, where we spoke about shareholder agreements and different cases that might influence the legislation matters of the company.

Yrjö Ojasaar, who is Tehnopol`s mentor and the partner of Solon Partners, talked about contracts that are subject to the company`s first phase and about agreements that are essential for engaging investors. The main parts like objectives, responsibilities, assumptions, changes and options were discussed based on certain examples.

Tehnopol companies that took part of Morning Club were Carfi, Cemmed, Ektaco, Energest, FRX, GateMe, LinkMes, Mindware, Streamtainment Systems and Tiimitöö.

On 22nd of February Tehnopol holds a export club where Raissa Shushuyeva (VitaleXD) and Aivar Usk (Cybernetica) will share their experiences on export. You are welcome to participate!

Publification.com, a project in Tehnopol pre-incubation programme at Spingboard in Cambridge

2011-06-06

Publification.com, a project in Tehnopol pre-incubation programme at Spingboard in Cambridge

A project from Tehnopol pre-incubation programme, Publification.com, started at Spingboard programme in Cambridge

Rait Ojasaar, Marius Arras and Janek Priimann has moved from Estonia to Cambridge to boost their product to the world market.

Now having spent four weeks at Springboard, Rait is confident that the decision to participate at Springboard has been one of those key decisions in his life. For him, it can be compared with his decision at the end of college to forgo "secure" corporate job opportunities and become an entrepreneur instead.

Springboard has redefined for us the meaning of the term "startup". Mentors aren't going to tell you the future. Their task is to ask the right questions to help you find your true path and to ensure you don't mix vision with hallucination. Mentors also kindly introduce you to many well recognized inhabitants, who are going to play a vital role in your path of discovery and self-actualization.

Read his blog, to see the comparison with Sprinboard and infamous sci-fi movie The Matrix.

http://springboard.com/day-27-guest-post-the-commonalities-of-springboard-robert-frost-and-the-matrix-rait-ojasaar/

YIT started to build new Center of mechatronics to Tehnopol

2011-05-31

YIT Ehitus Ltd and Tallinn Science Park Tehnopol started to build a 9000 m2 Centre of Mechatronics. The office and laboratory building oriented for electronics and engineering companies will be ready in September 2012.

YIT and Tehnopol have created a joint venture for building and will invest 7 million EUR into it. The centre was designed by an architect office Luhse and Tuhal OÜ.
Nearly 50% of its total area is already booked by companies. Major tenants are the Innovation Centre of Mechatronics, IMECC and AS Metrosert, who is working with measuring instruments and calibration.

Jüri Riives, board member of the Innovation Centre of Mechatronics, said that high-tech manufacturing should be the future for Estonia. "We are pleased that the building will set the ground for achieving the set goals and is a pioneer for the integration of manufacturing and science."
The Center of Mechatronics has set up laboratories with conditions for electronic and mechanic businesses to make their prototypes.

"New real estate developments at Tehnopol show the growing interest of the businesses to be located close to the university. We are confident that the innovation is made in cooperation with universities and we believe that the Centre of Mechatronics will be a good example of such cooperation, "said Pirko Konsa, board member of Tehnopol.
"In case of science parks, we like the concept where linking science and business brings the added value, that makes this real estate development valuable. As the majority of rental space has already interested companies, it shows the necesseity of such centre." said Margus Põim, chairman of the board of YIT Ehitus Ltd.

Does Your innovative company need financing?

2011-05-31

We offer advanced acces to finance!

Josefin is project in the Baltic Sea Region, that offers to gain easier access to finance and to benefit from more favourable financial conditions for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs)

Innovative guarantee and individual coaching is combined to make this all happen. All this will be offered in cooperation with SA Tallinn Sciencepark Tehnopol and AS KredEx.

TEHNOPOL OFFERS:

· Coaching- personal coaching by professional coaches about different topics (business plan, financial planning etc.).

· Internationalisation- for companies interested in internationalisation, Tehnopol offers local coaches from Your chosen destination country. Best way to get most practical knowhow.

