🚀 Youth Startup Summit 2026
Estonia's biggest student-led startup conference returns to TalTech, and most people who come won't have a startup yet. That's exactly the point!
An afternoon of founders, investors and student builders sharing how they actually got started. No theory, no jargon, just honest stories from people who were recently exactly where you are.
What to expect
🎤 9 talks and conversations: real, honest stories from the startup world
☕ 2 networking breaks + networking after the programme: meet students, founders and investors
💡 Practical takeaways: what the first step looks like, where to find support, and how funding actually works
Programme
12:00 · Doors open & registration
12:30 · Opening — Startup Garage
12:35 · Getter Voitka (Startup Estonia) — Estonia Runs on Startups, and It Needs You Next
12:55 · Eliise Lehtsaar (Voon, JA Eesti) — How a Student Company Turned Me Into an Entrepreneur
13:15 · Oliver Strastin (Specialist VC) & Mikko Leo Selg (Bilance) — Founder & Investor: The Same Story From Both Sides
13:40 · ☕ Networking break
14:00 · Markus Palm (Featurebase) — Starting at 19: How We Grew Featurebase to $2M ARR in 3 Years
14:20 · Linda-Riin Võeras (Metaplanet), Mihkel Annus (Hüppelaud) & Kristiina Libe (Tehnopol) — You're 19 With an Idea: Who Do You Call, What Do You Do?
14:45 · Rando Rannus (Siena Secondary Fund) — Unlocking Liquidity: The Power and Potential of Secondary Markets
15:05 · ☕ Networking break
15:25 · Kevin Akkermann, Karl Kiilaspää & Gren Paut (Bilt.me) — Students Building: The Bilt.me Story
15:50 · Karl-Gustav Tamberg (UP Catalyst) — Not Every Startup Is an App: How Science Becomes Real Business
16:15 · Sten Tamkivi (Skaala, Plural) — Finding the Next Giants: Early-Stage Investing
16:40 · Closing remarks — Startup Garage
16:45–18:00 · 🥂 Post-event networking
Whether you're a high-schooler who's never heard a pitch, a first-year wondering whether the startup world is for you, or you already have an idea and no clue what to do with it, this day is built for you.
Practical info
📅 Thursday, 22 October 2026 · 12:00–18:00
📍 TalTech Main Hall, Tallinn University of Technology
🗣 Everything in English
✨ Free for all uni students, high-schoolers and TalTech staff
Organised by TalTech Startup Garage and TalTech Tudengifond.
Tallinna Tehnikaülikool (TalTech) • Ehitajate tee 5, 19086 Tallinn, Harju maakond, Estonia
