Season Opening. Estonia’s Innovation Edge: Corporate Strategies for Success

Join us for the Innovation Leaders Club event and step into a new season with visionary ideas and strategic insights! We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Maher Hakim as our keynote speaker—a globally renowned expert in innovation and entrepreneurship, bringing his expertise from the USA and Qatar.

With a track record of building innovation ecosystems, advising corporations, startups and top-tier venture capital firms and teaching innovation, Hakim will deliver an unmissable session on "Investing in Innovation: How to Maximize Your ROI?"

His insights are not just theoretical — they are grounded in years of hands-on experience in guiding corporate innovation and leading major tech hubs in the USA and Qatar.

By attending this event, you’ll gain exclusive access to:
• Cutting-edge insights on how to strategically invest in innovation to maximize returns.
• Expert perspectives on the economic challenges facing Estonian corporations and how to turn these challenges into opportunities.
• Real-world success stories, including how Nortal has become into the list of top ten most successful Estonian companies in 2023 through innovation.
• Networking opportunities allowing you to forge valuable connections.

AGENDA

• 13:00 Gathering and Networking, Welcome Coffee

• 13:15 Opening Words
  Anette Ustal & Martin Goroško, Innovation Leaders Club

• 13:25 Setting the Context: Challenges and Future Prospects of Estonian Corporations in Today’s Economic Environment
  Mihkel Nestor, Chief Economist @SEB Bank

• 13:45 Keynote: Investing in Innovation: How to Maximize Your ROI?
  Followed by moderated Q&A session
  Maher Hakim, Founder and CEO – Innovation Foundry, Partner – 212.VC, Distinguished Career Professor – Carnegie Mellon University

• 14:45 Keynote: From an Estonian Company to a Truly Global Player

  Ats Albre, CEO @Nortal Estonia and President @ITL Estonian ICT Cluster

• 15:15 Networking and Coffee Break

• 15:45 Moderated Discussion: How to Turn the Tables and Re-Establish Estonia as the Best Country for Innovative Business?
  Mihkel Nestor, Maher Hakim, Ats Albre, Erkki Karo, Director of Ragnar Nurkse Department of Innovation and Governance @TalTech. Moderated by Martin Goroško, Business Service Manager @Tehnopol

• 16:45 Insight into Innovation Leaders Club New Season
  Kadi Villers, Innovation Leaders Club

• 17:00 Wrap-up and End of Event

While primarily designed for our club members, we’re extending this invitation to visionary corporations keen on driving innovation within their business strategies through this season opening event.

This event offers a unique opportunity to learn from the best, expand your professional network, and be part of the conversation that’s shaping the future of business in Estonia.

Don’t miss out — reserve your spot today!

REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED!

This event is supported by Baltic-American Freedom Foundation (BAFF).

Dr. Maher Hakim Bio

Dr. Hakim is a sought-out expert and educator in technology innovation and entrepreneurship, entrepreneurship financing and venture capital. He is the founder and CEO of Innovation Foundry – a consultancy firm delivering innovation-related advisory services to corporations, government agencies, venture capital firms, and startups. Additionally, he is the Chief Advisor of Innovation and Enterprise at Qatar’s Research, Development and Innovation Council, a Distinguished Career Professor at Carnegie Mellon University, and a Partner at 212 – a venture capital firm based in Istanbul focused on regional startup investments in digital technologies.

Previously, Dr. Hakim was the executive director of UC Berkeley’s tech innovation hub, the managing director of Qatar’s Science and Technology Park, and the head of Carnegie Mellon University’s Center for Innovation Entrepreneurship in Doha, Qatar. Dr. Hakim taught innovation and entrepreneurship at Carnegie Mellon University Qatar, the University of California Berkeley, and the European Innovation Academy. His prior experience included launching and building several technology startups and leading innovation groups in Autodesk, Infor and First Advantage.

Dr. Hakim invested in numerous tech startups, supported efforts to build innovation ecosystems around the globe, and mentored and coached startup founders and tech investment professionals. He is a technologist by education and holds a PhD in Computer-Aided Engineering and Management from Carnegie Mellon University.