Science-to-business program mentors

Professor of marketing, University of Tartu

Andres Kuusik is the professor of marketing in the University of Tartu and the founder of neuro-marketing lab. He is the originator and initiator of the sTARTUp Day business festival and the Delta Economic Conference.

intellectual property and data protection lawyer

Triin is an intellectual property and data protection lawyer who has advised companies and public sector institutions both in the area of creative industries, ICT as well as in commercialisation of scientific results and knowledge transfer. Between 2007-2017 she worked as an attorney at the Tallinn office of GLIMSTEDT, one of the leading international law firms in the Baltics. In 2016, Triin practiced as an inhouse lawyer at the technology transfer office of the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg, Germany. She joined Cybernetica AS in 2017 first as the General Counsel and later continued as the Privacy Engineering Consultant.

In addition to legal consulting, Triin is also an active lecturer and researcher. She is interested in protection of fundamental rights in mass processing of data and intellectual property rights as a means to accelerate economic development in the context of open innovation paradigm. In 2014-2015, Triin received a Fulbright Student scholarship to conduct studies in the USA and has been a frequent visiting researcher at universities in Denmark and Germany.

Karl Viiol has worked as a project manager for over 10 years, designing and implementing EU projects. As a business consultant, he has worked for 5 years, guiding companies of all sizes and sectors. Examples of his clients include: Mulieres, Eesti Keskkonnateenused, Lasita Maja, Liistuvabrik, FranzRaver, Rabasaunad, YliCool Catering, Hansavest Rental, Valley, CoffeIn, TT Print, Sandla Puit, Soulteam, Baltic Intertex, Ragn-Sells and many others.

Gerda Mihhailova is a lecturer in management at the University of Tartu Pärnu College and a leading expert in service design in Estonia. She developed and led the master’s programme in Service Design and Management (2009–2025) and headed the Department of Entrepreneurship (2019–2025). Gerda has been teaching and promoting service design since 2003, working with both academia and organisations across public and private sectors. She has also contributed to the development of Estonia’s design standards and regularly trains teams in service design, business models, remote work, and leadership.

Management trainer

Veiko Valkiainen has over 20 years of experience in leadership development, focusing on enhancing team performance through changing the thought and behavior patterns of leaders and their team members. Among other things, he also hosts the leadership podcast "Leadership Quality is a Competitive Advantage," where he seeks to answer the question: what does it mean to be a successful leader? His conversation partners include CEOs, leadership trainers, consultants, and top athletes.

Veiko has a university degree in psychology and has further developed himself through gestalt therapy studies at the Gestalt Institute of Scandinavia in Denmark, as well as completing coaching training with Erickson Coaching International in New York. He is currently working on PhD thesis in Tatu University, researching self-managing teams and organizations. Over the years, he has conducted numerous leadership training sessions, seminars, and presentations, involving hundreds of leaders. He possesses diverse work experience from various companies, including Eesti Energia AS, the Ministry of Finance, Elion Ettevõtted AS (now Telia), Eesti Pank, BCS Itera AS, Olympic Entertainment Group AS, and MYJAR IT OÜ.

Startup Lab manager, University of Tartu

Maret Ahonen is the Manager of the University of Tartu Startup Lab. Maret has long-term experience in organizing entrepreneurship workshops and trainings. She has supervised many students’elevator speech courses and conducted presentation skills workshops for doctoral students. She is often called to judge pitches for early stage start-up entrepreneurs.

Linda Lancere focuses on digital health technologies and their alignment with the user needs, starting from concept development, ideation, ending with validation and implementation in the real environment. She has diverse experience in leading the development of complex digital solutions, user experience research, as well as working in several IT and technology startups like Baltic3D.eu, Exonicus, Ltd. Her passion is bringing value to the users, which means translating and explaining between IT, engineering, clinical, and business languages

Mentor, co-founder of Tech Startup, board Member Tartu Science Park

Supporting science-based startups on their journey from lab to market.

Brigitta Jõgi is an associate who provides daily legal counsel to clients, focusing primarily on matters related to corporate and contract law. Her work also covers a broader range of legal issues, including employment law and dispute resolution. Brigitta is confident in handling corporate restructurings and has extensive experience in drafting various contracts, resolutions, and other legal documents.

Markko Karu is a designer with 25 years of experience working to help businesses to innovate and improve. He has co-founded two design companies, several start-ups, provided numerous training and consultancy services to over 200 companies in Estonia and worldwide.

Meelis Kadaja is the Co-Founder and Chief Business Officer at Nanordica Medical, an Estonian medtech company founded by scientists and medical doctors to bring innovations from the lab to clinical practice in wound care. Trained as a cell biologist, Meelis earned his PhD from the University of Tartu and later conducted research on skin stem cells and wound healing at Rockefeller University in New York. After returning to Estonia in 2014, he completed an MBA and served as Chief Business Officer at Icosagen for nine years before joining Nanordica Medical.

Mihkel Tammo is an experienced leadership advisor and consultant for multiple companies, a supporter and advisor of the Green Tiger initiative, and served as the CEO of the manufacturing company Estanc from 2016 to 2020. Since April 2024, he has been leading the University of Tartu's Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

Harald Lepisk is a professional public speaker helping people to become futureproof. He founded Inspiratsioon.ee, a personal growth platform designed to help individuals overcome setbacks in life and reignite their drive for learning and growth.

Harald serves as a moderator at European Innovation Academy and as a pitching mentor at Tehnopol Startup Incubator. He holds a Master’s degree in Entrepreneurship and Technology Management from the University of Tartu.