Startup Lab Idea Hackathon focuses on ideas in healthcare

The University of Tartu’s Startup Lab launched the new season of its business idea development programme Starter Tartu on 26 September with the Idea Hackathon. The opening event brought together 150 entrepreneurship-minded students from high schools and universities who presented their ideas, joined teams and later that same night started working together on their business ideas.

The hackathon started with inspirational talks by Ermo Tikk (the Startup Community Manager) and Kadri Haljas (a startup founder in the healthcare sector). Ermo provided an overview of the startup community in Tartu, while Kadri shared her experience of creating the startup Triumf Health.

Thereafter, those with ideas got the chance to pitch and explain them, with 34 amazing ideas from different fields being presented in total. Moderator Harald Lepisk encouraged people to interact, leading to the formation of 20 teams –nearly half of which were related to services in healthcare. For example, the students came up with ideas for the more effective treatment of depression, how to alleviate skin problems, how to measure oxygen levels in the body and ways of helping the elderly cope with their everyday problems.

One first-year Master’s student from the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration of the University of Tartu said the format of the event made it very exciting and that some of the ideas presented had great potential. Two Bachelor’s students from the same faculty said they had enjoyed the event, although one regretted that he had not worked up the courage to pitch his own ideas. Fortunately, everyone will have the opportunity to do just that at the next Starter Tartu workshop.

At the end of the event, after showcasing their ideas, the teams with the greatest potential in the healthcare sector were recognised. One of the teams will have the chance to participate in the “Forge of Talents” events being hosted by the Medical University of Lódź in Poland.

The event was financed by the European Social Fund.

Further information: Andres Vaher, Marketing & Communications Specialist, Startup Lab, University of Tartu, +372 5558 7359, andres.vaher@ut.ee