The largest business festival in the Baltics – sTARTUp Day – will be held in Tartu on 24-26th of August. Accelerate Estonia and our partners have worked hard to create a particularly meaningful program for this. This year we are partnering with Happiness Foundation, an international research institute founded in London. We are bringing world-class scientists and entrepreneurs with experience in the development of innovation and cutting-edge technologies in neuroscience, biotechnology and medicine to the seminars and main stage of sTARTUp Day.
Happiness Foundation collaborates with institutes such as Oxford University Future of Humanity Institute, the Royal Academy of Arts and the World Economic Forum. They have a goal to find scientific solutions to increase people’s well-being as technological solutions abound, and to find new metrics to evaluate the development of society in addition to economic indicators.
We got the inspiration for this collaboration from our mental health mission. We started with the mission at the beginning of 2021, and during this time it has become clear that Estonia and, in fact, a large part of the whole world needs a huge leap towards supporting mental health and well-being. The problems are waiting to be solved, from prevention to supporting and guiding the already diagnosed patient on their treatment journey, a lack of experts and too expensive or unreachable help.
World-class presenters in the sTARTUp Day program
To bring together entrepreneurial and innovative minds at sTARTUp Day, we put together a program with our expert partners that focuses on well-being, mental health, and innovative and scientific techniques on how to handle and lead it all. In addition, topics will be covered about the sustainability of innovation, the transition process from science to business, Industry 4.0 and its impact on being human.
So, what exactly will happen at sTARTUp Day?
On August 24, we will start our program with a small dinner party and fascinating conversations at Kolm Tilli restaurant. We want to create a pleasant atmosphere where both Estonian and international leaders of science, business and innovation exchange good ideas and create connections for fruitful cooperation in the future. The event is invite-only to bring together the Accelerate Estonia community and world-class leaders in innovation and health.
August 25
Seminar Rooms
Oliver Rutherford
& Andrew Mitson
From High Performance to Hyper Performance
12:45-13:45
Techniques from experimental science to discover the elusive state of “hyper-performance” for moonshot creativity, clarity of thinking and total flow. Will also cover practical “hacks” to find purpose, meaning and mastery.
Oliver runs Afinity.io, the future of student decision-making, and coaches CEOs and senior business leaders to elevate their teams. Andrew is a Director at the Happiness Foundation, a Forbes 30 Under 30 entrepreneur, and will be guest-lecturing technology & social entrepreneurship at both Oxford & Cambridge next year.
Soheil Ahmadzadeh
Individual & Company Wellbeing for Long-Term Growth
14:40-15:40
Why we should prioritize human connection over data (and perhaps everything?) for competitive advantages in company well-being. Will also cover the powerful & scalable 5 Pillar Model for creating a happy work culture and attracting top talent, based on lessons learned advising billion dollar companies, including L’Oreal and Google.
Soheil is Head of Wellbeing in the Happiness Foundation. Over the last 20 years, Soheil has worked in private family offices, funds, VCs, and corporations across several industries including technology, trade, and energy. He now focuses on coaching, mentoring and advising individuals and entities alike.
August 26
Starlight Stage
Andrew Mitson
The Science of Full Body-Mind Optimization
11:30-11:50
A deep dive into advanced breathing techniques, psychedelics, and longevity technologies (including cryotherapy, Vasper, CGM, red light therapy and NAD – the God molecule), to access higher states of emotional control and creative thinking. Get inspired by the radical and counter-intuitive strategies used by the world’s greatest doers and thinkers.
Andrew is a Director at the Happiness Foundation, a Forbes 30 Under 30 entrepreneur, and will be guest-lecturing technology & social entrepreneurship at both Oxford & Cambridge next year.
Anders Sandberg
Cyber-physical well-being, Happiness and Industry 4.0
11:50-12:10
Industry 4.0 is an envisioned digital transformation of industry with important effects on economy, sustainability and supply chains. But how it impacts on human well-being and happiness has not been studied much. We will outline some of the intersections between the technology and human experience, suggesting where proactive research or design-ahead can enhance the outcomes.
Anders Sandberg is a Swedish researcher, science debater, futurist, transhumanist and author. He holds a PhD in computational neuroscience from Stockholm University, and is currently a Senior Research Fellow at the Future of Humanity Institute at the University of Oxford, and a Fellow at Reuben College.
Professor Richard Barker
10 Secrets of Successful Innovation
12:10-12:30
Innovation today is fundamentally unsustainable. There is a widening gap between what research promises and the impact it’s actually achieving. Professor Barker will explain the global problem of ineffective translation from research to impact, specifically in the field of biotechnology where Barker holds decades of experience at the top of the field, but with lessons applicable to all innovators.
Professor Richard Barker is a senior leader in the global life sciences and healthcare. His professional interests focus on innovation and translation in precision medicine and precision health, drawing on his 30-year career in senior roles in many companies, working with biopharmaceuticals, diagnostics, and medical informatics in Europe and the USA.
Sandra Särav
Data monetisation – anarchy, oligarchy or democracy
15:00-15:20
In Estonia we’ve taken the strong stance that people own their own data. However, globally there’s an abundance of rules and regulations surrounding data governance. Companies find it hard, if not impossible, to learn to swim in this foggy swamp of rules. Individuals who wish to monetise their data don’t really understand if they are the rulers of their own data or is it an illusion. So who controls our right to play with our data?
Sandra Särav is the Deputy Secretary General for Business and Consumer Environment at the Estonian Ministry of Economics and Communications. A well-versed digital policy expert with Estonian Government background, and with experience in EU-level decision making. Adept in policy-crafting, an accomplished public speaker with legal qualifications, and most recent experience in regulatory and sustainability work from a European unicorn.
See you at sTARTUp Day!
More than 3,000 participants are expected for the three-day sTARTUp Day business festival to celebrate entrepreneurship in the smart city of Tartu. The stage program with more than 100 world-class performers is complemented by practical seminars, an innovative demo area, active networking and dozens of exciting side events.