KREDEX OFFERS:

· Guarantee- when You need bankloan for Your enterprises, then You can get guarantee for loan

· Coaching- to support and benefit more from these guarantees, KredEx also offers additional coaching.

Visit www.josefin-org.eu for more information and contact us.

Ando Siitam (KredEx), E-mail: ando.siitam@kredex.ee, Tel: +372 667 4112

Kati Nikopensius (Tehnopol), E-mail: kati@tehnopol.ee, Tel: +372 56 800 227

ThorGate Management is looking for a co-founder

2011-05-31

Can You do miracles in mobile phone platforms? Do You like Android, IOS (iPhone, iPad), a Blackberry? Does phrase NFC makes Your eyes sparkle?

Eager startup company ThorGate Management plans to create a site where You can find nightclubs and pubs guestlists in real time.
For this, we are looking for co-founder to our company.

Come with us to Startup Garage (www.startupgarage.eu) and lets make a new Skype! Contact us at the latest 02.06.2011 info@gateme.com or call us 58 081 132.

Who said there are no Jobs available? Start-ups are always recruiting!

2010-02-23

Despite all the talk of unemployment, there are still lots of unfilled job vacancies in Estonia. The managers of three Estonian start-up companies (two of them from Tehnopol) describe how they are desperately looking for people and how all this can be a real headache.

LESSON ONE:

"The best candidates: morgue vehicle driver and sex shop salesperson"

Heikki Haldre (pictured) is the founder of start-up company Massi Miliano (Fits.me) which has received several awards. This company is developing technology for virtual fitting rooms and robot mannequins, and plans to hire several new employees this year.

"In the autumn we were looking for an employee from Estonia - we were expecting an ability to learn but not expert knowledge of our narrow field. The position was advertised as 'assistant'. Of course we placed ads on the Estonian CV web portals; we also advertised on Facebook and had a nice big advertisement in the Äripäev newspaper as well.

The job advertisement stated: 'We are looking for a smart and creative person with a very good command of the English language, and enough confidence to communicate with major clothing brands and research institutions around the world. In your capacity as assistant, you will help prepare for meetings, search for financial figures about various companies, conduct surveys, and manage documents and communication within the organisation".

Considering the current economic situation, we were expecting a lot of candidates, but this was not the case. We eventually found our employee via the Facebook ad. But the three best candidates said their previous jobs were: a) a morgue vehicle driver - transporting the deceased; b) a sex shop salesperson; and c) a door-to-door book salesperson in the USA.

These were also the three smartest people with the most open minds, and those that took the most care in following the rules for applying. Most of the applicants apparently didn't read any of the requirements and just sent in their CVs without any of the other paperwork we asked for. At that point, there were only about fifty positions with the same qualification requirements on offer in the job search portals. A thought came to mind: if I was unemployed and my 'job' was looking for a job from 7am to 11pm, then I would actively work towards that goal.

No, our requirements were not too high. I have the following recommendations to job seekers in Estonia: please read your CVs through before sending them out. Typing errors will mean immediate rejection. Also read through the job ad carefully. If an accompanying letter is requested there, then write that letter - without typing errors. If a one-page accompanying letter is requested, then don't write a two-page one.

But as for the foreign labour force, if you want to make a product that will be used by the rest of the world and sold outside Estonia, then you have to have staff who are also outside Estonia. For this, we use head-hunters who are located in the regions where we are looking for staff.

Estonia is actually not a very good place for a technology start-up company. The region lacks a strong mentoring network, so start-ups with a wider scope than just Estonia, Latvia and Finland will remain stuck in their own habits and work culture."

LESSON TWO:

"Finding the right employee takes six months"

Kristi Hakkaja (pictured) is a board member of the growing company Oskando, and is responsible for its sales and exports. Oskando manufactures GSM and GPS equipment and offers telematics services, like vehicle monitoring, for example.

"A technology company always has difficulty finding engineers and technical support personnel, especially if you want someone with experience in your field. This is why we train many of our staff ourselves.

Over the years, we have regularly employed university students, and in a couple of years we have trained them so that their profile suits our company. On the other hand, if we do have a need for someone with experience, we often spend six months just looking for the right candidate.

