Starting this fall, the UT Idea Lab is named sTARTUp Lab. “The new name is a better reflection of our activities, which is training startup mindset and skills to all students in the Tartu area. Also, the new name refers to our belongingness to  the Estonian startup business ecosystem, including the sTARTUp Tartu community, and it brings us closer to  international students and partners, ”said Maret Ahonen, Manager of sTARTUp Lab.

Now the partnership with the business festival sTARTUp Day  is better highlighted and also the cooperation with the coworking space in Tartu sTARTUp Hub and conferences like sTARTUp Talks, sTARTUp AI ect.

University of Tartu sTARTUp Lab (former Idea Lab) has been operating at the university for almost 8 years, providing hands-on entrepreneurship activities to students and researchers. It has been idea development testing ground for students from all fields of study. Entrepreneurial students have gained practical business experience outside their chosen field and also expanded their networks.

STARTERtartu, the main programme of sTARTUp Lab, has gained an important place in the Estonian start-up ecosystem. The experiences and skills gained from the programme have helped many teams to move forward into accelerators and attract the attention of international investors. Also, many participants have found their dream job in startups. Inspiration and Mentor Feedback events of STARTER programme add value to curriculums, making learning more meaningful and practical.

sTARTUp Lab has also taken the experience based on the Estonian best practices to Ukraine by contributing to the spreading of entrepreneurial skills and mindset to students and lecturers in the Kiev region. It has been a partner and leader of several international youth entrepreneurship projects such as Est-Lat accelerator for Estonian and Latvian teams and NGAL business development programme for Estonian and US teams.

In collaboration with members of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, we are partners in health sector idea development programmes such as:  E-Boat and Smart-up Lab. We support international teams and bring them together with representatives and experts of  Estonian start-up community.

In January 2020 sTARTUp Lab moves to the Delta Center and has vision to to be an internationally recognized collaborative environment for students and mentors of all levels and types of education by creating the prerequisites for developing future skills.