As part of the Demo Day on 23 March, 14 teams of the ESI student innovation program incubator and "Inclusive Startupreneurship" of the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga (SSER) presented their work in front of the jury and showed prototypes of their business ideas. Also RGSL students, Miromon Mirkhonov and Ana Mamaladze, as a part of their business idea “Foodprint” pitched their idea during the event.
During the event, 11 teams from the ESI incubator and 3 teams from "Inclusive Startupreneurship" presented their works. Team presentations were evaluated by a jury of Alise Lazdāne from RIMI Latvia, Anna Andersone from Riga Techgirls, Dmitrijs Kravčenko from SSE Riga and Arta Beitāne from Buildit Accelerator. Each team presented their business idea, the business opportunity, and why its team is the best equipped to solve this problem.
The Incubator program teams worked on their ideas for 4 months, during which the business ideas were tested, developed and took tangible shape. During this period, mentors have helped to research the target market, build a prototype of the product or service and test it in a realistic environment. Teams could use the 4,500 EUR funding offered under the program to build their first prototype.
Among the graduating incubator teams, the following presented their ideas:
● An'sis: developed tasteful and ecological bathroom sinks;
● DESAL IT: student team developed an innovative water desalitation device;
● FUNDATUR: offers a laser engraving service;
● KOPAA: developed DIY children's toys;
● The Chair Team: designed a compact chair for event organizers;
● Materia Fibre: offers a coating for disposable tableware made from corn starch;
● PEAK Save: will help entrepreneurs save up to 30% per month on dynamic tariff electricity costs,
● Scent camera accessory: developed a compact tool that records scents,
● Sustainable Fashion (M.ART design): offers sustainable fashion for women;
● Vezums: developed a cargo bike prototype for event organizers;
● Plus Size Clothing: developed a plus size women's line for modern women.
Kristīne Nagle, Director of the ESI Incubator program, shares: "Following the progress of the teams for 4 months and seeing the results at the end of the program, I am proud of what the teams have done and will follow their future successes".
In parallel, three teams graduated from the "Inclusive Startupreneurship" course, where students learned about sustainable business fundamentals within a month. The course was led by the Riga Techgirls team: Anna Andersone and Alise Gurenko. On the Demo Day, the following teams presented their business ideas:
CUP SWAP: offers reusable cups to be used in cafes and returned for a deposit,
FOODPRINT: developed a platform for school canteens to reduce food waste,
ION: offers an innovative solution for car charging stations in cities.
The next ESI incubator program will start already in April, the participating teams have already been selected in the winter of this year, so the development of student innovations will continue!
The program is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund and supported by SEB Latvia and RIMI Baltic. The program is organized by the Stockholm School of Economics in Riga, Riga Graduate School of Law, Latvian Academy of Arts, Rēzekne Academy of Technology, Techhub Riga, Riga Techgirls, and other industry partners. Project number: 1.1.1.3/21/A/008.a.