It is also difficult to find salespeople. A new member of staff can get fully up to speed with all our products in about six months. Finding a salesperson in the field of technology who also has practical export experience has been one of the hardest tasks, but we have now put together quite a good team already.

One of the most complex tasks has been working with a foreign team. At one point we had a development unit in Lithuania and we went through all the usual issues with remote working and cultural conflicts. However, this experience was very valuable in many ways.

An international company cannot function without international personnel. It is straightforward to have staff who speak the same language, and it is equally straightforward to do business only in Estonia. However, if a company wants to do business outside Estonia, it has to be able to move out of that comfort zone. And this is obviously not easy. Of course, all these people don't have to be physically located in Estonia - it depends very much on their job; it is better if salespeople are not located here. It gives me great pleasure to see that several Estonian companies now also have foreign employees; for me, this reflects their understanding of international business.

Estonian technology companies are mostly lacking engineers with specific qualifications - not so much in product development, but rather in product design. By product design I mean the final 10-20 percent of the development process when the prototype becomes a scalable and fully-designed sales item. There is very little skill and experience of this kind in Estonia.

Estonia also lacks good export sales staff, but no technology start-up will be able to stand on its own two feet without them.

For our team, we are looking for a technical support manager with experience, who will help us take our current technical support system to a new level with operational support for an international sales network. This role presents an especially big challenge, because the suitable candidate will need to have very good knowledge of both hardware and software, and also be skilled at managing a team, building processes and conducting international technical training in the English language."

LESSON THREE:

"It's easy to find staff; it's much harder to find good staff "

Alari Aho (pictured) is the founder of Apprise, a software development company. This enterprise seems to be constantly and actively developing the time tracking programme Toggl.com and other products, so there is always a demand for intelligent employees.

"It's usually not a huge problem to find staff. It's much harder to find good staff. Our experience in hiring people has been like panning for gold - constantly trying to find the 'right' candidate among a large number of people.

Campaigns to find the right people have not had much success; instead, we have tried to be actively on the lookout for staff all the time.

Entrepreneurs who invite people to work in Estonia, especially those in the knowledge industry, deserve much kudos! Alari Aho says: "One example was when we found an American marketing executive via AIESEC, and we'll keep using that channel in the future.

At present, the problem facing start-ups seems to be finding customers, at least in my circle of acquaintances. Few are engaged in active hiring.

Specifically though, we are looking for someone whose native language is English, for the position of Customer Management Specialist for Toggl.com. During the selection process, we give the candidates simple tasks to conduct on-site within 10 minutes. Mostly they cope, but we have had some funny situations as well.

One job applicant from abroad stared at the task for a long time and in the end just held his head in his hands and said: 'Oh, my head, my head is aching!' Before that, this person's performance and CV had been very persuasive and of excellent quality. A job offer was not made at that time, however."

Central Baltic Interreg IVA project has started

2009-05-15

Consortium of six partners from 4 countries, leaded by Tallinn Technology Park Tehnopol, started the Central Baltic Interreg IVA project "Central Baltic Soft Landing Zone for Small and Medium Size Companies".

The main outcome of the project is a joint support model to prepare the local companies for expansion into other Central Baltic markets. The project combines activities like: conducting market research, consultation services (market positioning, partner search, etc.), organizing international brokerage events, joint trainings, seminars and exhibition exchange.

The aim of the project is to increase the chances of success and reduce the overall risks for companies from other countries, entering national markets of Central Baltic region.

To reach these objectives consortium will carry out at least four different international training sessions for the SMEs and four special events for the business incubator managers in Central Baltic. Besides these events there will large scale brokerage-matchmaking events and active participation in international conference "Baltic Dynamics 2010 & 2011".

The first coming event is SME training and matchmaking session in Helsinki. The event will be held in June 8-9, 2009. During this event the companies from four different countries will have chance to study and train international business communication and negotiation skills. In August, 2009 the consortium will carry out an open workshop for the business incubator managers.

