Kaleidoskoop’s top 10 prepare for sTARTUp Day

On Thursday Nov 30, UT IdeaLab student project and business idea competition Kaleidoskoop took place. 43 teams partook in the competition and the top 10 were selected to the next round - Kaleidoskoop Finals at sTARTUp Day on the UT IdeaLab pitching stage.

This semester’s competition included ideas from a wide area of topics, a large number of which included apps or websites.

This semester’s TOP 10 are:

ANNY - A device, that helps disc golf players to locate lost discs quickly and therefore saves time, money and nerves.
Decomer Technology OÜ - Biodegradable bioprotein polymer films. The first product is water-soluble honey packages.
Edible - Cutlery that is edible and biodegradable.
Espuro - An air purifier, smart connected product, that not only purifies the air with reliable and latest technologies, but also adds humidity to the air.
IamDead - Website that organises your social medial profiles when you die.
Juice³ - We make natural cubed Juice concentrate.
Russó - Change everyday fashion for men by creating special bow ties and briefcases.
Seniorship - Seniorship is a web platform that offers internships for people aged 50+ and brings them together with companies.
SILK - A an app which collects information about sales from different clothing shops.
StartLegal - A chatbot that helps people to get access to legal help and receive legal advice.

“We are very excited to participate in the biggest business festival in Estonia, and are definitely looking forward to it!” said Hugo Palm, the creator of Juice³ after making it to the top 10. Another finalist, the founder of Decomer Technology OÜ Mart Salume, added that their team feels confident, but they understand that competition is tough and it’s not going to be an easy ride.

Out of the 43 teams that participated in Kaleidoskoop’s first round, 16 were teams of the STARTER program, based in Tartu, Pärnu and Narva. The best 10 teams will get to Kaleidoskoop finals at sTARTUp Day where they can pitch their ideas on the UT IdeaLab's pitching stage. There will we 3 major awards - ticket to European Innovation Academy, world’s largest extreme entrepreneurship program in Portugal, a chance to pitch in Polar Bear Pitching, an event held in Oulu which puts competitors in extreme contitions, in ice cold water, and a financial award from the city of Tartu.

“We are very happy that the first round of Kaleidoskoop has become an attractive event fro teams with different backgrounds. We had competitors from high schools, UT-s different courses as well as from out STARTER program, and the ideas included both web solutions as well as physical products. The common nominator for the teams was the desire to show themselves, get feedback on the work they’ve done and the chance to present their idea at the international sTARTUp Day,” said Maret Ahnonen, Manager of UT IdeaLab.

Kaleidoskoop is the last event in the autumn semester’s program and Idealab is now ready to prepare for spring 2018. Right before Estonia’s 100th birthday, on February 22th, an inspiration event called „Idea Storm: 100 ideas, that will change the world“ is once again held. Dozens of experienced mentors are expected to join close to 300 participants to discuss finding solutions to problematic situations in many areas. The groups created, along with their ideas, are given the chance to grow through the STARTER Basic program in spring.  

For students, Idealab is hosting the Student Startup Camp in collaboration with Garage48. The camp will be held during the winter break in early February and has previously brought over 100 students together, all with the goal to develop an idea to a prototype in just five days.

The STARTER programme and Kaleidoskoop are supported by the European Social Fund.

Contact: Maret Ahonen, Manager of UT IdeaLab, +372 522 5910, maret.ahonen@ut.ee