Until June 28, there is an opportunity to apply for participation in the innovation incubation programme, as a part of ESI student innovation program. One of the project partners is also Riga Graduate School of Law. It aims to ensure the development of socially responsible and sustainable solutions by receiving support in the idea validation process through practical seminars and individual mentoring.
If you already have a validated idea for a new product or service, you may directly apply for a place in the ESI Incubator. Unlike most University-based incubation programmes, ESI startup incubator is run in collaboration with TechHub Riga, giving you the benefit of working with experienced industry professionals who help develop startups for a living.
Participation in the incubator comes with financial support for both you and your idea and, upon successful ‘graduation’, will benefit from continued support by experts from the Latvian Startup Association.
The incubation program will run for 3 months in an online format, with the possibility of using premises in Riga or Rezekne. The program is open to various student teams – both teams at an early stage of development and established start-ups (up to 3 years old) that are looking for additional momentum to test and implement products in real market conditions.
When applying for the 3-month program, students receive the opportunity:
● To participate in lectures and individual mentoring sessions with local and international entrepreneurs and professionals of various fields;
● To learn the processes and good practices of the commercialization of the idea.
● To receive a monthly scholarship.
For the selection of innovative ideas applications, and qualitative conformity assessment, the student team is obliged to submit innovative idea online application (available here), as well as to send a 1-minute video presentation providing a brief overview of the essence and potential of the idea to the Project e-mail address esi-startup(abols)techhub.com. The Terms of Reference of the incubator can be found here. Application deadline is June 28. The incubator will be conducted bilingually – both in Latvian and English. "The innovation incubation program is another step closer to the development of a successful business environment in Latvia. The most enterprising and courageous authors of ideas meet in the innovation program," says Kristīne Nagle, program director.
ESI student innovation program is supported by great donors - SEB Latvija, Rimi Latvija and Printify. SEB Latvia believes that a business idea is the basis for starting a successful business. By cooperating with SSE Riga and supporting the ESI innovation program, SEB encourages ideas to be followed by further action. SEB has been supporting young entrepreneurs for a long time by creating various programs and initiatives, such as the SEB Growth Program, grant programs (inspiration) and SEB Youth LAB practice for students.
ESI is a two-year student innovation programme organized by SSE Riga, Riga Graduate School of Law, Art Academy of Latvia, Rezekne Academy of Technologies, Civitta, TechHub Riga and (a long list of) other partners. It is co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, RIMI, SEB, and Printify. ESI brings together a community of over 35 SMEs, centres of scientific excellence, regional and national professional associations, and a wide network of individual experts and mentors. More information about the ESI Student Innovation Programme and application for other events:
Website: https://esi-startup.lv/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ESIdrosmigs
LinkedIn page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/esidrosmigs
E-mail: info(abols)esi-startup.lv
Project number: 1.1.1.3/21/A/008.a.