The consortium unites following companies:

Lead partner - Tallinn Technology Park Development Foundation (Tehnopol)
Tallinn Business Incubators Foundation (TEI)
Helsinki School of Economics, Small Business Center (HSE SBC)
Latvian Technological Center (LTC)
HUMAK University of Applied Sciences Ltd (HUMAK CCE)
Mjärdevi Science Park (MSP)

SMEDGE project is financed by "European Regional Development Fund" - "INVESTING IN YOUR FUTURE".

A cooperation meeting of ICT companies and Centre of Excellence in Computer Science

2009-04-15

A cooperation meeting of ICT companies and Centre of Excellence in Computer Science took place in Tehnopol on April 14. The discussion was about ambitions and activities of the centre but also about three concrete files of activities. You will find the presentations from http://cs.ioc.ee/excs/tehnopol-roundtable/

Study trips for Tehnopol companies in 2009

2009-04-14

Tehnopol will organise different study trips for its companies.
On March 3-7 five companies visited CeBIT in Hannover. It was combined with trainings and consultations.
In the end of June a mission to Bulgaria and Romania will be organised, in September to Silicon Valley, in November to Munchen incl. Productronica and to Paris. incl Milipol fair.
All the study trips will be supported with trainings and consultations to prepare the companies to get the most out of the missions. The study trips will be supported by Enterprise Estonia.
Please contact kylle.tarnov@tehnopol.ee while you are interested in these missions.

Joint club of Tehnopol companies of electronics and members of IEEE

2009-04-14

On April 7 took place a joint club event of Tehnopol companies of electronics and members of IEEE. The first presentation was in the usual format of this club, CEO of IB Krates, Mr Toomas Tommingas, shared their experiences in International markets.
In addition, Mr Tõnu Näks from IB Krates introduced a code generator for sard systems, where their company was one of the main developers. The client side leaders of the projects were European and Israel car, airplane and space companies (Airbus, Continental, EADS Astrium, IAI). This is a package of programme with open code that enables to generate C (in the near future also Ada) language programme from management system model (Simulink, Stateflow, Scicos). The speciality of this solution is that it responds to the airspace software standards (DO-178B/ED-12B). This enables to qualify the code generator as a development tool and reduce testing of systems considerably. For more information please look http://gforge.enseeiht.fr/geneauto/
The next Tehnopol club for companies of electronics takes place on May 5 and this time together with companies of biotechnology.

Tehnopol companies visited Gröningen together with the Mayor of Tallinn

2009-04-09

On March 26-27, 2009 Tehnopol client companies in the field of electronics, Pemetel and ELIKO TAK, took part in a contact and cooperation visit to Gröningen in the Netherlands that was lead by the Tallinn city Mayor, Mr Edgar Savisaar. tehnopol companies had B2B meetings with local companies and Zernike Science Park.

In 2009 Tehnopol will offer at least the three study trips to the following locations: Bulgaria and Romania, Silicon Valley, Paris.

Martin Goroško

A Barge Designed by MEC Engineering Bureau was launched in Emajõgi.

2009-04-09

A barge designed entirely by a tenant company of Tehnopol, MEC Engineeruing Bureau was launched. A barge named Koidula starts to operate between two islands: Laakssaare and Piirissaare.

The barge is specially designed to operate in shallow water. The body of the barge is only 1 m deep and can take a load up to 45 tons.

MEC Engineering Bureau is operating in Tehnopol from 2002. The main activities of the company are designing sea constructions and making firmness anaysis. Today there are eight highlly qualified engineers working. Most of the clients are from other countries. In addition the company is participating is some EU research and development projects for ship building in order to raise qualification and innovative mind of its emplyees.
Martin Goroško

Development trends of modern information society

2008-10-21

On the 21st of October Tehnopol held a morning club event that was conducted by development and technology director of EMT Mr. Tõnu Grünberg. Club event focused on development trends of information society and how to bring these trends to life. Mr. Grünberg introduced the biggest technological challenges in virtual reality, mobile technologies and social networking.

In the past the major problem in information society was the lack of information, today the main problem is the overabundance of information. Successful is the one who is able to find the needed information as fast as possible. Tõnu Grünberg introduced the eleven tends drawn out by ISTAG report that drive our information society developments the most. According to Tõnu Grünberg in Estonia the biggest challenge is to make the public sector more interactive and bring it closer to citizen.

