ArcticStartup guide to Latitude59 on May 14-15

    Annual Estonian startup conference Latitude59 is here again, expecting 700 startups, tech students, entrepreneurs, corporates, VC, angels and other startup enthusiasts 300 km either side from Latitude 59. We summed up a brief roadmap top help you make the most out of this #Estonianmafia gathering:

    General

    Follow on Twitter: @Latitude59

    Use hashtags: #Latitude59 (for the event), #Estonianmafia (for Estonian startup community)

    Check website: http://latitude59.ee/

    Check attendee list: http://www.amiando.com/latitude59-2015.html?page=1255519#EventGuestListPanel

    Travel for free: Take Latitude59 bus from Riga (only 13 seats left)

    Programme highlights

    These highlights caught our eye. We picked them. But be a leader, not a follower: pick and prioritize the talks that are relevant for you and your business. Check the full program here.

    David C. Traub will share the story of Epiphany Film Fund – startup Film/Media Fund focusing on ‘social impact’ content franchises/projects in which the content is initiated and driven by feature films, but delivers maximum reach, impact and upside across the greater and global digital landscape. With 30 years of experience in feature films, digital media products and games and as venture catalyst, David  has a lot of fresh insights to share.

    David invites you to a movie night and discussion at 16:00-19:00, screening of the movie `jOBS` (2013): It Only Takes One Person to Start the Revolution! He will also be giving ten inspirational epiphanies to attendees at 16:15-17:00 on May 14.

    Estonian e-residency startup undergoing scrutinty from seasoned entrepreneurs

    Ever wondered what Japanese prime minister, Finland’s top influencer and Indian entrepreneur have in common? Estonian e-residency. Estonia was the first country in the world to launch e-residency and was cheered for it across the media. But what about the practical use for international startups from Estonian e-residency? Come to the panel on May 14 at 11:45-12:15 where seasoned entrepreneurs will do public scrutiny of the pioneering program.

    This year: attention to Fintech, including 30 min dedicated to Bitcoin

    We suspect that the recent Estonian newsmaker TransferWise may have their fingers in play here, but it is no denying that #fintech and #bitcoin are hot. Even in our region, there has been a spree of fintech activities – FIHACK, Rietumu fintech challenge and monthly Bitcoin meetups, to name a few.  Here’s the plan for Latitude59 Fintech afternoon:

    For startups

    1. Connect to relevant speakers. Check the talks relevant to your business, attend them and ask a smart question.

    For example:

    If you are a startup in cybersecurity, check the people on cybersecurity panel at 11:45-12:15 on May 14th. Prepare good questions, state your name and company before asking, and make sure your question demonstrates understanding of business, provides value to the audience and communicates your goal at the conference. A question asked right will be the perfect conversation starter with your target speaker afterwards.

    2. If your team member is pitching at Latitude59, make sure to mention it to every relevant person you meet. Ideally, mobilise your relationships with other attendees so they would be telling people about your pitch instead. The phrase ‘Have you met StartupX doing amazing things [ABC] in industry Y?’ is proven to work better than ‘Hey, I just met you. And this is crazy. But we are pitching. So check us maybe?’

    For example: Gently remind your mentors, investors, journalists that have written about you and even fellow startups that you are pitching and would appreciate their support at spreading the word. Do not push for any promises, just let them know you would appreciate. If they believe in your idea, they are likely to do so anyway, but a friendly reminder will raise the likelihood.

    3. Make sure to tweet why you are there. Use #Latitude59 hashtag and mention @Latitude59 in tweets with shareable (read: valuable) information. State you goal, add a relevant image, link, call to action.

    For example:

    4. Reach out to local community for to help. You can check our guide to Estonia for a shortlist of local communities that can help you reach your goals, particularly if you help them reach theirs. From something as small as retweeting your tweet to as big as introducing you to the person you wanted to meet most, all is possible. Just make it clear that you are not just another startup kid bombarding everyone with the same pitch, but a mature founder with a clear goal who has done his homework.

    For example:

    If you are announcing a free perk for everyone attending, mention @Latitude59 and use hashtags #Latitude59, #Estonianmafia in your tweet. An example from #rietumufintech below:

    5. Startup Bootcamp fast Tracks for fintech and transport & enegry

    The global network of industry focused accelerators Startup Bootcamp is coming to Latitude59 on May 14-15th. Two of its accelerators will be hosting workshops, as part of their Fast Track world tour. Two industry focused fast tracks will be available:

    • Startupbootcamp Smart Transportation & Energy (Berlin)

    • Startupbootcamp FinTech (London)

    More information here.

    For investors:

    1. Pitch competition takes place on May 15th at 16:00. Best 10 startups from 6 countries have been selected  to pitch at Latitude59. You can check them here. Note: Swedish Divido has been replaced by Latvian BranchTrack – the finalist of LOGIN2015, also pitching at Arctic15 on May 26-27. They are currently syndicating a seed round of €500,000.

    2. Check startup demo booths. Startup booths open as early as 8:00 am on May 14th. Swinging by and seeing who is dedicated enough to be fully ready so early in the morning may be a good benchmark for team motivation.

    3. See what potential business partners are attending. Latitude59 is famous for its public attendee list, letting everyone connect to everyone before the event. Despite it does not have filters (e.g. ‘investors’, ‘startups’, ‘corporate’ etc.), it lets you search by name and company name.

    4. Explore more of Estonian startup scene. One of our most-shared  posts to date, ArcticStartup guide to Estonia, written with help of local community insiders has a list of most ecosystem players. Check it out here.

    5. Swing by Startup Wise Guys and BuildIT demo day at 18:30 on May 15th. Right after Latitude59, the 5th batch of Startup Wise Guys accelerator will have their demo day just 13 min walk away from the venue. While the audience will largely overlap, this is a chance to meet additional relevant people and do more business.

    Grab a free ticket here.

    Afterpatries

    Transferwise Startup party on May 14

    This is dangerous – a party by Transferwise at the middle of a conference. We all know how memorable Transferwise is when they decide to put up a show. On event page they promise good time in an old power plant station, joined by their own band ‘The Fast Flags’ and many more surprises.  Entrance is guaranteed to all Latitude59 attendees, limited entrance to others.

    Join the party here.

    Startup Wise Guys and BuildIT demo day

    After Startup Wise Guys and BuildIT demo day, ArcticStartup invites you to a networking party. More info here.