Unique development centre of electronics was opened in Tehnopol

2008-08-26

The minister of Economic Affairs and Communications Juhan Parts opened a unique development centre of electronics in Tallinn Technology Park TEHNOPOL where two innovative companies ELIKO Competence Centre and Artec Group started operating.

According to the minister Juhan Parts the combining of the specific electronic companies cluster is a right step in principle. "The real cooperation between universities and companies is not widespread in Estonia. The mission of Tallinn Technology Park TEHNOPOL is clearly to put such kind of cooperation in practice" said Juhan Parts. "The message of the Government is that technology development centers should receive over one billion kroons of investments during next few years. Such cooperation projects should receive over 100 million kroons of investments. The cluster shows that companies and TEHNOPOL are doing the right thing. Good luck!" said Parts.

The member of TEHNOPOL`s board Pirko Konsa said that the innovative companies operating in Technology Park are always one step ahead of time. "That's why we are really glad that we are able to offer the business environment that meets the requirements of companies like ELIKO and Artec Group. In TEHNOPOL there are two universities - Tallinn University of Technology and IT College. The knowledge potential of these universities can now easily put into practice through such development centers" said Konsa.

ELIKO Competence Centre is founded in 2004 combining branches of Tallinn University of Technology and eight electronics companies. ELIKO is currently working on such projects like "Smart City" energy saving solutions, development of intelligent robots and laboratory on microchip project.

Artec Group was established in 1998 by entrepreneurial electrical engineers with a strong flair for ergonomics and industrial design; Artec Group conceptualizes designs and manufactures user-friendly electronics for the environmentally-aware millennium. Some of its best-known products include the ThinCan^TM terminal client and the ticket controller units used in public transports throughout Estonia.

New development centre of electronics is reconstructed of the laboratory building that was built in 1974. Now the building has 2030 m2 of modern office and production space for hi-Tec companies.

Tallinn Technology Park TEHNOPOL is a business centre combining 140 companies and two universities. TEHNOPOL provides business development services and convenient environment services. Today TEHNOPOL also haves the largest business incubator for starting businesses.

Tehnopol tenant companies visited Silicon Valley

2008-06-18

On May 2008 Tehnopol organized a study and contact visit to Silicon Valley USA for the starting companies in business incubator. The aim of the visit was to gain experience about USA market and to make new connections with possible cooperation partners in Silicon Valley.

The contact visit was organized for five Tehnopol business incubator tenant companies who have common interests in finding co operational contacts in USA market.

During the visit to Silicon Valley the delegation visited Google, several business incubators in Silicon Valley and Stanford University. Several meetings with possible investors were also arranged.

Tehnopol intends to organize additional visits in the future. As the first trip to Silicon Valley showed the interest towards such projects is growing and all the participants where more than pleased with the outcome of the trip.

More information about the visit: http://siliconvalley.tehnopol.ee/

The queen of Netherlands Her Majesty Beatrix visited Tehnopoli

2008-05-15

On the 15 of May the queen of Netherlands Her Majesty Beatrix visited Tallinn Technology Park Tehnopol. During the visit of Estonia Her Majesty met Tehnopol and its two tenant companies Skype and Cybernetica.

The purpose of the visit was to introduce the Hi-Tec sector development in Estonia and the outstanding companies in that field.

Her Majesty queen Beatrix met the members of Tehnopol's board Alar Tamkivi and Pirko Konsa who present the Technology Park and its role in International cooperation. After that Her Majesty met the CEO of Skype Michael van Swaaij and the member of Cybernetica's board Aivar Usk.

The president of Lithuania Valdas Adamkus visited Tehnopol

2008-04-30

On the 30th of April the president of Lithuania Valdas Adamkus visited Tallinn Technology Park Tehnopol. During the visit the president was acquainted to Tehnopol and the cooperation terms between the countries where discussed. In addition the president met Tehnopol`s business incubator company Modesat Communications.

President Valdas Adamkus emphasized the importance of technology parks as the developers of country´s economy. The president also approved Tehnopol's development towards creating a knowledge based business environment in Estonia.

"Close cooperation between Baltic states is very important for Tehnopol": said the member of Tehnopol's board Alar Tamkivi. "Today there are lot of companies in Technology Park who are directed to foreign markets. Cooperation between Baltic states helps to improve the competitiveness of our companies export projects".

The winner of business idea contest will start in Tehnopol

2008-03-31

First time held business idea contest Ajujaht 2007 winner team CellTells will start their business in Tehnopol business incubator. In addition to 50 000 kroons start-up bonus, the team also won the opportunity to have their office in Tehnopol for free.

CellTells business idea was to implement voice calendar interface to mobile phones. The system helps to insert events or other information to calendar by using your mobile phone microphone. The members of CellTells team are Daniel Muldia ja Mikk-Alvar Olle.

Tehnopol´s business incubator provides a good opportunity to bring CellTells idea to life. Business incubator provides full-equipped office space, business consulting services and help for finding investments or business partners.

Idea contest Ajujaht 2007 was held first time this year. The main goal of the contest is to find best business ideas among youngsters and students. The bonus fund of the contest was 700 000 kroons and the number of presented new business ideas exceeded 100. Next business idea contest starts in autumn 2008.

For more information visit: www.ajujaht.ee

Skype and Rate.ee co-founders invest in programmer performance metrics inventors

2008-03-19

SourceKibitzer, a start-up company in TEHNOPOL´s business incubator, that has invented unique metrics and performance indicators for software teams, will receive an investment of 200,000 EUR from Ambient Sound Investments (ASI) and Serenda Estonia.

SourceKibitzer has developed an advanced analytics solution, named EyeQ that provides transparency to anyone who is dealing with software development and allows automated day-to-day overview of development team performance. The service is targeted primarily at companies with software development teams that consist of at least 10-20 developers. By the end of 2008, the projected capacity of SourceKibitzer's infrastructure will support simultaneous monitoring of 10,000 developers.

Unlike most other products on the market, EyeQ solution allows managers to collect metrics and key performance indicators of their programming team without any human effort. The metrics and indicators are invented by SourceKibitzer and are unique to EyeQ.

"The benefits for outsourcers are obvious - more transparency and better know-how management. Software developers save time on reporting and get more time for important things, like programming," said Mark Kofman, the founder and CEO of SourceKibitzer.

"The possibility to have the founders of Skype and Rate.ee on board as a result of this deal is certainly a big plus, since they have valuable experience in starting successful software companies," added Kofman.

SourceKibitzer's programmer performance monitoring service EyeQ has been chosen by The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) as a finalist for 2008 SoftwareCEO Innovation Award in the "Most Innovative Software for the Software Industry" category.

According to Tauno Tats, the CEO of ASI, an investment group established by the co-founding engineers of Skype, SourceKibitzer is a prime example of an inventive start-up working to establish a new product category. "We hope that our investment helps the emergence of a respected tool for programmer expertise benchmarking that will one day become mainstream in its niche".

In the nearer future the company plans to attract customers from countries around the Baltic Sea but the goal is to make SourceKibitzer's solution available also to large software companies in US, rest of Europe, India, Russia and China. The next big target is to measure 50,000 - 100,000 software developers around the world.

Andrei Korobeinik, founder of Rate.ee and owner of Serenda Estonia said that SourceKibitzer's technology and solution is simple and useful to software development companies and to those who outsource software development. "I wouldn't be surprised to see the company as a market leader already after a year".

Estonian president Toomas Hendrik Ilves visited TEHNOPOL

2008-03-05

The president of Estonia Toomas Hendrik Ilves visited TEHNOPOL Technology Park and had a discussion with representatives of TEHNOPOL´s tenant companies.

Toomas Hendrik Ilves mentioned that today it is hard to talk about knowledge-based producing in Estonia. Although the science and technology parks are impelling force that drives the development of science and Estonian economy.

"Technology parks are important to every country because they support innovation thinking and help to create new routes to national economy." said president Ilves.